Honorius I

Honorius · 625 – 638

A capable administrator whose careless theological language on Monothelitism got him condemned by a later ecumenical council.

Honorius was from Campania and proved an energetic administrator, repairing churches, supporting missions to England, and managing Church finances well. But he stumbled badly in theology. When the patriarch of Constantinople asked his opinion on whether Christ had one will or two, Honorius responded with ambiguous language that seemed to support the Monothelite heresy. After his death, the Third Council of Constantinople in 681 formally condemned him. He became the only pope ever anathematized by an ecumenical council, a fact that would be debated fiercely during the First Vatican Council's discussions of papal infallibility.

The Pope Who Got It Wrong

Honorius wrote carelessly about Christ's will, and it haunted his memory for centuries. He probably meant to avoid controversy, but his vague wording gave cover to a genuine heresy. The Third Council of Constantinople condemned him by name. It is an uncomfortable episode, but the Church has never pretended that every pope gets everything right.