St. Simplicius, Pope (2 March): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

On March 2nd, Holy Mother Church honors St. Simplicius, the courageous Pope who shepherded the Church during one of the most catastrophic moments in world history — the fall of the Western Roman Empire. As Rome collapsed in 476 under the invasion of barbarian forces, and as heresies like Arianism and Monophysitism spread across the East, Pope Simplicius stood firm as a pillar of Catholic truth. With no Catholic kings left in the world, with imperial weakness, political chaos, and doctrinal confusion everywhere — this holy Pontiff defended the Council of Chalcedon and preserved the Faith in a time of darkness. In this reading from Fr. Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints, we explore: The fall of Rome under Odoacer The moral decay that preceded the empire’s collapse The Henotikon of Emperor Zeno The Arian and Monophysite heresies The betrayal of Patriarch Acacius And the steadfast courage of Pope St. Simplicius History proves something powerful: civilizations fall when virtue collapses — but God always raises saints to defend His Church. St. Simplicius reigned for 15 years during the storm and died in 483, buried in St. Peter’s Basilica. His life reminds Catholic men especially that we are called to remain firm when the world falls apart around us. Pray for courage. Pray for fidelity. Pray for holy shepherds. St. Simplicius, pray for us. 0:00 – Introduction 0:20 – Who Was St. Simplicius? 0:52 – The Collapse of the Western Roman Empire 1:30 – Moral Decay & Divine Chastisement 2:15 – Odoacer and the Fall of Rome (476 AD) 2:55 – Simplicius Comforts the Afflicted 3:05 – Eastern Turmoil & Emperor Zeno 3:32 – The Henotikon & Doctrinal Compromise 4:00 – Heresy in Alexandria & Antioch 4:24 – The Betrayal of Patriarch Acacius 4:40 – Defending Chalcedon Alone 4:52 – Death of St. Simplicius (483 AD) 5:00 – Lessons for Our Times https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/march/st-simplicius-pope/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StSimplicius #CatholicSaints #SaintOfTheDay #ChurchHistory #FallOfRome #CatholicFaith #TraditionalCatholic #LivesOfTheSaints #PapalHistory #CatholicMasculinity