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Name:
Pope Felix IV (III)
Preceded by: St. John I (523 - 526)
Succeeded by: Boniface II (530 - 532)
Roman Catholic Pope #54
Dates:
Born: ? (Italy)
Died: September 22, 530
Pope: July 12, 526 - September 22, 530 (4 years)
Biography:
Technically Felix was only the third pope to carry the name Felix; however, there had been
an earlier antipope who had adopted the name Felix II in 355 and for a while he remained on
the lists of official popes. Thus, this Felix has always been numbered as Felix IV.
Felix was the favored papal candidate of the Ostrogoth King Theodoric the Great - indeed, it was through tremendous pressure from Theodoric that Felix was ever elected in the first place. Because of this favored status Felix took it upon himself to push Theodoric to approve of measures that enhanced and expanded the power of the Church.
There were perhaps two significant events during the papacy of Felix IV. The first was his conflict with the semi-Pelagians, a group which modified the original teachings of Pelagius and now argued that while God's grace is necessary for salvation, it nevertheless requires a free act of human will to put a person in the position to receive that grace. Felix relied heavily on the teachings of Augustine, an original opponent of Pelagius, in condemning the semi-Pelagians at the Second Council of Orange.
The second important event during Felix's reign was his effort to influence the choice of his successor. Still loyal the Goths, Felix wanted to ensure that whoever followed him on the papal throne would continue to both to receive their favor and to favor them in return. Thus, while on his deathbed he summoned a group of his supporters and ordered them to elect Boniface, an archdeacon and Gothic supporter, as the next pope. Many outside the Church rejected this attempt to interfere with papal elections but Felix's will was seen through in the end anyway.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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