Saint Peter Chrysologus

Saint Peter Chrysologus In 380 AD, Saint Peter Chrysologus was born in When Pope Leo I ascended the Chair of Saint Peter in 440 Imola, which is in modern day Bologna Italy, during the AD after the death of Pope Sixtus III that same year, Peter reign of Roman Emperor Thedosius I, who would be the Chrysologus would become a close confidant of the new last Roman Emperor to reign over the entire Empire. Pope. Peter Chrysologus would for his entire lifetime be After the death of Theodosius I in 395 AD, the reign in fiercely loyal to the Church and a defender of its authority. the West fell to Emperor Honorius. It was against this In 448, Eutyches came to Bishop Peter to gain his backdrop which Peter, who as an adult converted to support in a dispute with the Church where he had been Catholicism and was baptized and educated by Cornelius, deposed of his priestly office and excommunicated. the Bishop of the Diocese of Imola. Peter would Eutyches had previously become well known at the eventually be ordained a deacon of the Church by Bishop Council of Ephesus in 432 for his opposition to Nestorius, Cornelius. who had taught that Christ’s two natures, human and In 423, Emperor Honorius died, and was divine, were bound together by one will, as opposed to the succeeded by Emperor Valentinian III. orthodox view that Christ had two wills, both human and Peter was becoming well known for his short, but divine. While as a priest, Eutyches had been hailed for inspiring sermons, and Emperor Valentinian III would his stance against Nestorianism, he had embraced the become both a fan of Peter and his sermons. When an radically opposite view of Monophysitism, which appointment came up for a new archdeacon, preached that Christ only had one nature, which was Valentinian III used his influence to support Peter for this divine, and he lacked a human will entirely. It was for position which was eventually granted him. these views, Eutyches had been condemned at the Council In 433 in the city of Ravenna, the Bishop of their of Constantinople of 448. Instead of heeding the plea of diocese had died, and they elected a new Bishop to be Eutyches, Peter instead admonished him to accept the ratified by the Holy See. However, Pope Sixtus III had ruling of the Synod against him and to be obedient to the received a vision of Pope Saint Peter and the first bishop Pope as the successor to Saint Peter the Apostle. Eutyches of Ravenna, Saint Apollinaris. In this vision, both saints would not heed the advice of Peter Chrysologus, and soon presented to Pope Sixtus the young Peter as the next after Peter’s death, Eutyches would be sent into exile Bishop of Ravenna. As a result, Pope Sixtus III rejected where he would ultimately die. the candidate elected by the people of Ravenna, and At the age of 70, in 450 AD Peter left his instead consecrated Peter as their new bishop. episcopate to visit his home town of Imola in northern Ravenna was considered to be the capital of the Italy. It was during this visit that Saint Peter Chrysologus rest, and upon arriving at his new appointment, Peter was passed away. He was Canonized before the Sacred already being recognized as the Doctor of Homilies. Congregatio for Rites was founded by Pope Sixtus V in Known for his piety and zeal, his first homily as the 1588, which would be divided into the Congregation for Bishop of Ravenna was attended by the Roman Empress Divine Worship and the Congregation for the Causes of Galla Placidia, who afterward bestowed upon him the Saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. In 1729 he was declared surname Chrysologus, which means “golden-worded.” a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII. His feast Empress Galla Placida would go on to patronize day is July 30th. many of the projects which would be undertaken by Bishop Peter. Much of Peter’s pontificate would be spent attempting to battle abuses in his diocese and the vestiges of paganism which remained in Ravenna, likely exasperated by the slow but continual collapse of the Western Roman Empire during the rule of Emperor Valentinian III. Peter resolutely condemned Aranism and Monophysitism, and preached consistently on the Apostle’s Creed, the mystery of the Incarnation, Saint John the Baptist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Peter would encourage daily reception of the Eucharist, and regular reception of forgiveness offered through Christ. .

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