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c. 470–May 18, 526
Pope St. John I assumed the papacy during a volatile moment in Church history, when theological divisions and political rivalries deeply affected Christian communities.
He was elected Bishop of Rome in 523. At the time, Italy was under the rule of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great, who adhered to Arian Christianity—a belief that denied the full divinity of Christ. Although Theodoric had tolerated Catholics, tensions grew when Emperor Justin I of Constantinople enacted laws restricting Arian worship in the East.
Fearing retaliation against Arians would spread, Theodoric ordered the pope to travel to Constantinople and persuade the emperor to moderate his policies. Although advanced in age and aware of the risks, the pope obeyed. In 525, he journeyed east, where he was welcomed with great honor by Emperor Justin and the faithful of Constantinople.
According to accounts, Emperor Justin I prostrated himself before the successor to the Chair of Peter, who celebrated the Liturgy of the Mass there and crowned the emperor. The pope advised a more lenient treatment of the Arians, and the emperor submitted to the pontiff’s request. The event had great symbolic significance, marking one of the earliest recorded papal visits to the Eastern empire.
When the pope returned to Italy, King Theodoric, increasingly suspicious of an alliance between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Empire, accused the pope of treason. He was arrested and imprisoned in Ravenna.
Pope St. John I was faithful in serving the Church as pope for three years. Subjected to harsh conditions and deprived of basic care, he died in captivity on May 18, 526. The Church venerates him as a martyr, having suffered and died because of political hostility toward the Catholic Faith.
Pope John I’s journey to Constantinople in 525 was remarkable because it marked one of the earliest documented visits of a reigning pope to the Eastern Roman capital. He was received with great honor and solemn ceremony by Emperor Justin I and the clergy, highlighting the growing recognition of the Bishop of Rome’s spiritual authority. During his stay, he presided over the liturgical celebrations, including the emperor’s coronation. His visit also underscored the complex political and theological tensions between East and West as he sought to mediate disputes and achieve a unified stance on Arianism. The event remains an important early example of papal diplomacy and engagement with imperial power.
Theodoric, the Arian Ostrogothic King of Italy, threatened war against the Byzantine Emperor Justin I, a Chalcedonian (Orthodox) Christian, in response to Justin’s edict ordering Arian heretics in the East to surrender their churches. Justin I’s persecution of Arians in the East was an effort to suppress the Arian heresy. In response, King Theodoric forced the pope to travel to Constantinople to secure fair treatment of Arians and the restoration of these churches, aiming to use the pope to protect Arian interests in his region. Coerced by Theodoric, the pope led a delegation to Constantinople in obedience. He successfully persuaded Justin I to treat Arians more leniently to prevent retaliation in Italy, but he did not restore the churches to the Arians. Fearing the pope’s betrayal by conspiracy with the emperor, Theodoric executed the philosopher Boethius, a close associate of the pope, and imprisoned the pope upon his return. Elderly and weak from travel and frail health, he soon died from mistreatment and neglect.
After his death in prison, Pope St. John I’s body was eventually transferred to Rome. His relics are traditionally venerated in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. Early accounts indicate that his remains were honored as those of a martyr soon after his death. Devotion to him spread particularly because of the circumstances of his imprisonment and suffering. Though he was not executed in a dramatic public manner, the Church has long recognized his martyrdom for the Faith through his suffering and death, which resulted from standing firm for Catholic orthodoxy against a hostile, heretical ruler.
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