Pope John XV facts for kids

Pope John XV (Latin: Ioannes XV) was the leader of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from August 985 until his death on April 1, 996. He was born in Rome. John XV was the first pope to officially declare someone a saint. During his time as pope, a big disagreement started between the French kings and the Church. This disagreement was about who should choose important church leaders.

Early Life of Pope John XV

John XV was the son of a Roman priest named Leo. Before he became pope in August 985, he was a cardinal-priest at a church called St. Vitalis.

Pope John XV's Time as Pope

Some people said that John XV was unpopular in Rome because he liked money too much and gave special favors to his family. However, others say this might not be true because he didn't have much power in Rome at that time.

A powerful Roman leader named Crescentius II made it hard for the pope to have much influence. But when Empress Theophanu was in Rome from 989 to 991, she helped keep Crescentius's power in check.

Pope John XV supported the monks of Cluny, who were trying to make the Church better. He also helped settle a fight between King Ethelred the Unready of England and Duke Richard the Fearless of Normandy.

A Dispute with France

During Pope John XV's time, a serious argument happened with the French Church. This was about Archbishop Arnulf of Reims, who was removed from his position in 991. This event was an early sign of future conflicts between popes and the new Capetian kings of France.

King Hugh Capet had made Arnulf the archbishop in 988. Arnulf was related to the old ruling family, the Carolingians. Arnulf's uncle, Charles, tried to take the throne for himself. King Hugh thought Arnulf had betrayed him and asked Pope John XV to remove him.

However, things moved quickly. Hugh Capet captured both Charles and Archbishop Arnulf. He then called a meeting of church leaders in Reims in June 991. This meeting removed Arnulf and chose Gerbert of Aurillac as the new archbishop.

The Pope in Rome did not agree with what happened at the meeting in Reims. Even though a second meeting agreed with the first one, Pope John XV called the French bishops to another meeting outside of France. When they refused, he asked them to come to Rome. They said it was too dangerous to travel to Rome.

So, the Pope sent a special representative to call a meeting of French and German bishops. Only the German bishops showed up because King Hugh Capet stopped the French bishops. Finally, after much effort, the Pope's representative declared that Arnulf's removal was against the rules.

After King Hugh Capet died in October 996, Arnulf was set free and got his position back. Gerbert, who had been chosen as the new archbishop, went to Germany and became a teacher to Emperor Otto III.

The First Saint

At a meeting in Rome on January 31, 993, Pope John XV officially declared Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg a saint. This was a very important event because it was the first time a pope had ever officially made someone a saint. The pope announced this to bishops in France and Germany in a special letter dated February 3.

Death of Pope John XV

In 996, Emperor Otto III was traveling to Italy to be crowned by the pope. However, Pope John XV died of a fever on April 1, 996. Emperor Otto III stayed in Pavia until April 12 to celebrate Easter. After the pope's death, the emperor chose his own cousin, Bruno, to become the new pope, who took the name Gregory V.

See also

In Spanish: Juan XV para niños