SEVERINUS

born , Rome died Aug. 2, 640, Rome pope from 638 to 640 who went unconsecrated through nearly his entire reign because he declined to endorse the Byzantine emperor Heraclius' statement of faith, the Ecthesis, which propounded monothelitismi.e., the unorthodox doctrine of a single will in Christ. Severinus was chosen about Oct. 15, 638, to succeed Pope Honorius I, and legates went to Constantinople (now Istanbul) for Heraclius' confirmation of the election, which he hesitated to ratify pending Severinus' acceptance of the Ecthesis. The pope refused, and his legates remained at Constantinople to deliberate on his behalf. Meanwhile, the exarch Isaac of Ravenna, supported by Roman soldiers, occupied the Lateran Palace in Rome and seized the church's treasure, hoping to force Severinus to conform to imperial demands. Severinus remained steadfast, and his legates eventually secured Heraclius' confirmation. Consecrated on May 28, 640, he promptly declared the orthodoxy of Christ's two natures and two wills. The condemnation of monothelitism, carried on by his immediate successors as well, caused strained relations between Rome and Constantinople for several decades.