Arnold Smeets: Preparing for the Papacy. The Experience of Gregory the Great as Deacon of Rome and His Views on the Diaconate.

In his career, Gregory the Great not only reached the top of the civic but also that of the ecclesiastical cursus honorum. From the day he retired to the monastery in his ancestral home, he was – and certainly with hindsight – preparing himself for the papacy. The choice of the patron saint of his monastery (saint Andrew), might be read as a sign his conversion was not a withdrawal from deep felt responsibilities for the world.His ordination as deacon was a first step in the ecclesiastical cursus, and one which would lead him again to the summit of power and politics.Was his ecclesial career (monk, deacon, bishop) a normal one? What was his duty and what were his actions as deacon? Is there a link between his experience as deacon & his papacy and his views on deacons and the diaconate?I propose to explore these questions in my paper, reading (some of) his letters, written as deacon and written to deacons, and sketching the main themes of his pontificate.(Part of the workshop: Deacons and Diakonia: New Perspectives on the Function and Impact of Deacons in the Early Church.Prof. Dr. Bart J. Koet, Tilburg School of Catholic Theology, convener).