Editing Pope Theodore II (section)

==Papacy==
Theodore II was elected to succeed the deposed Romanus as [[pope]]. The exact dates of Theodore II's pontificate are unknown, but modern sources generally agree that he was pope for twenty days during December 897.<ref name="mann"/><ref name="kw115"/> [[Flodoard]], a tenth-century French chronicler, only credited Theodore with a twelve-day reign,<ref>Gregorovius (2010), p. 230.</ref> while in his history of the popes, [[Alexis-François Artaud de Montor]] listed Theodore's reign as being twenty days, from 12 February to 3 March 898.<ref>Artaud De Montor (1911), pp. 119–20.</ref>

Like Romanus, Theodore was a supporter of Formosus. Some historians believe that Romanus had been deposed because he had not acted to restore Formosus' honour quickly enough, though others suggest that he was removed by supporters of Stephen VI. In either case, Theodore immediately threw himself into the task of undoing the Cadaver Synod. He called his own synod, which annulled the rulings set out by Stephen VI. In so doing, he restored the acts and ordinations of Formosus, including the restoration of a large number of clergy and bishops to their offices.<ref name="kw115"/> Theodore also ordered Formosus' body to be recovered from the harbour of [[Portus]], where it had been secretly buried, and restored to the original grave at [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]].<ref name="kw115"/> Like Romanus before him, Theodore bestowed a [[Privilege (canon law)|privilege]] upon the [[Patriarch of Grado|See of Grado]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stsmarthaandmary.org/popes/Theodore%20II.htm |title=Theodore II – A 20 Day Reign |publisher=Sts. Martha and Mary Parish, Mississauga |date=3 December 2006 |access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref> and had a coin minted, bearing the name of Lambert on the obverse, and "[[Scs. Petrus]]" and "Thedr." on the reverse.<ref name="mann"/>

Flodoard cast Theodore in a positive light, describing him as "beloved of the clergy, a friend of peace, temperate, chaste, affable and a great lover of the poor."<ref name="mann"/> He died in office, though the cause of his death is unknown.<ref name="kw115"/> Because of this, some writers, such as Wendy Reardon,<ref name="reardon">Reardon (2004), p. 68.</ref> suggest the possibility of foul play.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.spirituality.org/is/248/pope_115.asp| title = "The 115th Pope", ''Spirituality.org'', Diocese of Bridgeport}}</ref> Horace Kinder Mann offers a different suggestion in his papal history, noting that it is possible that popes who were "infirm or even older than [...] their predecessors" might have been elected intentionally.<ref name="mann"/> Theodore was buried at St. Peter's Basilica, but [[List of non-extant papal tombs|his tomb was destroyed]] during the demolition of the old basilica in the seventeenth century.<ref name="reardon"/>