After Pope John XII broke his oath of allegiance to Emperor Otto I, the monarch marched into Rome and convoked a council on November 6, 963, which the pontiff, who had escaped the city, did not attend. The synod, celebrated in St. Peter's basilica, was attended by fifty Italian and German bishops; the pope was accused of sacrilege, simony, perjury, murder, adultery, and incest, and was summoned in writing to defend himself; the pontiff refused to recognize the synod and pronounced sentence of excommunication against all participating in the assembly if they elected another pope in his place. The emperor accused the pope of breaking the agreement between him and the pontiff, which had been ratified by oath, and of betraying him. With consent from Emperor Otto I, the synod deposed Pope John XII on December 4, 963, and elected protoscriniarius Leo, who took the name Leo VIII, to replace Pope John XII. Leo received all the lesser sacred orders, up to the priesthood, in one day, which was uncanonical. This council is considered illegitimate because it was not convoked by the pope.

ab Italia: Ingelfredo Aquilegensi patriarcha, quem in eadem urbe languor repente, ut fit, ortus arripuerat, Rodalfus diaconus Waldpertus Mediolanensis Petrus Ravennas a Saxonia: Adeltac archiepiscopus, et Landohardus episcopus Mimendensis a Francia: Otkerius episcopus Spirensis ab Italia: Hupertus Parmensisc, Liudprandus Cremonensis, Hermenaldus Regensis a Tuscia: Cuonradus Luccensis, Everarius Aritiensis, Pisanus, Seniensis, Florentius, Pestruensis, Petrus Camerinensis, Spoletinus a Romanis: Gregorius Albanensis, Sico Hostiensis, Benedictus Portuensis, Lucidus Gavensis, Theophilactus Praenestinus, Wido Silvae candidae, Leo Veletrinensis, Sico Bledensis, Stephanus Cerensis, Iohannes Nepesinus, Iohannes Tiburtinus, Iohannes Forocludensis, Romanus Feretinensis, Iohannes Normensis, Iohannes Berulensis, Marinus Sutrinus, Iohannes Narniensis, Iohannes Sabiniensis, Iohannes Gallasensis, Falarensis, Alatrinensis, Ortanus, Iohannes Anagniensis, Trebensis, Sabbatinus Terracinensis, Stephanus cardinalis archipresbiter tituli [Nerei et Achillei], Leo presbiter tituli Balbinae, Dominicus tituli Anastasiae, Petrus tituli Damasi, Theophilactus tituli Chrisogoni, Iohannes tituli Equitii, Iohannes tituli Susannae, Petrus tituli Pamachii, Adrianus, tituli Calixti, Iohannes tituli Cæciliæ, Adrianus tituli Lucinae, Benedictus tituli Sixti, [Theophilactus] tituli sanctorum IIII Coronatorum, Stephanus tituli Sabinæ, Benedictus cardinalis archidiaconus, Iohannes diaconus, Bonofilius diaconus cardinalis, primicerius, Georgius secundicerius, Stephanus amminiculator, Andreas arcarius, Sergius primicerius defensorum, Iohannes sacellarius, Stephanus, Theophilactus, Adrianus, Stephanus, Benedictus, Azo, Adrianus, Azo, Benedictus, Demetrius, Iohannes, Amicus, Sergius, Benedictus, Urso, Iohannes, Benedictus subdiaconus, subplementarius, et Stephanus archiacolitus cum omnibus acolitis et regionariis; ex primatibus Romanae civitatis: Stephanus filius Iohannis superista, Demetrius Meliosi, Crescentius Caballi marmorei, Iohannes cognomento Mizina, Stephanus de Imiza, Theodorus de Rufina, Iohannes de Primicerio, Leo de Cazunuli, Richardus, Petrus de Canaparia, Benedictus cum Bulgamino filio suo; ex plebe Petrus, qui et Imperiola est dictus, adstitit cum omni Romanorum militia.

Sources: Liudprand, Bishop of Cremona, d. ca. 972. The complete works of Liudprand of Cremona. Translated with an introduction and notes by Paolo Squatriti. Washington, D.C. : Catholic University of America Press, 2007. (Medieval texts in translation; Variation: Medieval texts in translation), p. 226; Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH). Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi (SS rer. Germ.), [41] (Die Werke Liudprands von Cremona), Die historia Ottonis, pp. 165-166.

©1998-2018 Salvador Miranda.