The Pope Who Died in Prison for the Truth | Pope Saint John I (May 18)

Ajouté : 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Pope Saint John the First, May [music] 18th. This is Catholic Voices and Prayers, bringing saint stories to life.

[00:00:07][music] Today is May 18th. Today we honor Pope Saint John the First, a man [music] who gave his life to defend the faith and unity of the church, even against [music] the most powerful man in the world. John became Pope in the year 523, during a time of deep division. [music] Italy was ruled by a Gothic king named Theodoric, who followed Arianism, the heresy that [music] denied Christ's divinity.

[00:00:35]Theodoric demanded that Pope John [music] convince the Eastern Roman emperor to stop persecuting Arians. John didn't want to go, but to preserve peace, he agreed. [music] He traveled to Constantinople and was welcomed with great honor, celebrated as the true successor of Peter.

[00:00:54]But when he returned to Italy, Theodoric was enraged that the emperor hadn't changed his stance. He accused Pope John of conspiring [music] against him and had him imprisoned.

[00:01:05]Weak from the journey and [music] mistreatment, Pope John died in prison in 526, becoming a martyr for the truth and a witness [music] to the independence of the church from political pressure. He was buried in Rome >> [music] >> and the church honors him as a saint who upheld the faith with courage, [music] wisdom, and humility. In an age where church leaders are often [music] pressured to compromise, Pope John the First reminds us truth is not up for negotiation. [music] Saint John the First, Pope and martyr, pray for us. Don't forget to [music] subscribe for more powerful stories of the saints and Catholic faith.