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Pope Callixtus III

Callisto III was a Spanish Pope, born in Játiva, on December 31, 1378, and baptized with the name of Afonso de Borja studied in Valencia, Lleida (where he received his doctorate in Civil Law and Canon Law). He was a canon at the Cathedral of Lleida, at whose university he also taught the chair of canons. In 1429 he was appointed bishop of Valencia by Pope Martin V, in 1443 he ascended to the title of cardinal and then moved to Rome.  On April 8, 1455, he was elected Bishop of Rome (Pope), and his papacy lasted a little over 3 years, he died on August 6, 1458.

 

On June 3, 1455, Pope Callixtus III  canonized Saint Vincent Ferrer in the Dominican church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome.

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In 1456, an inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III to examine the trial of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), and after an exhaustive analysis of the facts, her innocence was formally proclaimed and declared a martyr to the church.  (Joan D'Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920 by the Vatican, and is one of France's patronesses).


Pope Callixtus III beatified Santa Rosa de Viterbo (the Canonization Process was completed in 1457, but Calixtus III died without promulgating the decree. Interestingly, Rosa's canonization never came to an end, within the required procedures. Even so, it was integrated into the Roman Martyrology, and confirmed by successive pontiffs in various documents. Its body, uncorrupted and flexible, is in the Sanctuary of Santa Rosa).

Although he tried to ensure peace between the principalities of Italy, being a foreign Pope he was not very well regarded in Rome, a fact that was aggravated by the appointment to the most important positions and close to him a multitude of characters from Aragon, from Valencia and Catalonia, was even accused of nepotism.

 

He was buried in the church of Saint Andrew and in 1610 his mortal remains were transferred to the Church of Santa Maria de Montserrat, of the Spanish nation in Rome.

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