Pope and Emperor in AD 2026

Life is full of strange coincidences. This morning I taught a history class on the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV, including Henry's submission at Canossa and Gregory's ultimate defeat and death in exile. 

I was already aware that today is the feast day of my favorite Papal saint, Pope St. Martin I, who on June 17, 653 was arrested in Rome by agents of the (Christian) Byzantine Emperor Constans II, was imprisoned and publicly humiliated in Constantinople, and finally died in exile in the Crimea in 655. Precisely three weeks and one day prior to the present feast, I was able to visit for the second time his remains at the Church of Martino ai Monti in Rome and pray there.

And, of course, in 2024 I published a lengthy academic book on political theology and the theory and practice of conflicts between bishops and Emperors in the 4th century Roman Empire: this book covered (among many other things) the interrogation and exile of the very-unfairly-maligned Pope Liberius by the Roman Emperor Constantius II in 355 AD. 

Anyway, it was only after all this that I saw today's tweet (decree) from the (Christian global ruler) President of the United States on Pope Leo XIV--and found it, I confess, in demeanor, in content, and even in verbiage rather eerily familiar.

I have always felt that these historical people and incidents, and the political and theological theories and conflicts behind them, were of enormous continuing relevance in the 21st century: I did not, however, realize just how immediately relevant they were to become. 

If you want to understand what's going on in the world, perhaps it's time to do some reflection on the past?

Papa Liberie, ora pro nobis!

Papa Gregorie, ora pro nobis!

Papa Martine, ora pro nobis!

Some links:

Letters from Pope St. Martin I

Novena to Pope St. Martin I

The Lengthy Book in Question

Feast of Pope St. Martin I (April 13th)

Today is the feast of a saint that is very near and dear to my heart, and to which I owe a lot personally: Pope Saint Martin I.

While today fairly obscure, Martin's general claim to fame is that he is the last universally-acknowledged martyr Pope. He was taken from Rome by the Byzantine Emperor Constans II in the 7th century and done to death by starvation in what is now Crimea in Ukraine. Martin suffered this fate for opposing the Imperial heresy of Monothelitism, the belief that Christ has only one will and operation, and for asserting dogmatically the complete humanity of Christ and his possession of a fully human and free and sinless intellect and will alongside and in harmony with his eternal divine will. 

More immediately, he suffered for refusing to abide by a universal Imperial gag order declared by Constans to end the controversy, which autocratically forbade any discussion of the theological issue at all on either side. It was for breaking this silence to anathematize both the Monothelites and those who forbade public confession of Christ's two wills that he was killed.  

Martin was and remains a powerful bridge between East and West. While he was a strong asserter of Papal authority and infalliblity, broke communion with the Church of Constantinople, and refused to acknowledge the authority of the Byzantine Emperor over theology or Rome, he spoke Greek fluently and was deeply conversant with Eastern theology. During his short reign he received numerous refugees from the Byzantine Empire fleeing theological persecution and the rise of Islam, made copious use of their knowledge and skills, and distributed them and their cultural and ecclesiastical learning throughout the West--so that shortly after his reign a Syrian monk from Tarsus, St. Theodore, was appointed by Papal decree to the throne of Canterbury in England. He was a close cooperator and ally of Saint Maximus the Confessor, the greatest of all Byzantine scholastics, and is still venerated in the Eastern Orthodox churches today. 

He was also a thoroughly human and humane saint, who died in part because of his absolute refusal to countenance active resistance to the Emperor's armies and his insistence that "I have judged it better to die a thousand times than to allow the blood of even one person, anyone, be shed onto the earth." In this, he was a powerful witness and contrast to a century that was all but drowning itself in the blood of holy wars and persecutions. Likewise, in his few surviving letters written from his exile, he openly and movingly describes his bodily sufferings and his feelings of abandonment by his friends, allies, clergy, and spiritual children. 

In this humanity, his insistence on the importance of human will and freedom for salvation, his resistance to autocratic power, his refusal to allow the truth to be silenced along with error, his intercultural and ecumenical focus, his common condition with the oppressed and prisoners, and even in his death in what are today bloody and war-torn regions, I believe he is an important saint for our times. 

