Saint Leo I, also known as Pope Leo I, was born in Italy to devout parents. He started his career as a deacon under Pope Sixtus III, and after his death, he was reluctantly raised to the throne of the Roman Catholic Church. When Attila of the Huns approached Rome and was preparing to destroy the city, Leo appeared before him in his archbishop’s attire, and he managed to calm the anger of the Hun leader and save the city from ruin.
The advice of the holy man influenced Attila, but the vision of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, who stood beside Leo with flaming swords, frightened him even more. This pope not only saved Rome but also helped protect Orthodoxy from the Eutychian and Dioscorian heresy that denied the two natures of Christ in one person, resulting in the rejection of the divine and human wills in the person of the Savior.
Thus, the Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in Chalcedon, where the message of Pope Leo was read, written and then placed on the tomb of Saint Peter. Saint Peter corrected the letter before the council, which was attended by almost 600 bishops.
Forty days before his death, Leo spent his time in fasting and prayer at the tomb of the Apostle Peter, praying for the forgiveness of his sins. Peter appeared to him, telling him that all his sins are forgiven, except the sins of ordaining priests improperly. The saint began to pray again until he was informed that even those sins had been forgiven. Then he peacefully gave his soul to the Lord. Saint Leo passed away in 461 AD.
