Pope Vitalian (Latin:Vitalianus; died 27 January 672) was thebishop of Rome from 30 July 657 to his death in 672. His pontificate was marked by the dispute between thepapacy and the imperial government inConstantinople overMonothelitism, which Rome condemned. Vitalian tried to resolve the dispute and had a conciliatory relationship with EmperorConstans II, who visited him inRome and gave him gifts. Vitalian's pontificate also saw the secession of theArchbishopric of Ravenna from the papal authority.
Vitalian was born inSegni,Lazio, the son of Anastasius.[2] After the death ofEugene I on 2 or 3 June 657, Vitalian waselected to succeed him. He wasconsecrated aspope on 30 July, keeping his baptismal name.[2]
Like Eugene, Vitalian tried to restore the connection withConstantinople by making friendly advances to EmperorConstans II and to prepare the way for the settlement of theMonothelite controversy. He sent letters (synodica) announcing his elevation to the emperor and toPatriarch Peter of Constantinople, who was inclined to Monothelitism. The emperor confirmed the privileges of theHoly See as head of the Church in the West and sent to Rome a codex of the Gospels in a cover of gold richly ornamented with precious stones as a good-will gesture.[2]
Patriarch Peter also replied, although his answer was somewhat noncommittal as to Monothelitism, a belief he defended. In his letter, he gave the impression of being in accord with the pope. Thus ecclesiastical intercourse between Rome and Constantinople was restored. Peter's letter to Vitalian was later read during the thirteenth session of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (681) and served as the basis for Peter's condemnation as a Monothelite.[3] Vitalian's name was entered on thediptychs of the churches in Byzantium—the only name of a pope so entered between the pontificate ofHonorius I (d. 638) and theSixth Ecumenical Council of 680–81.[4]
Vitalian, alongside Peter and Constans, also played a part in the condemnation and subsequent exile ofMaximus the Confessor when they issued a joint order demanding everyone to be in communion with the Church of Constantinople.[5]
Vitalian showed reciprocity toward Constans when the latter came to Rome in 663 to spend twelve days there during a campaign against theLombards. On 5 July, the pope and members of the Roman clergy met the emperor at the sixth milestone and accompanied him toSt. Peter's Basilica, where the emperor offered gifts. The following Sunday, Constans went in state to St. Peter's, offered a pallium wrought with gold, and was present during theMass celebrated by the pope. The emperor dined with the pope on the following Saturday, attended Mass again on Sunday at St. Peter's, and after Mass took leave of the pope. On his departure Constans removed a large number of bronze artworks, including the bronze tiles from the roof of thePantheon, which had been dedicated to Christian worship.[6]
Constans then moved on toSicily, oppressed the population, and was assassinated atSyracuse in 668. Vitalian supported Constans' sonConstantine IV against the usurperMezezius and thus helped him attain the throne. As Constantine had no desire to maintain the Monothelite decree of his father, Vitalian made use of this inclination to take a more decided stand against Monothelitism and to win the emperor over to orthodoxy. In this latter attempt, however, he did not succeed. The MonothelitePatriarch Theodore I of Constantinople removed Vitalian's name from the diptychs. It was not until the Sixth Ecumenical Council that Monothelitism was suppressed and Vitalian's name was replaced on the diptychs of the churches in Byzantium.[6]
The archiepiscopalSee of Ravenna reported directly to Rome. ArchbishopMaurus (644–71) sought to end this dependence and make his seeautocephalous. When Pope Vitalian called upon him to justify his theological views, Maurus refused to obey and declared himself independent of Rome, initiating aschism. The popeexcommunicated him, but Maurus did not submit and excommunicated Vitalian in return.[6] Emperor Constans II sided with the archbishop and issued an edict removing the archbishop of Ravenna from the patriarchal jurisdiction of Rome. He ordained that the former should receive thepallium from the emperor. The successor of Maurus,Reparatus, was consecrated in 671. It was not until the pontificate ofLeo II (682–83) that the independence of the See of Ravenna was suppressed.[6]
Vitalian played a role in exonerating a bishop of Crete. Bishop John of Lappa had been deposed by a synod under the presidency of Metropolitan Paul. During this time Lappa, located in modern day Crete, was under the jurisdiction of Rome and was later transferred to the patriarchate of Constantinople during the iconoclasm controversy. John appealed to the pope and was imprisoned by Paul for so doing. He escaped, however, and went to Rome, where Vitalian held a synod in December 667 to investigate the matter and pronounced John guiltless. He then wrote to Paul demanding the restoration of John to his diocese and the return of the monasteries which had been unjustly taken from him. At the same time the pope directed the metropolitan to remove two deacons who had each married after consecration.
^Ekonomou, Andrew J. (2007).Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes. Lexington Books. p. 162.ISBN9780739119778.
^Jeffrey Richards (2014).The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages (Routledge Revivals) 476-752. Taylor and Francis. p. 194.ISBN9781317678175.
^Allen, Pauline; Neil, Bronwen (2003).Maximus the Confessor and his Companions: Documents from Exile. Oxford University Press. p. 24.ISBN9780198299912.
^abcdeKirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Pope St. Vitalian" inThe Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^SirFrank Stenton,Anglo-Saxon England, third edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971), pp. 123, 130
