Celestine I of Rome

Saint Celestine I of Rome was bishop of Rome from 422 to 432, in the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger. The Orthodox Church commemorates him on 8 April, while in the West his day is 27 July. He is remembered for standing with Saint Cyril of Alexandria against the heresy of Nestorius at the time of the Third Ecumenical Council.

According to the Greek Synaxarion he was born in Rome and his father's name was Priscus; as a deacon he was known for learning, piety and zeal. Other sources say he came from Campania. After the repose of Pope Boniface in 422 he was chosen for the see of Rome (10 September 422, by the date the Vatican keeps). The Synaxarion adds that he intervened in Africa, Gaul and Calabria so that the holy canons would be kept in the election of bishops, and that he worked against heresies.

When Nestorius, archbishop of Constantinople, began to teach that the Virgin Mary should not be called Theotokos, Cyril of Alexandria wrote to Celestine. A synod held at Rome in 430 condemned Nestorius's teaching, and Celestine wrote to Cyril that if Nestorius did not renounce his error within ten days, he should be deposed and excommunicated. He also sent letters to the Churches of Constantinople and Antioch. The next year he sent delegates to the Council of Ephesus (431), where Nestorius's teaching was condemned.

He supported the struggle against Pelagianism: in 429 the bishops of Gaul sent Saint Germanus of Auxerre to Britain, and in 431 Celestine commissioned Palladius as bishop for the Christians of Ireland. It is also said that he cared for the clergy and the services, adorning the churches with icons and holy vessels.

The date of his repose is still debated. Some versions of the Book of the Popes give 6 or 8 April 432, the date kept in the East; Western scholars reckon 26 or 27 July 432. His relics lie in the basilica of Santa Prassede in Rome. He is a saint of the undivided Church.