Some time ago, I asked what to do with over 20 pages of findings, which are essentially notes I took while reading about history, documents, papal bulls, doctrines, conversations, conspiracies, leadership lessons, and much more. And so, here I am. To clarify, the religion I profess is Catholicism, and this exercise began out of curiosity and led me down the rabbit hole. Even now, as I write this, I continue learning about historical documents. Final clarification: this is not a historical apology, nor does it aim to defend or condemn any side. These writings are intended to analyze the Popes and their main contributions (both good and/or bad) to modern history. These are lessons I drew as I read, so I also hope for your input in the comments to further this conversation.
Let’s start from the beginning. What is a Pope?
The Pope is the highest authority of the Roman Catholic Church, which, according to historical records, has been succeeding one another since Peter the Apostle. Currently, Pope Francis holds a direct line of succession tied to the apostles of Jesus. The Papacy can be divided into three different categories:
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It is a service: The Papacy is a call to gather, administer, and watch over the Universal Church of God (hence the name Catholic, which means universal). In the name of the Trinity, a Tradition was built, which, once settled over centuries, became customs that changed over time.
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He is the Bishop of Rome: As Bishop of Rome and Supreme Head of the College of Cardinals, the Pope is the highest theological authority in the Catholic Church. Although he has an administrative, operational, and ecclesial body that provides advice and issues documents, in case of controversy or seeking consensus, it is the Pope who has the final word on theological matters, though not on administrative or political ones.
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He is the Head of State: For nearly 1,600 years, through ups and downs, the Popes wielded unmatched political power in Europe, leveraging their position and direct succession from the ecclesial organization left by Peter and Paul. In modern history, this is the role that has caused the most controversy, and for good reason.
So, with all this in mind, let’s begin with Popes 1 to 20. These Popes stood out for organizing the Church during a time when emperors were hostile toward Christians. At the same time, they began to combat strong heresies that would prove fatal for Christians, but not for the faith and doctrine they professed.
Popes 1 to 20: The Early Ones
- Peter and Paul
- Linus
- Anacletus
- Clement
- Evaristus
- Alexander
- Sixtus
- Telesphorus
- Hyginus
- Pius
These early Popes dedicated the first century of the Church to organizing Christian communities. Everything was about structure and organization, as frequent and constant persecution prevented them from building temples or conducting rites. These Popes used letters as their primary means of communication with everyone.
- Anicetus [155-166] – This Pope is known for initiating ecclesiastical organization.
- Soter [166-174] – He fostered communion among Christians to mitigate the persecutions of those days.
- Eleutherius [174-189] – A friend of Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon. Under this Pope, the first catechism and theology schools were organized, aiming to structure Christian teachings and distance them from heresies1. Main heresies: Marcionism, Montanism, and Valentianism.
- Victor [189-198] – With the growth of Christian communities and the rise of people teaching non-Christian or mixed Christian doctrines, excommunication began to be used as a tool of separation, with prior notification to the communities. This Pope left two strong legacies in history: first, he adopted Latin as the main language of the Church, and second, he rejected the idea that a human could be chosen by God (adopted) to exercise power, like monarchs. Decisions started being made more frequently from Rome under his reign.
- Zephyrinus [198-217] – This Pope was quite interesting; although he did not have a formal theological background, he faced many criticisms from all sides. He carried the consequences of his predecessor, who was accused of wanting to be both King and God. His main legacy was his fight against heresies, including Marcionism, Montanism, Valentianism, and Theodotionism.
- Callixtus I [217-222] – This Pope was a slave freed by the family of Emperor Commodus. Historically, it’s known that Marcia, Commodus’ wife, held him in high esteem. He initiated Christological debates, focusing on the figure of Christ, and invited everyone, regardless of social status, to reintegrate with the faith. His main battle was against Sabellians in matters of heresy.
- Urban I [222-230] – I found nothing particularly interesting about him.
- Pontian [230-235] – He faced arbitrary political and theological persecutions in Roman territory, renounced the papacy, and died as a martyr. His main legacy was the use of "Dominus vobiscum" ("The Lord be with you") and the incorporation of psalms in the masses.
- Anterus [235-236] – He reigned for 40 days and ordered the compilation of the acts of martyrs.
- Fabian [236-250] – To increase the Church's outreach and protection of its followers, he improved its structure. By this point, the Church had hundreds of thousands of members, mostly deacons and laypeople. A dark period followed: Emperor Decius, early in his reign, declared Christians the direct cause of the Empire's troubles, leading to horrific persecution, torture, and the death of hundreds, including the Pope. Many Christians, unwilling to die, became pagans, raising a theological question: If you convert to paganism to avoid death, can you return to Christianity?
We'll continue in the next chapter...
Footnotes
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Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. ↩