Though he wasn’t killed outright for his faith, Pope St. John I is honored as a martyr because he died from rough treatment when he was imprisoned for standing steadfast between the maneuvers of a king and an emperor.

John was born in Tuscany in 470, and joined the Roman clergy as a young man. He was elevated to the head of the seven deacons of Rome, where he played an important role in the politics of the Church, corresponding with theologians and philosophers and helping to lead gatherings of bishops.

He was elected pope in 523, but was in frail health. King Theodoric ruled much of Italy at the time, and subscribed to Arianism—a line of thinking that held Jesus as not fully divine. He decided to send a diplomatic envoy to the emperor in Constantinople to negotiate better treatment for Arians, and made John the head of that task, against John’s wishes. Theodoric threatened dire consequences for orthodox Christians if he was not successful.

John was well-received by the emperor’s court, and seemed to succeed in his mission, which bought some leniency for orthodox Christians in Italy. But when he returned, Theodoric suspected him of conspiring with the emperor and threw him in prison. John died in prison from neglect and abuse.

Relics of Pope St. John I rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

Pope St. John I, you protected Christians from a feuding king and an emperor—pray for us!