One of my goals in life is to spread devotion to Martin. Hence, you can find on this blog a novena to him I composed to him a few years ago, which I urge anyone who wishes to pray or spread or make use of for your own purposes. Likewise, I have done my own translation of the letter in which Martin describes his capture by the Emperor and the early period of his exile, as well as another letter shortly before his death describing his condition of starvation and lamenting his abandonment. Finally, here is a somewhat florid and imprecise account of his life which I wrote many years ago, but which contains a fuller description of Monothelitism and quotes from a contemporary document describing his sufferings and death. 

Ora pro nobis! 

Pope St Martin I, Epistola XVII

Another quick translation for the feast of Pope St. Martin I:

"We always have every desire of consoling your love with letters and alleviating that anxiety which you have about us: and along with you also all the saints and our brothers who care about us because of the Lord.

Look, I am writing to you for the present about the things that oppress us. I speak the truth in the name of Christ our God. For we have been removed from all earthly disturbance, and separated from our sins, and look, we have even been deprived of life itself.

If only the people who live in this region were all pagans! Indeed the people who are known to dwell here have accepted pagan morals, and no longer have that love, with abundant compassion, which human nature shows even among barbarians. God knows that this is how it is, except in regards to the people from the ships which come from 'Romania,' as those who are here call those regions, that is to say, that is what they call the regions of Greek Pontus. For from this region I have not once been able able to get hold of even a single trimensis of grain or food of any other kind, except, as I said above, from the ships which rarely come here to depart again loaded with salt. In this way we have been able to buy with money three or four measures of grain during the period up to the present month of September. And til now we have not been able to buy any fresh produce except four measures for one coin.

I have been amazed, however, and I still am amazed at the lack of understanding and lack of compassion of all those who once belonged to me, even my friends and family, because they have entirely forgotten my plight, and do not even want to know, as I have learned, whether I am above the ground or not. I have also wondered much more at those who belong to the Most Holy Church of Peter the Apostle, because they have given so little effort about their own body and their own body part--that is, my love--in order to bring us back, and are without concern even for the necessities of my body and my daily needs. For even if the Church of Holy Peter does not have gold, nevertheless by the grace of God she does not lack grain and wine and other necessities, so that she could show her concern by giving me even a little.

What sort of conscience do you think we have to display before the tribunal of Christ, at that time when all people, who have arisen from the same mud and the same mass, will accuse and render accounts? What fear is this which has fallen upon people so that they do not at all do the commandments of God, or what fear can there be where there is no fear? Or have malignant spirits buried us in slander to such an extent? Or have I appeared to be an enemy of the whole fullness of the Church, and their enemy?

Nevertheless may God, who wills that all be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, through the intercession of Holy Peter preserve their hearts in the Orthodox Faith, and strengthen them against every heretic and every person opposed to our Church, and guard them immovable, especially that pastor who is now appointed to preside over them, and therefore let them neither fall away, nor turn away, nor let go of, any of those things which in the sight of God and his Holy Angels they have professed in writing, even to the smallest part, and let them, together with my humility, obtain the Crown of Justice of the Orthodox Faith from the hand of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the care for this humble body of mine will belong to the Lord himself, as it pleases him to govern it, whether in unceasing troubles, or in a little respite. For the Lord is near; why am I anxious? I certainly hope in his mercies, because he is not now delaying in bringing an end to my race, to which he ordered me.

Keep safe those who belong to you because of the Lord, and all those who for the love of God have had compassion on my chains. May the Most High God with his powerful hand protect you from every trial, and keep you safe for his kingdom."

 -Pope St. Martin I, Epistola XVII

Novena to Pope St. Martin I

Download the Novena in .pdf format in: ENGLISH, LATIN, ENGLISH AND LATIN.

