Severinus Pope, 640

Honorius the First died on October 12, 638, and was buried in S. Peter's. The Romans chose their fellow-citizen Severinus, the son of Labienus, as his successor. The election was not, however, ratified for more than a year, apparently on account of the refusal of the Pope-elect to sign the Ecthesis of the Patriarch Sergius, a formula favourable to Monothelism.

The Exarch robs the ecclesiastical treasury

Meanwhile, before the ordination had taken place, the Imperial officials had laid violent hands on the ecclesiastical treasury. The Vestiarium of the episcopal palace contained not only the numerous offerings with which Emperors, consuls, and private persons had endowed it, but also the money out of which, among other current expenses, the ransoms of prisoners of war and the alms to the poor were defrayed. It was reported that Honorius had accumulated wealth incalculable, and the magnificence of his buildings lends strength to the statement. The Exarch found himself in grievous straits; the Imperial troops demanded their pay, and Isaac conceived the desperate thought of seizing the ecclesiastical wealth. The Chartular Maurice was now in Rome, perhaps in the capacity of Magister Militum, or commanding officer of the Roman army.