The
Papacy - A Historical Perspective
985-1003 A.D.
John XV : 985-996 A.D.
137. Born in Rome. Elected August 985 . died March 996.
Caught in the snare of abuses, he was
forced to look for
shelter in Tuscany.
He solved the disagreement affecting the church of Reims.
He was the first Pope to carry forward the trial and the
canonisation of a Saint: Ulderich, archbishop of Augsburg, who was made
saint on decision of a Lateran.
synod.
This was the first example of canonisation performed by a
Pope.
He is buried in the Vatican Grottoes. His pontificate lasted about
10 years
and 7 months.
Gregory V : 996-999 A.D.
138. Born in Saxony. Elected May 3, 996 - died November 11, 999.
In the Basilica of St. Peter, he
crowned his cousin Otto
III, but after Otto
went back to Germany, Gregory V was forced to leave Rome because
of the threat represented by Crescentium, who opposed him with an
anti-pope. Otto III came to the aid of the Pope; the anti-pope escaped
from
Rome and Crescentium was beheaded in Castel S. Angelo.
He introduced the commemoration of the dead. He transferred St.
Lucille's mortal remains to S. Maria Nuova in Rome. He is buried in the
Vatican
Grottoes.
His pontificate lasted 2 years and 9 months.
Silvester II : 999-1003 A.D.
139. Born in Auvergne (France). Elected April 2, 999 - died May 12,
1003.
He tried to stem immoral behaviour.
He was extremely learned and
introduced the use of Arab numbers.
(1)
His pontificate crossed the threshold of the famous year
1000, which was considered crucial for the Last
Judgment: people used to say: one thousand and not one thousand more.
He is said to have invented the balance-wheel, which was used till
1640
and then replaced by the pendulum clock.
(1)
He was the only Pope keen to astronomy and mathematic.
(1)
He was also the first Pope to think about crusades, fostering
princes and nations to start an allied war to free the
Holy Land and Eastern Christians.
He is buried in San Giovanni in Laterano.
His pontificate lasted about 4 years and 1 month.
(1) We have encountered
some very serious allegations about
Pope Sylvester II. Many sound ludicrous but "where there is smoke there
is a fire somewhere". In addition, we have reason to believe that there
is some serious truths in said allegations. Pope Sylvester
II in
Wikipedia.
John XVII : 1003 A.D.
140. Born in Rome. Elected June 1003 - died December 1003.
His election took place in a period of
serious disorders
which followed the death
of Otto II from Germany. We do not have significant information
concerning his short
pontificate.
He is buried in San Giovanni in Laterano.
His pontificate lasted about 5 months and 25 days.
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Index of Roman
Pontiffs
Introduction
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