ENGLISH:

Novena to Pope St. Martin I

Pope and Martyr

Day 1

Unity of the Church

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

In a time of dissension, you labored and died for the unity of the Church across the borders of East and West. With the help of Saint Maximus the Confessor, you strove to bring all Christians into unity in the confession of the truth under the authority of Peter. Intercede for the Church of our own day, also divided by the effects of sin and by the barriers of language, history, and politics. As a good shepherd gather the scattered flock of Christ. Aid our Holy Father the Pope in his great work of unity, and help us to faithfully uphold the infallible faith which he professes.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 2 

Against Monothelitism

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

in your day, the Church was divided by debate over the wills and operations of Christ. Faithful to the teaching of your predecessors, you defined and declared that he who is both God and man possesses each of his natures whole and intact with all the operations proper to them. The one who became man assumed not an inert or amputated nature, but a truly human heart, mind, and will, thus saving and sanctifying our own hearts, minds, and wills and uniting them indissolubly to God. He who knew us and willed our salvation as God, knew us and willed our salvation also as man. Grant that we may always confess the fullness of the humanity of Christ, and so adore his ineffable divinity.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 3 

Church and State

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

the heresy you opposed was promulgated and imposed by the Emperor on his own authority, and when another Emperor tried to silence the true doctrine along with heresy, you refused, boldly proclaiming the truth even in the face of worldly threats and arms. As a faithful son of the Church, you did not acknowledge any authority of the secular power over divine religion, but confessed Christ even at the cost of being considered an enemy of the state. Grant that we, too, may be obedient to the Church and to the Pope even when faced with the enmity of the powers of this world, and may always honor that Faith and unity which is eternal over all that is temporal, fleeting, fragile, corruptible, and destined to pass away. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 4 

Sickness

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin, 

When the soldiers of the Emperor came for you, you were lying sick in bed. Your greatest suffering during your imprisonment was the infirmities of your body, deprived of proper medical care and subject to wanton abuse. Remember all those who are sick, comfort them in their afflictions, and grant that they may be cared for faithfully. Guard those who are neglected or abused by others. As they share in the same bodily infirmity with you, so may they also share in your triumph with Christ in heaven. Grant us the grace of comforting and caring for those who suffer. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 5

Mockery and Suffering

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

during your time in Constantinople, you were subject to public ridicule and disgrace at the hands of your enemies, who shaved off your tonsure and cut to pieces your pallium, the symbol of your Apostolic authority, and even the laces on your sandals. In this you imitated the sufferings of Blessed Peter the Apostle and of your divine master. While to the worldly-minded you were an object of shame, for those with eyes to see you became a living icon of the glory of the Crucified. Grant that we may always perceive in those who suffer mockery and disgrace the living presence of Christ, and so come to his aid in them. Comfort those whom the world rejects, Holy Father.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 6

Prisoner

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

you spent much of your time in Constantinople imprisoned with men accused of murder. You gained their trust and affection by your patience and kindness, so that they became your friends and mourned when you were taken from them. Look upon all those who are imprisoned, whether guilty or innocent, and befriend them also. Put an end to all cruelty and injustice in law and punishment in our society, and grant us the grace to generously visit and aid the imprisoned, as Christ commanded us.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 7 

Exile

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

You were condemned to banishment far from your home in Italy to the Cherson in the Crimea, and so lived your final days as an exile among strangers. Look upon all those who have been forced to leave their homes and native lands. Grant that we may always welcome the stranger with love, as Christ commanded us. Provide for the needs of all exiles and refugees, and restore them, at last, to their true heavenly home.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 8

Hunger

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

At your interrogation, you boasted of the famous charity of the Church of Rome, which in the days of your pontificate provided abundant and choice food for all who asked. Yet your last days were spent in hunger and penury, and you lamented that in your place of exile bread was known only by name. Look upon all who hunger as you did, and all who lack the necessities of life. Grant that we may always give from our plenty whatever others lack. Provide for all the poor good food and clean water, dignified work, healthcare, leisure, peace, virtue, and everlasting salvation. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 9

Miracles

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

After your death, your tomb became a source of miracles and healing to many. Even while the powers of this world continued to regard you as a traitor, God himself honored you by abundant signs and wonders worked through your intercession. Please grant us the miracles of grace we need for our good, holiness, and salvation. In return, we promise to honor you and always confess the doctrine you proclaimed, living our lives to the end in fidelity to the Pope, obedient to all the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

LATIN:

