Pope Callistus III re-examined and acquitted Joan of Arc, who was burned to death in 1431.
Christopher Francis – Vatican
After the bookish Pope Nicholas V died on the night between 24th and 25th March 1455, Callistus III was elected Pope in April. Alfonso de Borgia, who was born on December 31, 1378, near Valencia, Spain, was the patriarch who later led the monastery. After completing his studies, he expressed his support to the anti-Pope Benedict XIII. But when King Alfonso V of Aragon in northeastern Spain accepted the true Pope Martin V, Alfonso de Borgia not only came under Pope Martin, but also compared him to Pope Martin V by talking to the antipope Clement VIII who came in the way of Antipope Benedict XIII.
Born from an aristocratic family, Borgia was appointed Bishop of Valencia in 1429 by Pope Martin V. In 1444, Alfonso de Borgia was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Eugene IV. He was so popular as a cardinal that there was widespread speculation and anticipation that he would be the next pope. Following the death of Pope Nicholas V on 25 March 1455, Alfonso Borgia was elected on 8 April and took the name Callistus III. When he became Pope in 1455, his first task was to unite the Christian nations of Europe and fight against Turkish aggression. Already in 1453, Mohammed II had conquered Constantinople. Pope Callistus III sent his emissaries to every European country to unite against the Islamic invasion. He sent representatives to England, France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, and Aragon to collect volunteers for the crusade.
Not only that, he also sent bishops to educate the people about this and to collect funds for the crusades from the people through taxes. At the same time, he asked the faithful to pray for the Christian warriors fighting against the Islamic invasion of Europe. He also requested that the temple bells should be rung at 12 noon in all the temples to remember this. However, the feelings of enmity that continued to exist among the European kings and the resistance of some bishops to collect taxes from the people made the Pope’s dream unfulfilled.
The German King Frederick III, who had animosity towards King Ladislaus of Hungary, held back from supporting the Crusades, thinking that Hungary would be the first to be defended by the war. England and France, who were at war with each other, did not offer their soldiers for the crusade. The Italian government of Genoa sent a fleet against the Muslims, but the fleet was destroyed by its enemy, Aragon. The country of Portugal, depressed after seeing everything, took back the warship that it had already sent. But the tireless efforts of Pope Callistus III were not in vain. Under the leadership of Hunyady, the papal representative Carvajal, and accompanied by the rousing words of St. John Capistran, the crusaders defeated the Islamic forces in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, near Hungary. This is what the Pope was waiting for. This victory was proclaimed by the Pope’s representatives in all the courts of Europe. Everyone there clapped and cheered and did not offer any cooperation or help. Hunyady died of fever shortly after his victory against Muhammad II, and the crusaders were at a loss to find an equal leader.
Realizing the necessity of creating unity and removing the enmities between nations, the Pope tried to do as much peace work as he could. But the monarchs failed to take seriously that the European continent was threatened by the aggressive attempts of the Turks. Their first task was to address the problems within and between countries. Only Albania offered to provide some assistance. Meanwhile, the false accusation was made that the Pope wanted to seize Naples and give it to his cousin. The evidence was also given. For the Pope, who had declared two of his close relatives as cardinals, had appointed another also administrator of the castle of Castel tal Angelo. Not only that, he also gave him the title of Duke of Spoleto. This led to the accusation that the Pope wanted to make that relative the administrator of Naples. We should also mention here that one of the relatives who was declared a cardinal by him, Rodrigo the Younger, later became Pope Alexander VI. Thus, Pope Callistus III was accused of partiality and had to remain silent.
Here we have to convey an important message. On May 30, 1431, Pope Callistus III re-investigated the case of Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake, and declared her innocent. Although he was not as interested in literature as his predecessors, especially Pope Nicholas V, he also collected some precious artefacts of his own. Pope Callistus III died in Rome on August 6, 1458. Pope Callistus III was succeeded by Pope Pius II.