Silverius

About Silverius

Silverius was Pope from 536-537 during the Byzantine reconquest of Italy. Son of Pope Hormisdas (before his ordination), Silverius was elected through the influence of Gothic King Theodahad. When the Byzantine general Belisarius captured Rome, Empress Theodora demanded Silverius support Monophysite heresy and restore the deposed Patriarch of Constantinople. Silverius refused to betray orthodoxy. Theodora had him falsely accused of treason, deposed, and exiled to Palmaria island, where he died from harsh conditions—effectively martyred for refusing to compromise the faith. He is venerated as a martyr who chose truth over political expediency.