Novena ad Papam Sanctum Martinum Primum

Papam et Martyrum

Die primo 

Unitas ecclesiae

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Tempore dissensionis, pro unitate ecclesiae in Oriente Occidenteque laborasti et mortem tulisti. Sancto Maximo Confessori iuvante, omnes Christianos in confessione veritatis sub auctoritate Petri ad unitatem ducere nisus es. Intercede pro nostris temporibus ecclesia, effectis peccatorum et claustris linguarum, decursus annorum, et rerum politicarum etiam direpta. Bonus pastor tu gregem dispersum Christi collige. Iuva in magno labore unitatis Sanctum Patrem Papam nostrum, et da nobis ut infallibilem fidem quam profitetur fideliter sustineamus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem:

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die secundo 

Contra Monothelitismum

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Tuis temporibus, ecclesia certaminibus de voluntatibus et operationibus Christi divisa est. Fidelis doctrinae predecessorium, eum qui est et Deus et homo utramque naturam integram et intactum cum omnibus operationibus propriis habere definisti et declarasti. Factus homo non naturam intertem vel amputatam assumpsit, sed cor, mentem, et voluntatem humanam veram, eoque cordia, mentes, et voluntates nostras salvavit sanctificavit atque in Deum indissolubiliter unavit. Qui ut Deus nos scivit et salutem nostram voluit, idem nos scivit et salutem nostram voluit etiam ut homo. Da ut nos semper plenitudinem humanitatis Christi confiteamur eoque divinitatem ineffabilem adoremus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die tertio 

Ecclesia et civitas

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Obstitisti haeresi sua auctoritate ab Imperatore promulgatae atque impositae, et, alio imperatore nitenti ut cum haerese vera doctrina sileat, contra minationes et arma saecularia veritatem proclamans abnuisti. Fidelis filius ecclesiae, nullam auctoritatem potestatis saecularis super religionem divinam accepisti, sed inimicus imperii reputatus Christum confessus est. Da ut nos etiam, coram inimicitias saecularium potestatum, ecclesiae atque Papae oboediamus, et eam fidem et unitatem quae aeterna est super omnia temporalia, caduca, fragilia, corruptibilia, et transitura veneremus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die quarto 

Aegritudo

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Cum milites imperatoris advenirent, tu in lectulo aegerrimus iacuisti. Tibi privato digna cura et hubribus subjecto, infirmitates corporis erant in captivitatione maxima passio. Memorare omnes aegros, conforta in afflictionibus, et da ut fideliter curentur. Neglectos aut abusos ab aliis custodi. Sicut participes infirmitatis corporis tecum sunt, sic participes triumphi tui cum Christo in caelo sint. Da nobis gratiam ut patientes confortemur et curemus. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari.Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die quinto 

Risus et passio

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Te habitante in Constantinopole, risui et opprobrio publico ab inimicis subjectus es: tonsuram raserunt, pallium, signum auctoritatis tuae Apostolicae, cum etiam corrigia calceamenti delaceraverunt. Ita passiones Beati Apostoli Petri et tui domini divini imitasti. Hominibus mentis saecularis opprobrium eras, hominibus percipientibus eikon viviens gloriae Crucifixi factus es. Da ut nos semper in risum et opprobrium patientibus praesentiam viventem Christi percipiamus eoque in his eum iuvemus. Quos mundus rejicit conforta, Sancte Pater.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die sexto

In carcere

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Plerumque tempus in Constantinopole egisti in carcare clausus cum reis homicidii. Fidem et affectus tibi patienti et beneficienti illi sumpserunt ut amici fierent et te amotum gemerent. Intende in omnes in carcere clausos, vel innocentes vel conscios, ut ei quoque tibi amici fiant. Fac finem omni crudelititati atque iniustitiae in iudiciis poenisque in civitate nostra, et da nobis gratiam ut generositer, ut Christus mandavit, veniamus ad clausos et iuvemus. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die septimo

Exsul

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Condemnatus longe a patria in Italia ad Chersonesum in Crimea deportatus es, itaque ultimos dies inter alienos exsul egisti. Intende in omnes a domibus patriisque depulsos. Da nobis ut semper cum caritate alienos accipiamus. Provide pro omnibus exsulis refugisque, et tandem ad veram patriam caelestiam eos refer. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die octavo

