Eugene I was a Roman
priest who had held various positions in the Church and was known for his charity and his sanctity. He was consecrated Pope on August 10, 654, while his predecessor, Pope St.
Martin I, was still alive (he died on September 6), an exile and prisoner in the Crimea by order of Monothelite Emperor Constans II.
Martin is reported to have approved the election, but many believed Eugene was a puppet of Constans. Eugene soon asserted his independence by refusing the Emperor's demands that he acknowledge Peter as
Patriarch of
Constantinople and allow toleration of the Monothelites. Constans was furious, and only the capture of
Rhodes by the Moslems in 654 and their defeat of Constans at the naval battle of Phoenix in 655 saved Eugene from sharing the
fate of his predecessor. Eugene died in
Rome on June 2. His
feast day is June 2nd.
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