Boniface I, Saint

▪ pope

born , Rome

died Sept. 4, 422, Rome; feast day September 4

      pope from 418 to 422, whose reign was markedly disrupted by the faction of the antipope Eulalius.

      Boniface was a priest, believed to have been ordained by Pope St. Damasus I and to have served Pope St. Innocent I at Constantinople.

      When Boniface was chosen pope by a majority of the Roman electors, his rival Eulalius, a deacon, was simultaneously chosen by a clerical faction. The two claims and the fifth schism that resulted caused chaos in Rome. Eulalius lost the support of the West Roman emperor Flavius Honorius for violating an agreement that both claimants leave Rome pending a council's decision.

      Boniface's reentry into Rome ended the 15-week schism. Thereafter his pontificate was noted for his peaceful, yet firm, diplomacy and for his zealous support of Bishop St. Augustine of Hippo, particularly in the fight against Pelagianism (q.v.), a heresy that denied original sin.

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