From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
July 19th =E2=80=93 Pope St. Symmachus
498 - 514 AD
The death of Anastasius left Rome tense with bitterness and suspicion
as two factions struggled for control. The first and larger was the
group which, out of misunderstanding, had grumbled at the late Pope's
peace policy. The other faction was the pro-Byzantine party led by
Senator Festus. This intriguer was anxious to make Rome conform to the
imperial wish concerning Zeno's Henoticon. The clergy gathered at the
Lateran on November 22, 498, and elected Symmachus. Later that same
day, the pro- Byzantine minority went to St. Mary Major and elected an antipope, Lawrence. Off to Ravenna went embassies from pope and
antipope to Theodoric. Theodoric wisely decided to recognize Symmachus
because he had been elected first and by a majority. Lawrence bowed
and was made bishop of Nocera.
Symmachus, a Sardinian who had been baptized at Rome and had been a
deacon there, took steps to prevent a recurrence of the trouble. He
held a synod on March 1, 499, which passed stringent decrees against electioneering for the papacy. The next year he welcomed Theodoric to
Rome. The great Ostrogoth received a splendid reception, and in turn
promised to respect the privileges of the Romans.
The pro-Byzantine party raised its head again in 501. Led by Festus,
they accused the Pope of all kinds of crimes from celebrating Easter
on the wrong date to immoral conduct. When Theodoric sent for
Symmachus, the Pope boldly refused to be judged by a secular ruler.
Theodoric then requested a synod to settle the matter, and sent, as
Visitor to Rome, Bishop Peter of Altinum. The Pope agreed to the synod
but refused to accept the Visitor. When, with his approval, the synod
met, Symmachus demanded his complete reinstatement before answering
any charge. Though the synod agreed to this, Theodoric did not. The
Pope then gave in, and set out for the synod, but was attacked by
partisans of the pro Byzantine faction and driven back to St. Peter's.
This outrage ended his complaisance, and he refused to have anything
more to do with the synod. Embarrassed, the synod broke up declaring
that it had no competence to judge a pope, and that Symmachus should
be regarded as free from all crime.
Theodoric, however, refused to accept this, and the pro-Byzantine
faction brought back Antipope Lawrence and installed him in the
Lateran. For four years this schism dragged on, to the distress of the faithful. The patient Pope was gradually winning back the adherents of
Lawrence when Theodoric changed his mind, and by withdrawing his
support from the schismatics, put an end to the matter.
In spite of all this trouble, Symmachus kept an eye on the East and
rebuked Emperor Anastasius for his support of the Monophysite heresy.
As firmly as Gelasius, the Pope maintained the independence of his
spiritual power. He found time to do a good deal of building in Rome,
including three refuges for the poor. He also sent alms to the
persecuted Catholics of Africa. St. Symmachus died July 19, 514.
Venerated as a saint, his feast is kept on that day.
This Version Taken From:
http://cfpeople.org/Books/Pope/POPEp51.htm
Saint Quote:
To those who wish to stand in God's grace, neither the guardianship of
saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting.
--Saint Hilary of Poitiers
Bible Quote:
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which
a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all
that he hath, and buyeth that field.=C2 (Matthew 13:44)
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Zeal in Amending our Lives(8)
How do so many other religious who are confined in cloistered
discipline get along? They seldom go out, they live in contemplation,
their food is poor, their clothing coarse, they work hard, they speak
but little, keep long vigils, rise early, pray much, read frequently,
and subject themselves to all sorts of discipline. Think of the
Carthusians and the Cistercians, the monks and nuns of different
orders, how every night they rise to sing praise to the Lord. It would
be a shame if you should grow lazy in such holy service when so many
religious have already begun to rejoice in God.
'A Kempis:--Imitation of Christ Book 1, Ch 25
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)