Today in Religion – Saint Celestine V

In 1294, Saint Celestine V abdicated the papacy after only five months. Born in 1215, named Pietro del Murrone, Saint Celestine V decided to become a hermit in his quest for salvation. Many people heard of him and started a following. They called themselves Celestines, eventually joining the Benedictine Order.

In the summer of 1294, the Cardinals voted Pietro to the papacy and he took the name Celestine V. Not trusting the Cardinals and feeling distracted from his quest of salvation, Celestine V did something never done before. He abdicated, hoping to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit. Only the Cardinals feared the legality of the abdication and kept Celestine V under observation until he died.