Damasus was pope from 366 to 384. The Liber Pontificalis calls him spanus. If this meant he was Hispanic, the claim is not backed by other sources; some suggest he was actually of Roman origin.
He was the son of a cleric named Antonio and served as a deacon in the Roman clergy. At first, he supported the antipope Felix, breaking the oath of loyalty he had sworn to Pope Liberius, though he later reconciled with him. But when Liberius died, Damasus was not chosen by his party; instead, a man named Ursinus was elected, while Damasus was chosen by the followers of Felix, who were more numerous. To secure his position, Damasus used extreme violence—calling on circus charioteers and thugs to storm the basilicas where Ursinus’ supporters gathered, leaving the floors littered with bodies. The Roman prefect, weak and indecisive, backed off, and, as so often happened, the emperors sided with the stronger faction to “restore order.” It’s no surprise that Ursinus and his followers, once exiled, resisted, and even bishops from Italy disapproved of Damasus’ actions, pointing out how little they resembled the behavior of a Christian pastor—let alone the supreme pastor.
His opponents, including a Jewish convert named Isaac, accused him of adultery and even murder (it’s not clear whether these were two separate charges or one). Damasus had to defend himself before the emperor, and he was acquitted.
Once he had secured the papacy, he reacted harshly against the Arians, whom the Ursinian party had turned to for support. Saint Athanasius, however, was surprised that Damasus treated heretics unevenly; for example, Auxentius, an Arian bishop, was tolerated in Milan. Supporters of the bishop Lucifer of Cagliari were treated so brutally by Damasus’ clergy that one even died from the abuse. The pope also acted against the Donatists and Priscillianists.
During the Antiochene or Meletian schism, Damasus sided with Paulinus (consecrated by Lucifer of Cagliari) rather than with the legitimate bishop of Antioch, Saint Meletius, who was supported by the Eastern bishops (except the Egyptians), especially by Saint Basil. Basil, a wise and balanced man, even called Damasus arrogant and proud.
In his dealings with the East, Damasus took an authoritarian approach. He also tried to gain more civil authority with the help of the emperors, though with limited success.
On the positive side, Damasus had a deep concern for Scripture: he asked Saint Jerome to revise the Latin text of the Bible and to prepare new translations, which became one of his most important legacies. He also had a strong devotion to the martyrs, whom he honored with beautiful poems. These epigrams were engraved on stone tablets by the famous calligrapher Furius Dionysius Filocalus, leaving a lasting mark on Christian art and writing.
According to Saint Jerome, Damasus died close to the age of eighty. He was buried on the Via Ardeatina, and later his remains were moved to the church of San Lorenzo in Damaso. His cult as a saint did not spread until the 11th century.
