Pope St. Martin I (pope from 649 to 655) defended the full humanity of Jesus Christ, who has both a divine and a human will, against the Monothelite heresy supported by the Byzantine emperor; for this he was arrested, carried off to Constantinople, publicly humiliated, condemned and exiled to Crimea, where he died of hunger and mistreatment. He is honored as the last pope to die a martyr. His feast day is April 13. Below are his story, Scripture and a prayer to St. Martin I.
A short prayer to Pope St. Martin I, written for this page:
St. Martin, you suffered prison, exile and hunger rather than deny the truth about Christ.
Pray for the Pope and for all who teach the faith,
and help me to say with Jesus, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Amen.
Who was Pope St. Martin I?
Martin was born at Todi, in central Italy, and served as the papal envoy (apocrisiarius) at the imperial court of Constantinople before being elected pope in 649. At the time, the emperors, hoping to reconcile divided Christians, promoted Monothelitism, the teaching that Christ has only one will, and Emperor Constans II had forbidden all discussion of the question. Martin, without waiting for the emperor’s approval of his election, called a council at the Lateran in October 649, which condemned Monothelitism and taught, as the Church still teaches, that Christ, true God and true man, has a divine will and a human will in perfect harmony.
In 653 the emperor had Martin arrested in Rome by the imperial exarch and taken, already ill, to Constantinople. After months of imprisonment he was tried for treason, stripped of his vestments, dragged through the streets in chains and condemned to death, a sentence changed to exile. He was sent to Cherson, in Crimea, where he suffered cold, hunger and abandonment, and he died there on September 16, 655. His letters from exile show his patience and his faith. St. Maximus the Confessor, who defended the same truth, was also tortured and exiled.
Scripture
Christ’s human will freely united to the Father’s (Luke 22:42, Douay-Rheims):
Saying: Father, if thou wilt, remove this chalice from me: but yet not my will, but thine be done.
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Martin I, pope and martyr, is April 13. (In the old calendar it was November 12.)
Frequently asked questions
Why was Pope St. Martin I exiled?
For condemning Monothelitism, the teaching that Christ has only one will, against the wishes of the Byzantine emperor.
What is Monothelitism?
The heresy that Christ has only a divine will and no human will; the Church teaches that He has both.
When is his feast day?
April 13.
More
- Prayer for the Pope
- Pope St. Leo the Great
- Pope St. Gregory the Great
- Chair of St. Peter
- Nicene Creed
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- Luke 22:42 (Douay-Rheims).