Fames

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Quaestus gloriatus es de gloriosa caritate Ecclesiae Romanae, quae diebus pontificatus tui escam abundantem electamque omnibus quaerentibus dedit. Dies autem ultimos in fame penuriaque egisti, atque in loco exsilii solum nomine cognitum panem questus es. Intende in omnes esurientes sicut tu, omnesque necessariis vitae egentes. Da ut demus semper e nostra copia quocumque alii egemus. Da omnibus pauperibus bonam escam atque puram aquam, labores cum dignitate, valetudinis curas, otium, pacem, virtutem, et salutem aeternam.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die noveno

Miracula

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Post exitum tuum sepulcrum fons miraculorum sanationumque multis factum est. Potestatibus saecularibus te parricidum reputantibus, ipse Deus signis ostentisque abundantibus per tuam intercessionem factis te honoravit. Da, quaesumus, miracula gratiae quibus egemus ad bonum, sanctificationem, et salutem nostrum. Promittimus invicem ut te veneremus et doctrinam quae proclamasti confiteamur, atque fideliter Papae oboedientes omnibus doctrinis Sanctae Ecclesiae Catholicae vitam nostram in finem agemus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Pope St. Martin I, Epistola XV

The feast day of Pope St. Martin I, the last Pope to be honored as a martyr by the Catholic Church, was a few days ago. He was deposed and martyred by the Byzantine Emperor Constans II for his opposition to the Monothelite heresy. In honor of that day, here is a quick translation of a letter (XV in Migne) from the early days of his imprisonment, before he reached Constantinople, describing the events of his arrest. 

Martin to Theodore: Your dear love wished to know in what way I was snatched from the See of Saint Peter the Apostle, like a single solitary sparrow from a building. And I wonder that you wished to inquire about this, since Our Lord spoke beforehand about wretched times to his disciples: ‘For in those days there will be tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world even til now; and unless those days were shortened, all flesh would not be able to endure. But the one who perseveres until the end will be saved.’ (Matt 24:22). For also Saint Paul according to the grace of the Spirit given to him announced beforehand those days to Timothy his disciple: ‘In the last days men will fall from the Faith, and will turn their hearing away from the truth, loving themselves, avaricious, etc,” (1 Tim 4:1, 3:4). And believe me, my very longed-for son, since our Lord predicted the coming of Antichrist, we must see no other time except clearly this one, in which are the beginnings of sorrows.

