Pope Innocent I
Pope Innocent I (died 12 March 417) was bishop of Rome from December 401 until his death, succeeding Anastasius I amid the declining Western Roman Empire.[1] Little is known of his origins beyond likely Roman birth and deaconate service, with no recorded birth date.[1] His pontificate emphasized Roman ecclesiastical primacy through arbitral interventions in regional disputes, including confirmations of church privileges in Milan, Capua, and Ravenna.[1] Innocent corresponded extensively with bishops across Gaul, Africa, Britain, and the East, asserting appellate jurisdiction to Rome for doctrinal and disciplinary matters, as in his letter to Victricius of Rouen upholding metropolitan election procedures.[1] He initially supported Eastern patriarch John Chrysostom against Alexandrian opposition, dispatching legates to investigate, though later pragmatically accepted his deposition to preserve relations with Emperor Arcadius.[1] During the Visigothic sack of Rome in 410, Innocent was in Ravenna negotiating imperial aid from Honorius, later permitting Alaric's burial rites under church auspices while condemning pagan accusations against Christians.[1] His letters, preserved in collections like those to Decentius of Gubbio on liturgical practices, reflect a focus on canonical uniformity and Roman oversight amid barbarian incursions.[1]