John II Born Mercurius, John II was the first pope to change his name. Feeling that his birth name was too pagan, Mercurius named himself after John I when he was elected to the see of Rome in 533. John excommunicated the Acoemeti, a group of Nestorian monks in Rome; his correspondence with Justinian about the matter in included in the Code of Justinian. The pope also corresponded with Caesarius of Arles about a bishop accused of wrong-doing. John died in 535 and is buried at St. Peter's.
Comments that include profanity, personal attacks, antisocial behavior such as "spamming" and "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will not be posted on Catholic Online. Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our
terms of service. While Catholic Online invites robust discussion, we maintain the right to not print material that is patently false in its claims concerning the teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, overtly anti-Catholic or which, in the opinion of the moderator, are intended to mislead readers as to what the Catholic Church teaches. Comments DO NOT necessarily reflect the opinion or views of Catholic Online.