Pope John II
Pope · Italy · Religious Figures · Lived 470 to 535 · aged 65
Pope John II is read about 108 times a day, in 74 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?The first pope to change his name. Born Mercurius - a pagan god's name - he took "John" when he rose to the office in 533, setting a tradition that would last fifteen centuries.
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About this person
Mercurius was a priest at St. Clement's Basilica, where he paid for gifts and stone carvings, before his elevation on 2 January 533. As pope, he made a choice no predecessor had: he wouldn't keep a name tied to Mercury, the Roman deity. His two-year reign brought harder calls. He stripped Bishop Contumeliosus of Riez of his post, convened a council on letting Arian clergy back in, and endorsed an edict from Emperor Justinian that contradicted the doctrine of the previous pope, Hormisdas. He died on 8 May 535.
Religious Figures from Italy 6
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