EUGENIO. — Bishop of Carthage, elected in 481, after the see had been vacant for 24 years; on account of his virtue and charity he soon became the idol of the people, “so much so that there was no one in Carthage who was not ready to give his life for him” (Vittore di Vita). Even the Arian Vandals flocked to hear him, despite the opposition of their bishops. Unerico (477–484) hoped to induce the Catholic bishops to accept Arianism; he convened an assembly of the bishops of the two confessions at Carthage for February 484, while excluding the presence of the overseas bishops, especially that of Rome.
E. then presented a profession of faith, signed by all the Catholic bishops of Africa (CSEL, 7, 46–71). This led to the outbreak of a most cruel persecution against the Catholics: E., together with 302 other bishops, was interned in Mauretania, at Turris Tamalleni. His custodian subjected him to cruel tortures, so that he was struck by paralysis; but he survived. Gutamondo (484–96) recalled him and allowed him to officiate in the
(Ist. Biblioteca Vaticana)
EUGENIO II, PAPA - Calendar, month of February, with the announcement of the ordination of E. II - Vatican Library, cod. Vat. lat. 625, f. 6 (18th century).
suburbicarian see of S. Agileo (487). Seven years later he obtained the recall of all the bishops and the reopening of the Catholic churches. Trasamondo (496–523), however, in 498 banished him to Albi in Aquitania. According to Tillement, it was on this occasion that E. left his faithful as his testament the Epistola ad cives suas pro custodienda fide catholica (MGH, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum, I, 1, pp. 62–63). He died in exile in 505.