Saint Damasus, Pope of Rome, passed away on this day in 366. Pope Damasus’ ancestors came to Rome from Spain, where they had become Roman citizens. In 355, Emperor Constantius II exiled Pope Liberius from Rome for his support of St. Athanasius the Great. Damasus left Rome together with Pope Liberius. The same year, Constantius II supported the election of an “anti-pope” (a pope who has not been recognized as legitimate by the judgment of history). Most of the clergy supported him, but most of the laymen remained loyal to Pope Liberius. After Felix’s death in 365, Pope Liberius restored the peace for a while. When he died the next year, his opponents elected Ursinus an anti-pope. Another group of Romans nominated Damasus to be the pope. They were supposed to wait one week for his consecration, but once they learned about Ursinus’ installation, they wrought havoc in the Basilica Julia, where Ursicinus was to be consecrated. After Damasus was consecrated Bishop of Rome on October 1, 366, he demanded that Ursinus and his followers be exiled. The Prefect of Rome took Damasus’ side. On October 26th of the same year, Damasus’ adherents attempted to storm the Liberian Basilica, the center of the “schismatics.” The attackers lost 137 men. Although Emperor Valentinian recognized Damasus’ rights to be pope, the emperor also permitted Ursinus’ return to the capital. This caused the conflict to erupt anew. Pope Damasus did a lot for the elevation of the status of the Roman See. At the council in Rome in 378, Pope Damasus proposed the adoption of the law stipulating that only bishops may try other bishops. Although Emperor Gratian refused to adopt a law granting bishops immunity from state legal procedures, he approved the council’s resolution that the Roman Church may elect bishops without imperial approval and that the Bishop of Rome had authority over all the bishops in the West of Europe. Pope Damasus already enjoyed the receipt of appeal from the East of the Empire. He refused to recognize St. Meletios as Patriarch of the Church of Antioch; St. Basil the Great supported him, but approved Patriarch Paulinus. Canon 3 of the Second Ecumenical Council (381) elevated Constantinople, which had just been a bishopric before, to second position in the ranking of sees. Pope Damasus refused to recognize this ruling and supported Archbishop Timothy of Alexandria, an opponent of St. Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople. Pope Damasus likewise ignored Canon 2 of the same Council prohibiting episcopal interference in other dioceses and requiring other churches to obtain permission from Rome to consecrate new bishops. It comes as no surprise that Pope Damasus did a lot to elevate the status of the Eternal City as the residence of the “successor of St. Peter.” Pope Damasus turned the catacombs into a point of attraction for pilgrims. He also was known for hosting outstanding banquets that overshadowed those of the Emperor. Source: O.V.Shatalov, R.O. Shatalov, “Damas I,” Pravolsavnaia Entsiklopedia. A Chronology of Byzantine Empire, Timothy Venning, ed. (New York, 2006). | 