And it seemed necessary to me to speak briefly, before judgment prevails in the whole world and I come to the end of the race, since I have judged that this is expedient for me, and in this, although others are preparing evils for me, I will exalt rather than weep. And so, that you may know how I was taken and led away from the Roman city, you will hear nothing false about what has happened. I knew everything which they were planning beforehand through that whole time, and at my own expense with my whole body of clergy I was staying privately in the Church of Our Savior Jesus Christ, which is named ‘Constantinian,’ which was constructed and founded first in the whole world by the Emperor Constantine of blessed memory, and is near the episcopal residence. There we all were resting separately on the Sabbath day, when Calliopas, with the army of Ravenna and Theodore the chamberlain, entered the city. Therefore I sent to meet him certain men from among the clergy: when these were received in the palace, he thought that I also was with them. But when he had asked them, and had not found me, he said to the leading men of the clergy: ‘We wanted to do homage to him; but tomorrow, which is the Lord’s Day, we will meet him, and will salute him, because we did not succeed today.’ Furthermore, when on the Lord’s Day he sent gifts to us in that holy Church of God, that man, because he suspected that a great crowd had come together there because of the day, announced: ‘We are very fatigued by the journey, and are not able to meet with you today, but tomorrow we will certainly meet with you, and will pay homage to your Holiness.’ But I myself had been severely ill from the month of October all the way to that time, that is, all the way to the sixteenth from the Kalends of July. Therefore on Monday in the morning he sent his Chartularius, and some men from his retinue, saying: ‘You have prepared arms, and are keeping armed men inside, and have collected many stones for fighting; and this is not necessary, nor should you allow something like this to happen.’ And when I had listened to these things in their presence, I judged it good not to make them certain myself but to send them to wander at will through the whole episcopal residence, so that if they had seen any weapons or a stone, they themselves might bear witness. But when they had gone, and found nothing, I told them that never at any time had it been otherwise, but they were always attacking us with lies and false accusations, since even they confessed that at the arrival of the infamous Olympius, a certain vain man, he had been able to drive me away with arms. I then was keeping my little bed, in which I was lying, before the altar of the Church; and when noon was not yet past, behold an army came with them into the Church, all armored and holding their lances and swords, and their bows made ready with their shields: and there were done there things which should not be spoken. For just as in the wintertime leaves struck by a strong wind fall from the trees, so the candles of the Holy Church were being struck with arms, and cut down were falling to the pavement. And a sound was heard in that Church, like some horrible thunder, from the striking of their arms, from the multitude of candles broken by them. And while they were entering in crowds, a message was given by Calliopa to the Priests and Deacons, in which was contained my humility's deposition, because, they said, I had taken the episcopacy irregularly and against the law, and was not worthy to be installed in the Apostolic See, but it would be transmitted to the Royal City when a bishop had been substituted in my place. This has not yet happened, and I hope that it will never happen, because in my absence the Archdeacon and Archpriest and Primicerius keep the place of the Pontiff. Even while, then, these things are happening, since they have been done about the Faith, I have made them clear to you. But indeed we were not prepared to fight, since I have judged it better to die a thousand times than to allow the blood of even one person, anyone, be shed onto the earth. War, indeed, is waged, even without danger, with not a few evil things done which do not please God. Thus at the same hour I gave myself over to obeying the Emperor and not resisting. Furthermore (that I may speak the truth), although certain men from the clergy were shouting to me not to do this, I gave my ear to none of them, so that men would not be killed. But I said to them: ‘Let some from the clergy come with me, who are necessary for me, bishops, priests, and deacons, and whoever seems good to me.’ Callopias responded: ‘However many want to come, let them come. We lay a necessity on no one.’ I responded: ‘The clergy is in my power.’ But certain men from the priests, shouting, were saying: ‘We live with him, and we die with him.’ After these things Calliopas began to say, and those who were with him: ‘Come with us to the Palace.’ Nor did I refuse to do this, but I went with them to the palace on the same Monday. And on Tuesday the whole clergy came to me, and there were many who had prepared to sail with me, who then had put their property on those things which are called levamenta [small boats]; and also some others, clergy and laity, were preparing and were hurrying to come to us. Then on the same night, which dawned on Wednesday, the thirteenth from the Kalends of July, about the sixth, as it were, hour of the night, they took me from the palace, thrusting aside all those who were with me in the palace, and also the various things which were necessary for me on the road and here, and they led us from the city with nothing but six servants and one drinking-vessel; and when they had put us into one of those boats which are called levamenta, about the fourth hour of the day, more or less, we came to the port. In that hour in which we went out from the city of Rome, the gates were immediately bolted, and they also guarded them, and remained there, lest anyone should go out of the city and come to us in the port, until we had sailed from there. For this reason it was necessary that we send away from the port the property of all those who had put their property into the levamenta, and then depart on the same day. And we came to Mesena on the Kalends of July, where there was a ship, which is my prison. But not only in Mesena, but also in Calabria; and not only in Calabria, which is subject to the great city of the Romans, but also on very many islands, on which our sins have impeded us for three months, I have obtained no compassion, except only on the island of Naxos, because I spent a year there, I merited to bathe two or three times, and in the city I stayed in a certain inn. And behold it is now the forty-seventh day since I have merited to wet myself with hot or cold water, and I have wasted away and have been cold all over, because the flowing of my stomach both on the ship and on land has given me no rest even to the present hour; and even in the very hour of my necessity, when I am about to eat, I am shaken in my whole body, I do not have those things which are necessary to enjoy for the comforting of nature, because what I have disgusts me to receive, since it causes me nausea within. But I believe in the power of God who sees all things, that when I will be led out from the present life, these things will be required of those who persecute me, so that at least in this way they may be led to repentance, and converted from their iniquity. [Signature] May God keep you unharmed, most sweet son.

Poem: Super Hanc Petram

"Καὶ ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, 

λέγει αὐτῷ εἷς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ: 

διδάσκαλε, ἴδε ποταποὶ λίθοι καὶ ποταπαὶ οἰκοδομαί."

