Pope John XVIII (Latin:Ioannes XVIII; died June or July 1009) was thebishop of Rome and nominal ruler of thePapal States from January 1004 (25 December 1003 NS) to hisabdication in July 1009. He wielded little temporal power, ruling during the struggle betweenJohn Crescentius andEmperor Henry II for the control of Rome.
John was born to the Fasano family inRome.[1] His father was a priest, either named Leo according toJohann Peter Kirsch,[2] or Ursus according to Horace K Mann.[3]
Aspope, John XVIII occupied his time mainly with details of ecclesiastical administration. He authorized a newDiocese of Bamberg to serve as a base for missionary activity among theSlavs, a concern of Henry II. He also adjudicated the over-reaching of the bishops ofSens andOrléans regarding the privileges of the abbot ofFleury.[6] John was successful in creating, at least temporarily, a rapprochement between the Eastern and Western churches. His name could be found on Easterndiptychs and he was prayed for in Masses in Constantinople.[7]
Mann, Horace Kinder (1906).The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages. Vol. 5: The Popes In The Days of Feudal Anarchy, from Formosus to Damasus II, Part 2. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
