HONORIUS I, POPE. — He was consecrated eight days after the death of his predecessor Boniface V, on 3 November 625, without awaiting the confirmation of Emperor Heraclius. The most notable event of his pontificate was the monothelite controversy.
In the hope of reconciling the Monophysites with the Church, Sergius, Patriarch of Constantinople, sought to persuade them to admit that the two natures of Christ were moved, in their operation, by a single energy (μὰ ἐνέργεια). Deceived by Sergius’ cunning and intent solely on Christian unity, Honorius accepted the ambiguous formula of Christ’s single will. The attempt was doomed to failure. Mocked by the Monophysites and opposed by Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, it was further compromised when Emperor Heraclius, desirous of political unity, sought to impose it through an edict known as the *Ecthesis*. Meanwhile, Honorius died, and his successor Severinus repudiated the document.
In the West, the Lombard question remained prominent. Honorius was unable to prevent the accession to the throne of the Arian princes Arioald and Rothari, nor to curb the spoliations they carried out against the Churches. However, thanks to the influence of the Catholic queen Gundiperga, who was successively the wife of both kings, he was at least able to safeguard the authority of the bishops within the Lombard kingdom.
Moreover, he had occasion to exercise the papal magisterium in matters of discipline with many bishops of Italy, Epirus, and Sardinia. In Rome, following the example of St Gregory the Great, he carried out an extensive program of building works and was generous with donations (St Peter’s, St Agnes Outside the Walls, St Apollinaris, St Adrian’s at the Forum, the monastery of the Three Fountains, etc.); under his rule, the administration of the Patrimony developed, and he entrusted the governance of Naples to a notary and a *magister militum*.