Pope John VII

Pope John VII (650 – 18 October 707) was pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1 March 705 until 18 October 707 when he died.

His father was Plato was a curator of the Palatine Hill. This makes him the first pope to be the son of a Byzantine official.

He had bad relations with the Quinisext council of 692 but had good relations with the Lombards, who had ruled much of Italy at the time. Liber Pontificalis criticized Pope John VII for not signing Canons which were really unpopular in Italy at the time.

Liber Pontificalis said: 
"He [Emperor Justinian II] despatched two metropolitan bishops, also sending with them a mandate in which he requested and urged the pontiff [John VII] to gather a council of the apostolic church, and to confirm such of them as he approved, and quash and reject those which were adverse. But he, terrified in his human weakness, sent them back to the prince by the same metropolitans without any emendations at all."

He died on 18 October 707 and was buried in Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was succeeded by Pope Sisinnius.

References

Category:650 births
Category:707 deaths
Category:Greek people
Category:Italian popes