Saint of the Day – 2 March – St Simplicius (c395-483) Pope and Confessor. His Papacy began on 25 February 468 and ended on 2 or 10 March 483. He combated the Eutychian heresy, ended the practice of Consecrating bBshops only in December and sought to offset the effects of Germanic invasions and contain the rebellion of Eastern Prelates who sought private power.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Rome, St Simplicius, Pope and Confessor.”
SIMPLICIUS was the ornament of the Roman Clergy under Sts Leo the Great (400-461) and Hilarius (Died 468) and succeeded the latter as Pontiff in 468.
He was raised by God to comfort and support His Church amidst the greatest storms. All the Provinces of the Western Empire, had fallen into the hands of barbarians. The Emperors for many years, were rather shadows of power than sovereigns and, in the 8h year of the Pontificate of Simplicius, Rome itself fell a prey to foreigners. Italy, by oppressions and the ravages of barbarians, was left almost a desert without inhabitants and the Imperial armies consisted chiefly of barbarians, hired under the name of auxiliaries. These soon saw that their masters were in their power.
The Heruli demanded one third of the Italian lands and upon refusal chose for their leader Odoacer, one of the lowest extraction but a resolute and intrepid man, who was proclaimed King of Rome in 476. He put to death Orestes, who was Regent of the Empire for his son Augustulus, whom the Senate had advanced to the Imperial throne. Odoacer spared the life of Augustulus, appointed him a salary of six thousand pounds of gold and permitted him to live at full liberty near Naples.
Pope Simplicius was wholly taken up in comforting and relieving the afflicted and in sowing the seeds of the Catholic Faith among the barbarians. The East gave his zeal no less employment and concern. Peter Cnapheus, a violent Eutychian heretic, was made Patriarch of Antioch by the heretics and Peter Mengus, one of the most profligate men, Patriarch of Alexandria.
Acacius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, supported Mengus against Pope Simplicius and the Catholic Church. Pope Simplicius, at length discovered his artifices and redoubled his zeal to maintain the Holy Faith, which he saw betrayed on every side, whilst the patriarchal Sees of Alexandria and Antioch were occupied by furious wolves and there was not one Catholic King in the whole world.
St Simplicius, having reigned in faithful strife for 15 years, 11 months and 6 days, went to receive the reward of his labours in 483. He was buried in St Peter’s Basilica.
AnaStpaul 