The 46th Pope
St. Hilarus
Saint Hilarus
Pope St. Hilarus (461-468)
In his rather mild pontificate, Pope Hilarus (Hilary) found his most aggressive efforts to be in battling the heresy of Arianism. Arianism claimed that Jesus Christ was the highest of the creations of God, but not the Son of God. The Emperor Anthemius was persuaded by the pope to refuse the Arians any meeting places in Rome.
Under Pope Leo the Great, Hilarus attended what was later called the "robber council" held in Ephesus in 449. He avoided censure for supporting the patriarch of Constantinople. He attributed that fact to the protection of Saint John the Evangelist near whose tomb he hid to avoid detection. In gratitude, he built a chapel in Rome dedicated to the saint.
In line with his near predecessors, Pope Hilarus aided numerous churches victimized by the sacking of Rome by the Vandals in 455. He also founded the monastery of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls. He is buried within the grounds of the monastery.
Habemus papam