03/01 Saint Felix III, Pope
Pope Felix III, who served as bishop of Rome from 483 until his death on March 1, 492, was a significant figure in early Church history, notably for initiating the Acacian Schism by rejecting the Henotikon, an edict by Emperor Zeno aimed at reconciling theological disputes but which instead deepened divisions. Born into a Roman senatorial family, Felix was a widower with children before becoming pope, and he may have been an ancestor to Pope Gregory I. His tenure involved confronting the Eutychian heresy, excommunicating key Eastern patriarchs like Peter the Fuller and Peter Mongus, and addressing the aftermath of Vandal persecutions in North Africa by guiding the reintegration of lapsed Catholics.
Saint Felix III, pray for us!