Celestine (1215–1296)

Biography

Celestino was born, the last of 12 children. His mother asked God to grant her a priest son, and it was this last son who was able to give her that great pleasure. Celestine first became a hermit monk and then a priest. He was so holy that many joined him and soon he had 14 convents under his direction. After the death of Pope Nicholas IV, the cardinal electors had divided into two parties and there was no way to elect the new Pope by majority. Then they decided to choose a holy monk and they chose Celestine. He was terrified, but they almost forced him to accept. He soon realized that he was not prepared for this position, since he did not know Latin well, nor did he know the laws and canons that govern the Church in the Vatican. He also did not have enough expertise and since he granted everything they asked, he appointed up to three different people for the same position. He had only been maximum Pontiff for five months when he decided to resign. First he published a decree declaring that the Supreme Pontiff can resign from his high position. Then he gathered all the cardinals, read them his resignation, and stripped off his pontifical vestments. When his successor, Pope Boniface VIII, felt that a party was forming in Rome against him and in favor of Celestine, he sent for him to calm things down. Since Celestino did not want to return, they ordered him arrested and he died two years later, very happy, in a cell, because he said: "What I always wanted was to have a cell so I could dedicate myself to prayer and meditation. And they have given me that cell here. What more can I ask for?"