Leo VIII, the Layman Who Became Pope … or Antipope

He was appointed by Emperor Otto I, so the Church considers him an Antipope until his predecessors died. After that, he was the valid Pope.

From Aleteia

By I. Media

Leo VIII's short reign was turbulent, controversial, and poorly documented. It began in the troubled circumstances of the deposition of John XII by Emperor Otto I, who then imposed Leo VIII. As a result, his legitimacy was undermined, especially since his predecessor was still alive. However, Leo VIII appears in the official chronology of the popes of the Catholic Church.

Leo VIII's pontificate officially lasted only from December 963 to March 965. His arrival on the throne of St. Peter is closely linked to the pontificate of John XII, a young pope with a reputation for debauchery who reigned from 955 to 964. The official chronology of the Holy See therefore accepts that these two popes coexisted from December 963 to May 964.

The price of political manoeuvring

To understand this strange situation, we must start with the pontificate of John XII. Wishing to resist the occupation of the Papal States by the King of Italy, the young pope found a protector in the King of Germany, Otto I (936-973). In return, John XII crowned him in Rome in 962, giving rise to what would later be known as the Holy Roman Empire.

But Otto I's protection came at a price. Although the emperor confirmed the pope's power over his lands, he demanded that popes swear an oath of allegiance to temporal power.

Unhappy with this alliance, John XII sought other allies, notably the King of Italy. This reversal enraged the emperor, who traveled to Rome to depose John XII at a synod in 963. Otto I then turned to a layman to succeed John XII, and brought about the election of Leo VIII. The latter is said to have received all the holy orders on the same day in order to assume the office of pope.

Deposed and reinstated

But the people of Rome did not accept the empire's control. This was all the more so because John XII, taking advantage of Otto I's departure, returned to Rome to regain the upper hand and have the decisions of the previous synod annulled. Having fled in turn, Leo VIII had to wait for the return of Otto I to regain Rome and drive out John XII. The latter died in 964.

With his death, there was only one pope left, and the Roman families could’ve returned to Leo VIII. But they didn’t see it that way. Wishing to keep their distance from the empire, they elected a deacon to the throne of St. Peter, Benedict V.

Otto I reacted immediately by besieging the city. The new pope was brought to heel after only a month of reign. Leo VIII, who still considered himself legitimate, had a clear path to the throne. But he died in March 965.

Earlier in the series: Leo the Great, Leo II, Leo III, Leo IV, Leo V, Leo VI, Leo VII