Pope Adeodatus I

Adeodatus I
Birth name	Deusdedit, son of Stephen
Papacy began	November 13, 615
Papacy ended	November 8, 618
Predecessor	Boniface IV
Successor	Boniface V
Born	??? Rome, Italy
Died	November 8 618 Rome, Italy
Other popes named Adeodatus

Styles of Pope Adeodatus I
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	Saint

Pope Saint Adeodatus I (also called Deusdedit, both names means Given by God in Latin and are now considered variants of the same name) (died November 8, 618) was pope from 615 to 618. He was one of the few Popes not to have changed his name on his accession.

He was born in Rome, the son of a subdeacon. According to tradition, he was the first pope to use lead seals (bullae) on papal documents, which in time came to be called "papal bulls".

He is the first priest to be elected pope since John II in 533. He was a priest for 40 years prior and represents the second wave of anti-Gregorian challenge to the papacy, the first being that of Sabinian. He reversed the practice of his predecessor, Boniface IV, of filling the papal adminstative ranks with monks by recalling the clergy to such positions and by ordaining some 14 priests (the first ordinations in Rome since Pope Saint Gregory).

He was appointed Pope 13 November, 615, and was distinguished for his charity and zeal. He encouraged and supported the clergy, who were impoverished in consequence of the political troubles of the time; and when his diocese was visited by a violent earthquake and leprosy he set an heroic example by his efforts to relieve the suffering. One bulla dating from his reign is still preserved, the obverse of which represents the Good Shepherd in the midst of His sheep, with the letters Alpha and Omega underneath, while the reverse bears the inscription: Deusdedit Papæ. His feast occurs 8 November.

References

• "Pope St. Deusdedit" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.

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