About a year after the See of Peter remained vacant, Saint Miltiades was elected as the Thirty-Second Pope of the Catholic church. Saint Miltiades who is also known by the name, Melchiades is mostly known for the peace and religious freedom the Church gained during his pontificate.
The election of Pope Miltiades took place on 2nd July, AD311 following Emperor Maxentius proclamation of leniency toward Christians and Christianity. Emperor Maxentius in his proclamation not only declared a leniency but also restored the Church's property that had been confiscated during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian.
Click here to view our visual series on “The Pontiff”
The relentless periods of persecution faced by the Church was soon going to see some kind of relief. In AD312, In October of 312 A.D., Constantine vanquished Maxentius at the critical Battle of the Milovian Bridge, ascending to the role of undisputed Western Roman Emperor in the process. It is said that Constantine and his army sought the help of the Christian God before the battle and were assured by a vision that the first two letters of the Greek name Christos should be inscribed on their shields, thereby guaranteeing their victory.
From the beginning of his reign, Emperor Constantine took a lenient approach towards Christians. In consultation with Licinius, the emperor of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, in February AD313, the famous Edict of Milan was issued. Through the said proclamation, Christians as well as other religions were given the freedom to protect their faith and follow their customs and rituals. The relentless religious persecution of Christians ended and Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Emperor Constantine further granted the Lateran Palace as the official papal residence. Soon he started to involve himself in Church affairs. A problem he had to deal with when he took over the ecclesiastical administration was the controversy surrounding Caecilianus, the bishop of Carthage in North Africa. Not long after Caecilianus was installed as bishop of Carthage in AD311, he faced stiff opposition from those who did not accept the return of the apostates. Chief among his opponents were Donatus and his supporters.
The Donatists argued that Caecilianus’ Episcopal ordination was invalid because he surrendered copies of Scripture to the authorities during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. As the schismatics asked Emperor Constantine to consider this schism in the church, a committee of three bishops was appointed under the chairmanship of Pope Miltiades to study the problems in the church and find a solution. Pope Miltiades later appointed fifteen more bishops to the said council, and the said council met in the Lateran Palace in on 3rd October AD313. Casselian ruled that the Bishop's Consecration was valid and excommunicated Donatus as a heretic. But he was careful to serve in unity and co-operation with all the congregations in North Africa and their heads, the bishops.
Pope Militades attained eternal rest on January 11, AD314 bearing witness to the historic event of the Edict of Milan which granted freedom to the Catholic Church, courageously leading the church that attained a new awakening through the said proclamation.
-edit&transl. SM
Click here to read other articles in this series