Pope Leo I

Pope Saint Leo I, or Leo the Great, a Roman aristocrat, was Pope from 440 to 461. He is the first great Pope we know much about, and even sometimes assigned the title "first Pope". He stopped the invasion of Italy by Atilla the Hun in 452 by his moral suasion, was a great theologian in his own right, and was a leading figure in the centralization of the government of the Church.

Early life

According to the Liber Pontificalis he was a native of Tuscany. By 431, as a deacon, he occupied a sufficiently important position for Cyril of Alexandria to apply to him in order that Rome's influence should be thrown against the claims of Juvenal of Jerusalem to patriarchal jurisdiction over Palestine -- unless this letter is addressed rather to Pope Celestine I. About the same time Johannes Cassianus dedicated to him the treatise against Nestorius written at his request. But nothing shows more plainly the confidence felt in him than his being chosen by the emperor to settle the dispute between Aëtius and Albinus, the two highest officials in Gaul.

Related Topics:
Liber Pontificalis - Tuscany - 431 - Deacon - Cyril of Alexandria - Juvenal of Jerusalem - Palestine - Pope Celestine I - Johannes Cassianus - Nestorius - Aëtius - Albinus - Gaul

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During his absence on this mission, Pope Sixtus III died (August 11, 440), and Leo was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. On September 29 he entered upon a pontificate which was to be epoch-making for the centralization of the government of the Church.

Related Topics:
Pope Sixtus III - August 11 - 440 - September 29

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