(25) 1.HUMBERT, O.S.B. (ca. 1000/1015-1061)
Birth. Ca. 1000/1015, Bourgogne, France. He is also listed as Hubert; as Humbert; as Hubertus; as Uberto; as Umberto; as Humbertus Burgundus; as Humbert de Silva Candida; and as Humbert of Mourmoutiers.
Education. Entered the Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictines) in the monastery of Moyen Moutier, diocese of Toul, in the Vosges mountains, France, as an oblate, when he was fifteen years old.
Priesthood. Ordained (no further information found). Abbot of the monastery of Moyen Moutier. He was a friend of Bishop Bruno of Toul, future Pope Leo IX, who called him to Rome after his election to the papacy in 1049.
Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Sicily in the spring of 1050; he never went to his see. Consecrated (no information found). On May 2, 1050, he participated in the Lateran Synod. In 1050, he strongly opposed the doctrines of Bérenger de Tours.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal bishop of Silva Candida (Santa Rufina) in 1051 . He subscribed a papal bull issued on February 27, 1051, in S. Lorenzo di Coltibuono, Florence. Probably soon after, he traveled to Benevento as legate. On January 6, 1052, he celebrated Mass at the monastery of Moyen Moutier. On October 7, 1052, he was present in Regensburg. On March 14, 1053, he was in Rimini with Pope Leo IX. Subscribed a papal bull issued on June 10, 1053, in Sale, Biferno. After the Battle of Civitate (or Civitella del Fortore) on June 18, 1053, in southern Italy, the pope was imprisoned in Benevento for nine months by the Normans, together with Cardinal Humbert. In 1053, Cardinal Humbert replied to the denunciation of the Latin rite by Patriarch Michael I Cerularius of Constantinople with a tract entitledAdversus Graecorum calumnias ("Against the slanders of the Greeks"). Named legate in Constantinople in 1054, together with Cardinal Frédéric de Lorraine, future Pope Stephen IX (X), and Archbishop Pietro of Amalfi; because of the desire of Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus for a Greek-Roman reunion; while in Constantinople, Cardinal Humbert was involved in a public disputation with the leading Byzantine theologians; disappointed by the stalemate in the discussions with the Greeks, and by their repudiation of his inflexible demands for submission to the Latin Church; the legate convoked a formal reunion in the cathedral of Hagia Sophia on July 16, 1054, and excommunicated the patriarch as a heretic; later, there was a general condemnation of the entire Greek Orthodox Church; Patriarch Cerularius, with the Synod of Constantinople, excommunicated the legates; Cardinal Humbert's doctrinal strictness caused the definitive schism between the Eastern and Western churches . Legate in Germany in the fall of 1054. On April 12, 1056, he was in Siena, and then accompanied Pope Victor II on his journey through Germany. On April 24, 1057, he was at the Lateran palace in Rome. On May 8, 1057, he received a papal privilege, which was connected to the income from the main altar of St. Peter's basilica. Subscribed papal bulls issued on May 13 (in favor of the abbot of the monastery of Saint Berlin), June 14 and July 7, 1057. On May 18, 1057, in Montecassino, he set the election of the Cardinal Frédéric de Lorraine as abbot of that monastery; after ten days, Cardinal Humbert traveled to Tuscany. On June 7, 1057, he was in Asti; and on the following July 23 in Arezzo.
When Pope Victor II died on July 28, 1057, he was one of the candidates recommended by Cardinal Frédéric de Lorraine to succeed the late pope; eventually, Cardinal Frédéric was elected new pope on the following August 2. Named chancellor and librarian of the Holy Roman Church by his friend Pope Stephen IX (X) in 1057. Subscribed papal bulls issued on October 18 (in Lucca), November 2 (in Rome) and 22, 1057, in Rome; December 4 and 9, 1057, in the castle of Cassino; February 7, 1058, in the castle of Cassino; March 6 and 24, 1058, in the Lateran palace, Rome. Then, he traveled to the Tuscany, where he received the news of the death of Pope Stephen IX (X), which occurred on March 29, 1058, and together with Cardinal Pietro, bishop of Tusculum, returned to Rome. Because of the election of Antipope Benedict X on April 5, 1058, he decided to leave Rome and spend Easter in Benevento; instead, he accepted an invitation from Abbot Desiderius and celebrated Easter in Montecassino. Soon after, he went back to Tuscany and, on July 9, 1058, he dedicated an oratory in Vallombrosa. In December 1058, he participated in the ordinations of S. Pietro in Monte Muro and S. Lorenzo di Coltibuono, Florence. He was in Rome from January 29 to February 17, 1059; the following March 2, in Spoleto; and on March 8, in Osimo. Attended the Lateran Council of April 13, 1059, in which the papal election decreeIn Nomine Domine was issued; he assisted in the redaction of the document; he stayed in Rome until May. In August 1059, he was in Benevento; and on the 25th of that month, in Melfi. Subscribed a papal bull issued on October 14, 1059, in Perugia. He was in Florence the following November 14; he stayed there until January 20, 1060, at least. Then he went to meet the pope in Cesena on February 10, 1060; and on February 19, he went to Fano; and from there, to Rome. He stayed in Rome from April 15 until May 16, 1060. In the fall of 1060, he visited Farfa. He appears in documents issued at the Lateran palace between April 18 and 30, 1061. He authored numerous works . His inflexible theological views were at times challenged by Cardinal Pietro Damiano, future saint, who was a leading figure of the 11th century Roman orthodoxy. Some sources say that he was the first French cardinal.
Death. May 5, 1061 , Rome. Buried in the Lateran basilica, Rome.