CELESTINE V  . (St Peter Celestine), pope in 1294, was born of poor parents at Isernia about 1215, and early entered the Benedictine order . Living as a hermit on Monte Morrone near Sulmone in the Abruzzi, he attracted other ascetics about him and organized them into a congregation of the Benedictines which was later called the Celestines (q.v.) . The assistance of a vicar enabled him to escape from the growing administrative cares and devote himself solely to asceticism, apparently the only field of human activity in which he excelled . His Opuscula, published by Telera at Naples in 164o, are probably not genuine; he was indoctus libris . A fight between the Colonna and- the Orsini, as well as hopeless dissensions among the cardinals, prevented a papal election for two years and three months after the death of Nicholas IV . Charles II. of Naples, needing a pope in order that he might regain Sicily, brought about a conclave . As the election of any cardinal seemed impossible, on the 5th of July 1294 the Sacred College united on Pietro di Morrone; the cardinals expected to rule in the name of the celebrated but incapable ascetic . Apocalyptic notions then current doubtless aided his election, for Joachim of Floris and his school looked to monasticism to furnish deliverance to the church and to the world . Multitudes came to Celestine's coronation at Aquila, and he began his reign the idol of visionaries, of extremists and of the populace . But the pope was in the power of Charles II. of Naples, and became his tool against Aragon . The king's son Louis, a layman of twenty-one, was made archbishop of Lyons .

The cardinals, scarcely consulted at all, were discontented . The pope, who wanted more

time for his devotions, offered to leave three cardinals in charge of affairs; but his proposition was rejected . He then wished to abdicate, and at length Benedetto Gaetano, destined to succeed him as Boniface ViII., removed all scruples against this unheard-of procedure by finding a precedent in the case of Clement I . Celestine abdicated on the 13th of December 1294 . There is no sufficient ground for finding an allusion to this act hi the noted line of Dante, " Che fete per viltate it gran rifiuto " (" who made from cowardice the great refusal," Inferno, 3, 6o) . Boniface at length put him in prison for safe keeping; he died in a monastic cell in the castle of Fumone near Anagni on the 19th of May 1296 . He was canonized by Clement V. in 1313 . See Wetzer and Welte and Herzog-Hauck (with excellent bibliography) as above; Jean Aurelien, Superieur de la Congregation des Celestins, La Vie admirable de ... Saint Pierre Cilestin (Bar-le-Duc, 1873) ; H . Finke, Aus den Tagen Bonifaz VIII . (Munster, 1902), pp . 24-43 .

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