Felix III

See also: Felix

Felix III is a Roman aristocrat, wire of the priest Felix, he was great-grandfather of the future saint Gregoire Large the. Widower and father (it has two children), it is elected pope with the succession of Simplice the March 13rd 483.

It arrives on the throne of Pierre with the obvious support of the king of the Hérules, Odoacre, but the strong personality of the pope quickly manages to make forget this embarrassing support. Felix III quickly besides in 488 with the invasion of the Italy by Théodoric Large the is confronted and with the fall of its former guard. In Africa the Vandals, Ariens, start a violent persecution against the catholics.

But it is the rupture with Constantinople which occupies especially its pontificate. Indeed the emperor Zénon, under the influence of the Patriarch of Constantinople Acacius, tried to alleviate the conflict Monophysite by publishing a text, the Henotikon (or “act of union”), supposed to find a compromise between Monophysisme and Catholicisme. But Felix III there detects a too strong influence of the monophysism and lance the Anathème (484) against Acace (against the emperor that undoubtedly involved more risk). The patriarch reacts by striping the name of the bishop of Rome of the liturgical diptychs , which returns to the to excommunicate.

This rupture will last until the reign of Justinien {{Ier}}, that is to say approximately 35 years. Felix III arrives however, with the assistance of Zénon which signs a truce with the Vandals, to put a term at persecutions against the African catholics. It is then confronted with the problem of the catholics become ariens under persecutions of Genséric and its son Hunéric and which wish to become again catholic. Those which remained firm in their belief under persecution refuse this return and Felix III must send a letter to the bishops of Africa exposing under which conditions they can receive in the Church these “lost sheep”.

Felix III dies in Rome on March 1st 492. He is regarded as Saint by the Catholic church, which celebrates it on March 1st.

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