Who he was
John was a native of Tivoli, the son of Rampoald, who became a Benedictine monk and was ordained priest by Formosus. He was elected early in 898 against a rival, Sergius, who was driven from Rome; the support of the house of Spoleto may have helped him keep his place. He is remembered as intelligent and moderate.
What he is remembered for
His synods at Rome and Ravenna in 898 condemned Stephen VI's trial of Formosus, burned its acts, forbade re-ordinations and restored the clergy Stephen had degraded. To check the violence of the Roman factions they also ruled that a new pope should be consecrated only before the emperor's envoys. He gave the Moravian Slavs their own archbishop and three bishops, despite objections from some German bishops.
Sources
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