Pope Anacletus
Encyclopedia
Pope Saint Anacletus also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope
(after St. Peter
and St. Linus
).
The February 14, 1961 Instruction of the Congregation for Rites on the application to local calendars of Pope John XXIII
's motu proprio
Rubricarum instructum of July 25, 1960 decreed that "the feast of 'Saint Anacletus', on whatever ground and in whatever grade it is celebrated, is transferred to April 26, under its right name, 'Saint Cletus'. The Roman Martyrology
mentions the Pope in question only under the name of "Cletus". The Annuario Pontificio
gives both forms, as alternatives. Eusebius, Saint Irenaeus
, Saint Augustine
and Optatus all suggest that both names refer to the same individual. On the other hand, the Liberian Catalogue
and the Liber Pontificalis
both state that Anacletus and Cletus are two different persons.
The name "Cletus" in Ancient Greek
means "one who has been called", and "Anacletus" means "one who has been called back".
St Cletus/Anacletus was traditionally said to have been a Roman, and to have been pope for twelve years. The Annuario Pontificio states: "For the first two centuries, the dates of the start and the end of the pontificate are uncertain." It gives the years 80 to 92 as the reign of Pope Cletus/Anacletus. Other sources give the years 77 to 88.
Tradition has it that this Pope divided Rome into twenty-five parish
es. One of the few surviving records concerning his papacy mentions him as having ordained an uncertain number of priest
s.
He was buried next to his predecessor, Saint Linus
, in St. Peter's Basilica
, in what is now Vatican City
. His name (as Cletus) is included in the Roman Canon of the Mass
.
The Tridentine Calendar
had on April 26 the feast day of Saint Cletus, honoured jointly with Saint Marcellinus
, and on July 13 the feast day of Saint Anacletus. In 1960, Pope John XXIII
, while keeping the April 26 feast, which mentions the saint under the name given him in the Canon of the Mass, removed that of July 13. Use of this 1960 calendar, which is included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal
, continues to be authorized under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
; but the feast has been removed from the General Roman Calendar since 1969. Although the day of his death is unknown, Saint Cletus continues to be listed in the Roman Martyrology
among the saints of April 26.
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
(after St. Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and St. Linus
Pope Linus
Pope Saint Linus was, according to several early sources, Bishop of the diocese of Rome after Saint Peter. This makes Linus the second Pope. According to other early sources Pope Clement I was the Pope after Peter...
).
The February 14, 1961 Instruction of the Congregation for Rites on the application to local calendars of Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
's motu proprio
Motu proprio
A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....
Rubricarum instructum of July 25, 1960 decreed that "the feast of 'Saint Anacletus', on whatever ground and in whatever grade it is celebrated, is transferred to April 26, under its right name, 'Saint Cletus'. The Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
mentions the Pope in question only under the name of "Cletus". The Annuario Pontificio
Annuario Pontificio
The Annuario Pontificio is the annual directory of the Holy See. It lists all the popes to date and all officials of the Holy See's departments...
gives both forms, as alternatives. Eusebius, Saint Irenaeus
Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
, Saint Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
and Optatus all suggest that both names refer to the same individual. On the other hand, the Liberian Catalogue
Liberian Catalogue
In compiling the history of the Early Christian Church, the Liberian Catalogue , which was part of the illuminated manuscript known as the Chronography of 354, is an essential document, for it consists of a list of the popes, designated bishops of Rome, ending with Pope Liberius , hence its name...
and the Liber Pontificalis
Liber Pontificalis
The Liber Pontificalis is a book of biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the Liber Pontificalis stopped with Pope Adrian II or Pope Stephen V , but it was later supplemented in a different style until Pope Eugene IV and then Pope Pius II...
both state that Anacletus and Cletus are two different persons.
The name "Cletus" in Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
means "one who has been called", and "Anacletus" means "one who has been called back".
St Cletus/Anacletus was traditionally said to have been a Roman, and to have been pope for twelve years. The Annuario Pontificio states: "For the first two centuries, the dates of the start and the end of the pontificate are uncertain." It gives the years 80 to 92 as the reign of Pope Cletus/Anacletus. Other sources give the years 77 to 88.
Tradition has it that this Pope divided Rome into twenty-five parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es. One of the few surviving records concerning his papacy mentions him as having ordained an uncertain number of priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s.
He was buried next to his predecessor, Saint Linus
Pope Linus
Pope Saint Linus was, according to several early sources, Bishop of the diocese of Rome after Saint Peter. This makes Linus the second Pope. According to other early sources Pope Clement I was the Pope after Peter...
, in St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
, in what is now Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. His name (as Cletus) is included in the Roman Canon of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
.
The Tridentine Calendar
Tridentine Calendar
The Tridentine Calendar is the calendar of saints to be honoured in the course of the liturgical year in the official liturgy of the Roman Rite as reformed by Pope Pius V, implementing a decision of the Council of Trent, which entrusted the task to the Pope....
had on April 26 the feast day of Saint Cletus, honoured jointly with Saint Marcellinus
Pope Marcellinus
Pope Saint Marcellinus, according to the Liberian Catalogue, became bishop of Rome on June 30, 296; his predecessor was Pope St CaiusMarcellinus’ pontificate began at a time when Diocletian was Roman Emperor, but had not yet started to persecute the Christians. He left Christianity rather free and...
, and on July 13 the feast day of Saint Anacletus. In 1960, Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, while keeping the April 26 feast, which mentions the saint under the name given him in the Canon of the Mass, removed that of July 13. Use of this 1960 calendar, which is included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
, continues to be authorized under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
; but the feast has been removed from the General Roman Calendar since 1969. Although the day of his death is unknown, Saint Cletus continues to be listed in the Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
among the saints of April 26.
Sources
- Donald Attwater and Catherine Rachel John, The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, 3rd edition, New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.
- Louise Ropes Loomis, The Book of Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 1-889758-86-8 (Reprint of the 1916 edition. (Ends with Pope PelagiusPope PelagiusPope Pelagius has been the papal name of two popes of the Roman Catholic Church.*Pope Pelagius I *Pope Pelagius II...
, who reigned from 579 until 590. English translation with scholarly footnotes, and illustrations). - Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes, (Harper, 2000). ISBN 0-06-065304-3
External links
- Writings attributed to Pope Anacletus/Cletus
- The Society of Pope Saint Anacletus, an Independent Catholic association in the United States