AH Challenge: Santa Claus Pope!

Glen

Moderator
For the holiday:

Your AH challenge is to compose a believable timeline in which Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (OTL Saint Nicholas), becomes Pope. Detail what his papacy would be like.
 
For the holiday:

Your AH challenge is to compose a believable timeline in which Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (OTL Saint Nicholas), becomes Pope. Detail what his papacy would be like.

The world won't know a figure called Santa Claus...

and they know a historical figure called Pope Nicholas I, known for having undergone one of the greatest Catholic reforms in history...
 
I dont know much about the historical St. Nicholas. What time period did he live in? Was hen known to be for any reforms? Any other hints to what his papacy would be like?
 
Historical St. Nicholas was born in Alexandreia Egypt if i remember correctly...
He was ordained a deacon and accompanied the Patriarch of Alexandreia to the First Council of NIcaea...
There the church Fathers dealt with Arius and his heresy...
Nicholas in a burst of religious fervor punched Arius in the face...
Later he was ordained priest and eventually was promoted to the Bishopric of Myra in Asia Minor...
He was known of his kindness and charity and made many good deeds...
Once he saved 3 Roman Generals from execution ordered by Emperor Constantine I for treason by offering himself to be executed instead of them...
Another time he saved the daughters of a poor farmer from becoming whores by offering 100 golden coins to each of them secretly so they could find a suitable husband...
He died in Myra and buried there...
His relics were stolen by Italian merchants in 11th century and were transferred to Bari in Italy where he remains till today...
 
Sounds like a complex fellow. He clocked Arius of Alexandria during a heated theological debate, but then offered his own life in place of some Roman generals and engaged in charitable work.

I wonder what sort of Pope he would make?

And might a Pope from Asia Minor/Egypt help minimize the East/West breach?
 
There were many eastern Popes...
Like Gregory III a syrian or Zachary a syrian too or the last greek Pope Alexander V elected in 1410...
 
Interesting...i'm not quite sure what the end result would be...possibley a very different Catholic Church...to the left or the right...i dunno.
 

Glen

Moderator
Most likely interjection of a Pope Nicholas would be in the 330s in place of Pope Mark in, IIRC, 336. That would give a short reign for Nicholas before his passing in 343, but then you could have the same popes thereafter.

Oddly, after looking at it, I think just increasing Nicholas' prestige a litte before 336 would make it plausible for him to be chosen. And yet, it is entirely possible that he would STILL become associated with Christmas.

Santa Claus could have been Pope and STILL the Santa we know today...though maybe he'd wear all white instead of red....
 
If St. Nicholas had been elected to the Papacy his mark could have affected his succesors anthat would lead to a different line of Popes in the future...
But since he was Bishop of Myra he was ineligible to be the Pope since the Canon Law of this era prohibited Bishops of another diocese to be elected to another...
So there is no point...
The first Bishop of another diocese to be elected Pope was Formosus in 9th century...
His election was controversial and lead to Synodus Horribilys after his death(The Cadaver Synod)
 

Glen

Moderator
If St. Nicholas had been elected to the Papacy his mark could have affected his succesors anthat would lead to a different line of Popes in the future...
But since he was Bishop of Myra he was ineligible to be the Pope since the Canon Law of this era prohibited Bishops of another diocese to be elected to another...
So there is no point...
The first Bishop of another diocese to be elected Pope was Formosus in 9th century...
His election was controversial and lead to Synodus Horribilys after his death(The Cadaver Synod)

Well, that's what PODs are for....what should he be other than Bishop of Myra to increase his chances of being chosen as Pope?
 
During that era only priests and deacons were eligible for election to the Papacy... These clerics were drawn from the diocese of Roma only but they could be drawn from outside of Rome if no Priest or Deacon was applicable... It was forbidden to a Bishop to jump to another Diocese...
At this time the bishop was considered "married" to the bishopric which he had so jumping to another while bishop was considered as an adultery in the eyes of the church...
 
Nuff Said:

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