St. Sergius I
Sergius · 687 – 701
Refused to sign the Quinisext Council's canons, survived an imperial arrest attempt, and introduced the Agnus Dei into the Mass.
Sergius was born in Palermo to a Syrian family from Antioch. He was elected pope after a contested election involving two rival candidates. His most significant act was his refusal to accept the canons of the Quinisext Council of 692, which he viewed as an attack on Western liturgical and disciplinary traditions. Emperor Justinian II sent soldiers to arrest him, but the Roman militia and even the imperial troops in Italy rallied to Sergius's defense. The soldiers could not carry out their orders. Sergius also introduced the singing of the Agnus Dei during the fraction rite at Mass, a practice that has endured to this day.
The Army That Defended the Pope
When Justinian II sent his officer Zacharias to arrest Sergius, something unexpected happened. The soldiers in Italy refused to cooperate. The Roman militia marched to protect the pope. Zacharias ended up hiding under the pope's bed, terrified. It was a dramatic demonstration that by the late seventh century, the pope commanded more loyalty in Italy than the emperor did.