Saint Leo II | Italian, Papal States, Reformer

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<div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Leo-II">Saint Leo II</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Leo-II/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Saint-Leo-II">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-student-links"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/pop-quiz-19-things-to-know-about-christianity"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/58810-050-09BA4000/Christ-Ruler-Apostles-Evangelists-figures-Santa-Pudenziana-417-ce.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Christ as Ruler, with the Apostles and Evangelists (represented by the beasts). The female figures are believed to be either Santa Pudenziana and Santa Praxedes or symbols of the Jewish and Gentile churches. 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He promoted <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/liturgical-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">church music</a> (he was an accomplished singer), opposed <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/heresy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">heresy</a>, and maintained good relations with Constantinople.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">According to the <em>Liber Pontificalis</em> (“The Book of the Pontiffs”), Leo was “a man of great eloquence, competently versed in Holy Scripture, proficient in Greek and Latin, and distinguished for his chanting and psalmody.” He was elected pope about December 681 to succeed <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Agatho" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">St. Agatho</a> but was not <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="consecrated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consecrated" data-type="MW">consecrated</a> until Aug. 17, 682, because of a delay in confirmation by the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Byzantine" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Byzantine" data-type="MW">Byzantine</a> emperor <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-IV" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Constantine IV</a>. He received the acts of the sixth <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="ecumenical" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecumenical" data-type="MW">ecumenical</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Fourth-Council-of-Constantinople-869-870" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Council of Constantinople</a> (680), sections of which he had translated from Greek to Latin so that they could be understood in the Western churches. He ratified the council’s decision to condemn <span id="ref88907"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Monothelite" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Monothelitism</a>, the heresy maintaining that Christ had two natures but only one will, as well as its condemnation of the conciliatory policies of Pope <span id="ref843453"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Honorius-I" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Honorius I</a> (reigned 625–638). Because Honorius had not directly denounced Monothelitism, Leo called him one who “by unholy betrayal tried to overthrow the immaculate faith.” During Leo’s pontificate the see of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ravenna-Italy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ravenna</a>, having in 666 been freed from the pope’s jurisdiction by the Byzantine emperor <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constans-II-Pogonatus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Constans II Pogonatus</a>, was again made papally dependent, by order of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-pope" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Constantine</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":336196,"pageLength":220,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_SMALL","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Saint Leo II | Italian, Papal States, Reformer | Britannica