St. Leo II
Leo · 681 – 683
Confirmed the Third Council of Constantinople's condemnation of Monothelitism and notably censured his predecessor Honorius I.
Leo II was a Sicilian known for his skill in music and his fluency in Greek. He became pope in 681 after an eighteen-month delay in imperial confirmation. His most significant act was ratifying the decisions of the Third Council of Constantinople, which condemned the heresy of Monothelitism, the claim that Christ had only one will. Controversially, the council had also condemned Pope Honorius I for failing to oppose the heresy when he could have. Leo confirmed this condemnation, though he softened it by saying Honorius had allowed the faith to be stained through negligence rather than actively teaching error. Leo died in 683 after a brief but consequential pontificate.
Condemning a Pope
Leo II did something almost no pope has done: he publicly agreed that a predecessor had failed in his duty. Honorius hadn't taught heresy outright, but he hadn't fought it either. Leo's willingness to say so is a striking example of honesty about the institution's own failures.