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CELESTINE V

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 600 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CELESTINE V  . (St See also:Peter See also:Celestine), See also:pope in 1294, was See also:born of poor parents at Isernia about 1215, and See also:early entered the See also:Benedictine See also:order . Living as a See also:hermit on See also:Monte Morrone near Sulmone in the Abruzzi, he attracted other ascetics about him and organized them into a See also:congregation of the See also:Benedictines which was later called the See also:Celestines (q.v.) . The assistance of a See also:vicar enabled him to See also:escape from the growing administrative cares and devote himself solely to See also:asceticism, apparently the only See also:field of human activity in which he excelled . His Opuscula, published by Telera at See also:Naples in 164o, are probably not genuine; he was indoctus libris . A fight between the See also:Colonna and- the See also:Orsini, as well as hopeless dissensions among the cardinals, prevented a papal See also:election for two years and three months after the See also:death of See also:Nicholas IV . See also:Charles II. of Naples, needing a pope in order that he might regain See also:Sicily, brought about a See also:conclave . As the election of any See also:cardinal seemed impossible, on the 5th of See also:July 1294 the Sacred See also:College See also:united on Pietro di Morrone; the cardinals expected to See also:rule in the name of the celebrated but incapable ascetic . Apocalyptic notions then current doubtless aided his election, for See also:Joachim of See also:Floris and his school looked to See also:monasticism to furnish deliverance to the See also:church and to the See also:world . Multitudes came to Celestine's See also:coronation at See also:Aquila, and he began his reign the idol of visionaries, of extremists and of the populace . But the pope was in the See also:power of Charles II. of Naples, and became his See also:tool against See also:Aragon . The See also:king's son See also:Louis, a layman of twenty-one, was made See also:archbishop of See also:Lyons .

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

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

(W . W .

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