JOHN XVIII, POPE

Pontificate: Dec. 25, 1003 to June or July 1009;b. Joannes Fasanus, Rome; d. Abbey of St. Paul– Outside–the–Walls, Rome. Prior to his election he was cardinalis s. Petri. He was elected through the influence of Crescentius III (d. 1012), but he was less dependent on the Roman patrician family of crescentii than his predecessor, john xvii, had been. He somewhat strengthened papal authority by the restoration of the episcopal See of Merseburg in 1004. In 1007 he confirmed the foundation of the bishopric of bamberg, which had been erected by Emperor henry ii. He also conferred the pal lium on Abp. Meingaudus of trier and Elphege (d.1012) of canterbury. He bestowed papal protection on the abbey of saint-benoÎt-sur-loire, and he definitely opposed the pretensions of Abp. Letericus of sens and Bp. Fulco of orlÉans, who tried to abrogate the papal privileges of that monastery. It is noteworthy that John was recognized in Constantinople as the bishop of Rome, for his name appears on the diptychs of the byzantine church. John at length retired to st. paul-outside-the-walls and lived there as a monk. He is buried at the same monastery.

Bibliography: j. haller, Das Papsttum 2:229, 242–247, 562. f. x. seppelt, Geschichte der Päpste von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 20. Jh. 2:401. p. jaffÉ, Regesta pontificum romanorum ab condita ecclesia ad annum post Christum natum 1198, ed. s. lÖwenfeld 501–503. e. amann, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et. al. 8.1:629–630. r. aubert, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques 26 (Paris 1997), s.v. "Jean XVIII (XIX), pape." r. benericetti, La cronologia dei Papi dei secoli IX–XI secondo le carte di Ravenna (1999), 56–57. w. ziezulewicz, "Monastic Forgery in an Age of Reform: A Bull of Pope John XVIII for Saint–Florent–de–Saumur (April 1004), " Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu (Roma 1985), 7–42. j. n. d. kelly, Oxford Dictionary of Popes (New York 1986), 138–139.

[w. m. plÖchl]