Yohannan VIII Hormizd
Meanwhile, the Vatican reconsidered the condemnation of Yohannan Hormizd in the light of fresh information, and on 25 November 1826 publicly absolved him. At the same time, to restore the peace of the Chaldean Church, it urged the 66-year-old former patriarchal administrator to renounce his claims to the archdiocese of Mosul and to retire quietly. Yohannan, vindicated by the Vatican's absolution and supported by the local civil authorities, stubbornly refused to retire. Instead, he fought back against his opponents. In 1827, during the absence of the superior Gabriel Dambo in Rome, a number of monks in the monastery of Rabban Hormizd rebelled against its administrator Yohannan Gwera, who enjoyed the support of the metropolitan Joseph Audo. Yohannan Hormizd upheld the rebels, and was also able to have Basil Asmar expelled from Telkepe, forcing him to take refuge in Amid.
Sasanian civil war of 589-591
Hormizd also declined the requests of the Zoroastrian priesthood to persecute the Christians. He did not like the Zoroastrian priesthood, and therefore killed a great deal of them, including the chief priest ("mowbed") himself. Furthermore, Hormizd greatly reduced the payment of the military by 10 percent and massacred many powerful and prominent members of the elite, including the famous Karenid "vizier" of his father, Bozorgmehr, the latter's brother Simah-i Burzin; the Mihranid Izadgushasp; the "spahbed" ("army chief") Bahram-i Mah Adhar, and the Ispahbudhan Shapur, who was the father of Vistahm and Vinduyih. According to the medieval Persian historian al-Tabari, Hormizd is said to have ordered the death of 13,600 nobles and religious members.