Spirituality for Today – March 2016 – Volume 20, Issue 8

The 115th Pope
Theodore II

An image of Pope Theodore II, the 115th PopePope Theodore II, the 115th Pope

Pope Theodore II (897) – He was pope for only twenty days. Yet, his short reign produced a terminus for a much beleaguered predecessor, Pope Formosus. A synod was convened in which the results of the infamous Cadaver Synod of the same year were nullified and Pope Formosus's remains were exhumed and his body was buried, with appropriate honors, in the Basilica of Saint Peter. The ordinations and acts of Pope Formosus were validated. These actions of Pope Theodore II occurred in the tense and contentious atmosphere of the trial and its aftermath. Because little is known about the cause of the death of Pope Theodore, some scholars have entertained the possibility of foul play being involved. O Tempora! OMores!

Habemus papam