STEFANO III (IV), POPE.—He ascended the papal throne on 1 and was consecrated on 7 August 768; he died on 24 January 772. Since Costantino II had obtained the tiara through a coup d’état, the primicerius Cristoforo decided to lay hold of him.
After conferring with the Lombard king Desiderio, Cristoforo marched against Rome. Having entered the city through treachery, he assembled the entire Roman population in the forum and induced them to accept the candidacy of the Sicilian priest S. (1 August 768), who was consecrated bishop on the 7th of the same month. He was a worthy man whom Cristoforo intended to dominate. It also remained to obtain the approval of Carlo and Carlomanno, sons of Pipino il Breve. Cristoforo’s emissary ably defended the cause in favor of S. III and succeeded in persuading the two princes that it was advisable for him to hold a Council at which the Frankish episcopate would appear and the fortunes of the antipope Costantino II would be crushed.
The conciliar assembly was held at the Lateran (April 769); all Costantino’s acts were declared null, the ordinations performed by him invalid, and the Sacraments he had administered without effect, with the exception of Baptism; and he was sentenced to confinement in a monastery. Consequent, and very serious, provisions were adopted: thereafter only cardinal-priests and cardinal-deacons would be eligible for the pontificate, and only ecclesiastical persons would be electors. The army and the laity were content to pay homage to the man elected and ratify his election. Every precaution was taken against the abuse of force. The Council also declared legitimate the veneration accorded to images of the Saints, the Savior, or the Blessed Virgin, and promulgated an anathema against anyone professing a contrary doctrine.
Meanwhile S. III had little patience with Cristoforo’s interference in the conduct of the affairs of the Church, and King Desiderio had not forgotten the manner in which Cristoforo had outmaneuvered him during the fall of Costantino II. The two consulted together in Rome during Lent in 771. What part did the Pope play in the death of the primicerius? According to his own account, he was not responsible; the blame fell upon the victim, who had fomented disturbances in Rome, and upon his enemies. In reality, he would have saved Cristoforo’s life had he taken him under his protection.
Desiderio frustrated the Pope’s expectations by refusing him the concessions he demanded. S. III died on 3 February 772.
L. Duchesne, Les premiers temps de l'Etat Pontifical, 3e ed., Parigi 1911, pp. 110-32; Fliche-Martin-Frutz, VI, nn. 20-44. Guglielmo Mollat