Western Fatherswriter
Who he was
- He was called to govern the Church of Rome at a very difficult time. He was bishop of the Roman Church during the siege of Rome by Alaric (408-410) but was not present at the taking of the city, as he had gone to Ravenna in a vain effort to arrange a truce with the western Emperor Honorius. He returned to his see only several years later (412).
- Under him, the idea of universal papal supremacy, though as yet somewhat shadowy, already took form.
- Innocent affirmed the position of the bishops of Africa in their condemnation of Pelagius and Celestius.
- In the East, he maintained communion with St. John Chrysostom of Constantinople after John was deposed and exiled (404), and he broke off relations with the sees of Alexandria and Antioch over the dispute.
- He gave staunch support to St. Jerome and Eustochium and her niece Paula the younger, who were two noble virgins living in retirement under St. Jerome’s spiritual direction, when their monastery was attacked. He was critical of John bishop of Jerusalem for his failure to check the assaults.
What he wrote
- Innocent I has left a small collection of pontifical letters.
- 36 of his letters are extant; they constitute the principal source for his activities.
- Letter to Decentius, bishop of Gubbio in Umbria (416; Ep. 25), figures in the development of the canon of the Roman liturgy. The same letter witnesses to the anointing of the sick and distinguishes the rite of confirmation from that of baptism.
- Other letters to western bishops are concerned with upholding the prerogative of the papacy – as all western churches owed their beginnings to Peter (in their opinion) and his successors, Roman liturgical customs were to be kept and major disputes were to be referred to Rome. Likewise, Roman prerogatives were upheld over eastern Illyricum, which fell under civil jurisdiction of the eastern empire.