Did you know there was once a Pope from Laois? Yes, believe it or not, the village of Durrow has a special claim to the papacy.
The recent passing of Pope Francis has put the position of leader of the Catholic Church firmly under the spotlight, and it seems there is an enormous Laois connection.
It is more than a little odd that in a country so closely aligned with Rome that this story of Ireland’s one and only pope is not more well-known and celebrated.
Born in Durrow in approximately 460 CE – about 30 years after the death of St Patrick – a Laois-born man named Benedict once rose to the very summit of the Catholic Church.
Benedict left Durrow to study under St Fintan at Clonenagh, located between Portlaoise and Mountrath, before following the renowned St Enda to the Aran Islands.
During his studies, Benedict developed a deep friendship with Colmcille, a Prince of the Royal House of Ireland at the time.
Benedict, by now in his 60s, accompanied St Enda on a visit to Rome in 522. He would be elected pope less than a year later.
On August 6, 523, Pope Hormisdas died, ending a successful papacy that had lasted almost nine years, during which time he oversaw a reunion of Rome and Constantinople, bringing the eastern and western Christian Churches back together.
The elders of the church met to elect Hormisdas’ successor. In his short time in Rome, Benedict had acquired such a strong reputation for prayer and sanctity that he was nominated as pope five days after the death of Hormisdus.
Having initially accepted the role and with preparations underway for his installation, messages were sent to the church leaders in other cities announcing the Benedict as the new pope.
However, after just two days, the Laois man withdrew from the job and announced he would be returning to Galway with St Enda.
Pope John I was elected in his place.
Benedict succeeded Enda as the Abbot of Inishmore following the saint’s death. They were laid to rest side by side in the Cathedral of Aran.
In 2023, the two-day pope was immortalised in his native Durrow with the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the brief papacy.
The Book of Cashel, which traces the lineage of the 14 Saints of the Royal House of Ossory, refers to St Benedict as ‘Ipse est Papa Pupeous‘, signifying his brief papal reign.
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