Paschal was a rival with
Theodore for
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
following the death of
Pope Conon (21 September 687), and thus is considered an
antipope
An antipope () is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope. Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church its ...
of the
Roman Catholic church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
Biography
Prior to the disputed election, Paschal was an
archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...
. According to the ''
Liber Pontificalis
The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biography, biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adr ...
'' partisans of Paschal and Theodore seized different parts of the
Lateran
250px, Basilica and Palace - side view
Lateran and Laterano are names for an area of Rome, and the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their p ...
, and as each were unwilling to give way to the other they were locked in combat for control of the entire basilica. Meanwhile, representatives of the garrison, the majority of the clergy and the citizens met in the imperial palace and eventually elected
Sergius, a priest of the church of
Santa Susanna as Conon's successor. Having thus decided on Sergius, they brought him to the
Lateran
250px, Basilica and Palace - side view
Lateran and Laterano are names for an area of Rome, and the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their p ...
and forced their way in.
Although appearing to accede to the supporters of Pope Sergius, Paschal sent messengers to the
exarch of Ravenna
The Exarchate of Ravenna (; ), also known as the Exarchate of Italy, was an administrative district of the Byzantine Empire comprising, between the 6th and 8th centuries, the territories under the jurisdiction of the exarch of Italy (''exarchus ...
John Platyn promising gold in exchange for military support. The exarch arrived, demanded the gold, and looted
Old St. Peter's Basilica
Old St. Peter's Basilica was the church buildings that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began dur ...
, but departed after Sergius I's consecration (15 December 687). Paschal was eventually confined to a monastery on charges of
witchcraft
Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...
.
[Ekonomou, Andrew J. Ekonomou, ''Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes: Eastern influences on Rome and the papacy from Gregory the Great to Zacharias, A.D. 590–752'' (New York: Lexington Books, 2007), p. 216]
See also
*
Papal selection before 1059
The selection of the pope, the bishop of Rome and supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church, prior to the promulgation of '' In nomine Domini'' in 1059 varied throughout history. Popes were often putatively appointed by their predecessors or by poli ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paschal, Antipope
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
7th-century antipopes
7th-century archbishops
7th-century Byzantine people
Antipopes