Theodoros 70 was bishop of Katana (in Sicily); in 787 he attended the Second Council of Nikaia (the Seventh Ecumenical Council) and was probably present at all eight sessions, from 24 September to 23 November 787: Mansi XII 994-XIII 486. In the lists of those present at the first and seventh sessions he is styled Θεοδώρου ἐπισκόπου Κατάνης: Mansi XII 994, XIII 365. Elsewhere he is styled Θεόδωρος ὁ εὐλαβέστατος ἐπίσκοπος Κατάνης τῆς τῶν Σικέλων ἐκκλησίας or similar: Mansi XII 1022, XII 1031, XII 1038, XII 1075, XII 1094, XII 1151, XIII 9-12, XIII 20, XIII 80 (the Greek version here calls him Theodosios; the Latin version, at XIII 79, has "Theodorus"), XIII 140, XIII 172, XIII 188, XIII 384.

Before the Council (in 785) he and Leo 63 had been sent by the strategos of Sicily (Theodoros 13) to Rome, on imperial orders, taking a letter containing a statement of the emperor's faith to the pope, Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1); he then travelled to Constantinople with Petros 27 and Petros 28, the representatives of the pope (the date was late in 785, since the papal letter to the emperors was dated 26 October 785 ("VII Kalendas Novembris"), see Mansi XII 1076), and he presumably attended the abortive council summoned at Constantinople in late July 786); at the second session of the Council he mentioned this and confirmed that letters brought from Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1) to the emperor and the patriarch Tarasios 1 were genuine: Mansi XII 1075-1078. During the first session he intervened on several occasions in the debate on heretics, twice wondering how canons relating to other heresies were relevant to iconoclasts: Mansi XII 1022, XII 1031, XII 1038.

At the second session he spoke in support of the traditional veneration of icons as described in statements from pope Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1) and condemned iconoclasts: Mansi XII 1094 (describing himself as πάσης ὀρθοδοξίας ἔμπλεων). At the third session, during the debate on readmitting Gregorios of Neokaisareia (Gregorios 38), Theodoros 70 asserted that the Council should obey the canons and he also cited, with his colleagues from Sicily, the decision of the Fourth Ecumenical Council not to readmit Dioscorus because he had been convicted of using violence against the innocent, a charge made against Gregorios 38: Mansi XII 1115. Later he accepted as orthodox the statements of the faith contained in the letter from Tarasios 1 to the eastern patriarchs and in their reply, both read out to the Council; he also condemned the iconoclasts and their supposed seventh ecumenical council and anathematised them: Mansi XII 1151. At the fourth session he made comments on several occasions during the discussion of passages from the Fathers: Mansi XIII 9-12 (on Gregory of Nyssa's response to a picture of Abraham), XIII 20 (the evidence of Asterios of Amaseia proved that the veneration of icons was in accord with the teachings of the Fathers), XIII 80 (he produced a codex containing a sermon of Saint Basil). Later in this session he subscribed the statements read out from the Fathers in support of the veneration of icons: Mansi XIII 140 (he describes himself as a lover of Truth and a devoted follower of the teachings of the Holy Fathers).

At the fifth session he described the so-called Itineraries of the Apostles as the book which ruined the dress of the Church: Mansi XIII 172. He described iconoclasts as counterfeiters of the Truth deserving anathema; those whom they had anathematised deserved applause: Mansi XIII 188-189. At the seventh session he subscribed the statement of the faith adopted by the Council: Mansi XIII 384.

Probably identical with Theodoros, bishop of Katana, owner of a seal dateable to the late eighth century: Laurent, Corpus V 1, no. 894 = Libertini, "Bolle bizantini", pp. 50-52. Obv.: invocative monogram of Θεοτόκε βοήθει with the legend τω - σω - δου - λω. Rev.: +Θεοδ - ωρω επι - σκ(ο)π(ω) Κατ - αν(ης). On the status of his see, see Laurent, op. cit., p. 702, note.

He is further attested in August 784; see F. Dölger, Regesten der Kaiserurkunden des oströmischen Reiches von 565-1453 (Munich, 1924-1965), I, n. 341.

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