Pope Theodore I (Latin:Theodorus I; died 14 May 649) was thebishop of Rome from 24 November 642 to his death on 14 May 649. His pontificate was dominated by the struggle withMonothelitism.
TheMadaba Map, a 6th-century mosaic image ofJerusalem, roughly contemporary with Pope Theodore I. TheNew Church of the Theotokos (red square in image) was a few decades old during Theodore's youth.
Theodore I'selection wassupported by theexarch of Ravenna, who governed Italy in the name of the emperor inConstantinople. He was installed on 24 November 642, succeeding John IV.[4]The main focus of his pontificate was the continued struggle against the hereticalMonothelites. He refused to recognizePaul II as thepatriarch of Constantinople because Paul's predecessor,Pyrrhus I, had not been correctly replaced. He pressed EmperorConstans II to withdraw theEcthesis ofHeraclius. While his efforts made little impression on Constantinople, it increased the opposition to the teaching in the West; Pyrrhus even briefly recanted Monothelitism in 645, but wasexcommunicated in 648. Paul was excommunicated in 649. In response, Paul destroyed the Roman altar in the palace ofPlacidia and exiled or imprisoned thepapal apocrisiarius. He also sought to end the issue with the emperor by promulgating theType of Constans, ordering that theEcthesis be taken down and seeking to end discussion on the doctrine.[5]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Mann, Horace Kinder (1913). "Pope Theodore I". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
