Pope Damasus III

  

Pope Damasus III
Bishop of Rome Archbishop of Avignon
Damasus III in 1938
Church	Catholic Church – Avignon
Papacy began	10 February 1936
Papacy ended	28 September 1956
Predecessor	Papacy established
Successor	Julius IV
Orders
Ordination	3 April 1902
Created Cardinal	20 April 1920 by Pope Leo XIII
Personal details
Birth name	Augustin Teyssier
Born	8 June 1877 Champigny-sur-Marne, Paris, France
Died	28 September 1956 (aged 79) Venaissin City, Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon
Nationality	French
Alma mater	Avignon University
Motto	Pro Christi vero regno ("In defense of Christ's true kingdom")

Pope Damasus III (French: Damase III), born Augustin Teyssier (8 June 1877 – 28 September 1956) was a French Catholic clergyman and cardinal who served as the first pope of the Avignonese Catholic Church between its establishment on 10 February 1936 until his death in 1956. A key figure in the Second Western Schism, Teyssier previously served as a member of the College of Cardinals where he emerged as a leading figure in the faction that opposed Pope Pius XI and his decision to sign the Lateran Treaty with the Landonist government in the Democratic Republic of Italy and stood in opposition towards the support of Christian socialism by the church. Teyssier would lead the one third of the cardinals who also opposed the decision and would ultimately found the Avignonese Catholic Church, a reconstituted Avignon papacy, and stood in opposition to loyalists of Piux XI, now organized into the Roman Catholic Church.

Born in Paris, Teyssier was raised in the district of Champigny-sur-Marne and was born in into a Catholic household with observant parents. After graduating highschool, he would attend Avignon University to pursue a religious education and would later pursue a position in the Catholic Church as a member of the clergy. In 1920, he would be promoted to the rank of cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. During his tenure as a cardinal, Teyssier would see the Vatican struggle with the political tension between the Catholic Church and the Landonist government of Italy, falling into conflict with Italian leader Benito Mussolini and the Socialist Party of Italy. These conflicts would culminate in Piux XI's decision to sign the Lateran Treaty with the Italian government and later state his support for having the Catholic Church endorse Christian socialism and Landonism as inline with the teachings of Jesus. Said actions were opposed by Teyssier who successfully organized likeminded members of the College of Cardinals into rallying behind him in opposing the decision. By 1934, the Second Western Schism would emerge and he would later become the head of the Council of Avignon which formally established the Avignonese Catholic Church as an established religious institution and Christian denomination and would later become the founder and first leader of the Sovereign Patriarchate of Avignon in opposition to the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church.

After establishing the church, Teyssier would be declared the first pope of Avignon and would be christened Damasus III as his papal name. An ardent anti-Landonist, Damasus III would issue a decree against Rome where he denounced it as an illegitimate institution and denomination that committed heresy by supporting socialism and would proclaim the Avignon papacy the true claiment to the papacy. Damasus would align the Avignonese state with likeminded governments in countries such as Germany, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom and most countries in Anglo-America outside of the United Commonwealth and its allies. Damasus spent the Post-war period growing the Avignonese Church's influence, opposing the Church in Rome, and gaining support from other Catholic churches and bodies worldwide. While largely opposed to Landonism, Damasus III opposed derzhavism as well along with other non-communist authoritarian governments such as the regime of the German Fatherland Party and the derzhavist states of the French Fourth Republic, Derzhavist Russia and the Empire of Japan from before the Cold War.

Damasus III died on 28 September 1956 at the age of 79 having died from a stroke. In the decades since his death, Damasus III has become a contentious figure with mixed and varying opinions. For many, he is praised for leading the anti-Landonist wing of the Catholic Church in opposing the Lateran Treaty and later the Second Vatican Council in a move that has been seen as an act to preserve Catholic theology. His opposition towards Landonism and socialism has made him a hero amongst global anti-communist and conservative movements as well. Critics have challenged his view, claiming his move to break off pernamently damaged the Catholic Church and faith while others have claimed that he promoted reactionary politics.

Second Western Schism

Further information: Second Western Schism

Council of Avignon

Main article: Council of Avignon

Theology

Main article: Theology of Pope Damasus III

Social teachings

See also: Avignonese Catholic social teaching

See also

• Second Western Schism
• List of popes
• Council of Avignon