They took the City, they took her. They took Thessalonika, they took even Hagia Sophia. Do you see these stones? When the Romaios passed through those lands, Clad in bright mail, gleaming with gold and precious stones, The little people, οἷ πολλοί, asked him, βάρβαροι, their speech broken: “Where are you going?” But he only said: “Eις τήν πόλιν.“ Not one stone will be left on another They did not understand. Our citadel is broken; It has become The citadel of our enemies. Nam Divus Titus vicit. “God has spoken!” The man said, his voice pompous, but his cheeks hollow. They raised him up from the pit Where he had lain So many days. “You are the Christ.” He said. “To you God has given Power without end.” And though he was afraid, deep in his heart, the Divine Titus rejoiced. “It is the Temple of the Lord!” They shouted in the street, all together, as one. “The temple! The temple of the Lord!” It is the God-protected city, bastion of the Virgin. It shall not fall εἰς αἰῶνα.
There is the Pious Emperor, Father of the Faithful, King and Priest He is seated on a throne set high above the world. Forever he will rule, For he is nothing but an image of stone. Amen, amen, I say unto you: The City shall fall. Sed dico tibi: I am in Jerusalem in the desert, high on the walls of Constantine: In the distance, the dust of the Saracens rises, And I know it is the end. Tu es Petrus All the stones have fallen, fallen Every stone that once stood Proud against the sky And said that it would stand forever. “God has given you into our hands.” the chamberlain said. Then he cut off his pallium, and the laces on his sandals. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam The statue speaks, his lips stiff and swollen: “I am both Emperor and Priest. I the Restrainer, I the Image. I will not fail εἰς αἰῶνα.” Down at his feet, there is a little stone. He grinds it beneath his feet Perpetually: “You have betrayed the Emperor.” The statue is anointed with oil, sacred Chrism from the hands of God. He is greater than the small stone, Greater than the heavens and the earth, For he is made of many stones, and great foundations Set one upon another. The City will stand forever, For God protects it. Forever it will stand, For God protects it. “You have abandoned God, and he has abandoned you.” And I saw a beast coming up from the sea It had many heads And many crowns. Look, teacher! See the stones. The kingdoms of this earth Have become the kingdoms of God And his anointed one. For the beast has been anointed With the sacred oil. Divus Titus vicit, nam Christus est. “What hope have you?” Et portae inferni non praevalebunt adversus eam. “The City has fallen, and I am still alive.” And so I must die. And I looked, and behold, the great image, That all the earth served, Crumbled into dust before my eyes And the walls were encircled, And the abomination of desolation was set up in the holy place Until the consummation, and the end. And the city of the Virgin became The city of her enemies And the small stone endured Compacted, without seam and division And it became a great mountain And filled the whole world. Nam is est Petrus. I give thanks for all things To the only immortal King.

Tales From the Papal Crypt: Pope Martin, Enemy of the State

Pope Martin I

"The police would not allow the holy man to land, though he was suffering severe pain.  Instead they went ashore themselves and rested in comfort.  However, the priests of the locality and all the faithful sent gifts in no small quantity of things that might be useful to him.  But the police brutally tore these gifts from the people's hands in the presence of the Pope himself, cursing and swearing the while.  Anyone who brought the Pope small gifts was chased away after being insulted and beaten, with the warning:

'Whoever wishes well to this man is an enemy of the state.'"

-eyewitness account by a companion of Pope Martin I

To begin our tale, let us first proceed to its ending.  In AD 655, somewhere in a little, isolated town on the edge of the Crimean Sea, Pope Martin died.  The exact cause of his death is not known; based on the available evidence, he was suffering at the least from chronic malnutrition, physical and psychological abuse, conditions of extreme cold and privation, and many untreated medical ailments.  Most likely, his death did not cause much of a stir for either the Imperial officials set to watch him or the local townspeople; after all, his death had been the general idea of sending him into exile there in the first place.  The town of Cherson was well used to hosting political prisoners, and the Imperial police well used to hastening their deaths.

Yet there is a good reason to begin at the end with Pope Martin; for his death is, at least statistically, the most notable thing about him.  Pope Martin is the last Pope to this day to be venerated as a martyr by the Catholic Church.  Popes since then have died in office, and some have even been murdered; but Martin is the last who is considered to have been killed in odium fidei--that is, in hatred of the Catholic Faith, the Church, and Christ himself.  This is no small accolade.

The first Pope to be martyred, was, of course, St. Peter himself--and the last is St. Martin.  No small accomplishment, that.