Pope John XVIII
| John XVIII | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Papacy began | January, 1004 |
| Papacy ended | July, 1009 |
| Predecessor | John XVII |
| Successor | Sergius IV |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Fasanius |
| Born | ??? Rapagnano, Papal States |
| Died | July, 1009 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire |
| Other Popes named John | |
John XVIII (died June or July 1009) was Pope or Antipope in Pisa from 1004 to 1009. He reigned simultaneously and in competition with two other Popes or Antipopes - Benedict XIII in Avignon and Gregory XII in Rome.
He was born Fasanius at Rapagnano, near Ascoli Piceno, the son of a Roman priest named Leo.
During his whole pontificate he was allegedly subordinate to the head of the Crescentii clan who controlled Rome, the patricius (an aristocratic military leader) Johannes Crescentius III. The period was disturbed by the conflicts between the Ottonian Emperor Henry II (1002–24) and Arduin of Ivrea, who had styled himself King of Italy. Rome was wracked with bouts of plague, and Saracens operating freely out of Sardinia ravaged the Tyrrhenian coasts.
As Pope John XVIII occupied his time with details of ecclesiastical administration. He authorized a new see at Bamberg to serve as a base for missionary activity among the Slavs, a concern of Henry II's. He adjudicated a squabble between the abbot of Fleury and the bishops of Sens and Orléans.
Ultimately he abdicated and, according to one catalog of Popes, retired to a monastery, where he died shortly afterwards. His successor was Pope Sergius IV (1009–12).
(A note on numbering: Pope John XVIII was only the seventeenth pope called John, because John XVI was an antipope. However, this was not recognized at the time so the true sixteenth Pope John called himself XVII. Thus the true seventeenth pope called John took the regnal number XVIII.)
External links
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by John XVII |
Pope 1004–09 |
Succeeded by Sergius IV |
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