The Popes: From St. Peter to Present (Cont.)

3rd Century

Supreme Pontiff

Detail 

(dates*, ages, prior name, feast, comment/attributes, etc.)

16. St. Callistus (Calixtus) I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: 217

End of Reign: 222

Date of Death: 222

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Approx. 5 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): October 14

Martyr; Condemned heresies, dealt with the first antipope (Hippolytus).

17. St. Urban I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: 222

End of Reign: 230

Date of Death: 230

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Approx. 8 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): May 25

Martyr; Credited with insistence on making the sacred vessels out of precious metal.

18. St. Pontian

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: July 21, 230

End of Reign: September 28, 235

Date of Death: c. 235-236

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 5 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): August 13 (November 19, Trad.)

First pope to abdicate (due to exile), reconciled with St. Hippolytus.

19. St. Anterus

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: November 21, 235

End of Reign: January 3, 236

Date of Death: January 3, 236

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: 43 days

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): January 3

Martyr; Fought heresy, wrote many epistles. First pope to have a short reign.

20. St. Fabian

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: January 10, 236

End of Reign: January 20, 250

Date of Death: January 20, 250

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Just over 14 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): January 20

Martyr; Chosen pope after a dove landed on him (it was considered a divine sign), divided Rome into seven districts.

21. St. Cornelius

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: March 251

End of Reign: June 253

Date of Death: June 253

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 2 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): September 16

Martyr; Allowed lapsi (those who succumbed under persecution) to be readmitted to the Church after penance. He was opposed by the antipope Novatian.

22. St. Lucius I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: June 25, 253

End of Reign: March 5, 254

Date of Death: March 5, 254

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Almost 9 months

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): March 4

Martyr; Opposed antipope Novatian, was exiled.

23. St. Stephen I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: May 12, 254

End of Reign: August 2, 257

Date of Death: August 2, 257

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 3 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): August 2

Martyr; Ruled concerning baptism by heretics (valid baptism may not be repeated).

24. St. Sixtus (Xystus) II

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: August 30, 257

End of Reign: August 6, 258

Date of Death: August 6, 258

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Just under 1 year

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): August 6/7

Martyr; Courageously entered catacomb (risking his life), predicted deacon's death.

25. St. Dionysius

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: July 22, 259/260

End of Reign: December 26, 268

Date of Death: December 26, 268

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Approx. 8-9 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): December 26

Fought heresy, rebuilt Church after persecution. First pope not listed as a martyr.

26. St. Felix I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: January 3/5, 269

End of Reign: December 30, 274

Date of Death: December 30, 274

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Just under 6 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): May 30

Fought heresy, ordered the existing custom of celebrating Mass on martyrs tombs to be mandatory.

27. St. Eutychian

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: January 4, 275

End of Reign: December 7, 283

Date of Death: December 7, 283

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Almost 9 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): December 7

Martyr; Reigned during a rare period of peace (between persecutions).

28. St. Caius (Gaius)

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: December 17, 283

End of Reign: April 22, 296

Date of Death: April 22, 296

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 12 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): April 22

It has been claimed that he was martyred under Diocletian (his grandfather) after hiding in the catacombs for years.

29. St. Marcellinus

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: June 30, 296

End of Reign: October 25, 304

Date of Death: October 25, 304

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 8 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): April 26

Martyr; Has been accused of initially buckling during persecution (this charge has been considered calumnious). 

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4th Century

Supreme Pontiff

Detail 

(dates*, ages, prior name, feast, comment/attributes, etc.)

30. St. Marcellus I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: c. 308

End of Reign: c 309

Date of Death: c. 309

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Approx. 1 year

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): January 16

Due to persecutions, Marcellus was not elected until years after Marcellinus' death. Marcellus dealt strictly with lapsi (those who had succumbed under persecution) and died in exile.

31. St. Eusebius

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: c. 310

End of Reign: c 310

Date of Death: c. 310

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Under 1 year

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): August 17 / September 26

Continued to deal with issue of lapsi (those who had succumbed under persecution) by taking a moderate stance. Died in exile.

32. St. Miltiades (Melchiades)

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: July 2, 311

End of Reign: January 10, 314

Date of Death: January 10, 314

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Approx. 2.5 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): December 10

Persecution of Christians ended by Constantine under Miltiades' reign. Received the Lateran Palace (which became the papal residence) along with other gifts from Constantine. First papacy to enjoy government support.

33. St. Silvester (Sylvester) I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: January 31, 314

End of Reign: December 31, 335

Date of Death: December 31, 335

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: "old age"

Approx. Length of Reign: Almost 22 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): December 31

With Constantine, he convened the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea to deal with the Arian heresy (this council composed the Nicene Creed).

34. St. Mark (Marcus)

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: January 18, 336

End of Reign: October 7, 336

Date of Death: October 7, 336

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Almost 9 months

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): October 7

Credited with giving the use of the pallium & right to consecrate the pope to the Bishops of Ostia, built churches (San Marco and Santa Balbina).

35. St. Julius I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: February 6, 337

End of Reign: April 12, 352

Date of Death: April 12, 352

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 15 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): April 12

Condemned the Arians, built churches (including Santi Apostoli and Santa Maria in Trastevere), confirmed Roman See as highest court of appeal.

36. Liberius

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: May 17, 352

End of Reign: September 24, 366

Date of Death: September 24, 366

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 14 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

Built basilica in honor of the Blessed Virgin (Santa Maria Maggiore). Was exiled and, under pressure, signed semi-Arian creeds (they could be interpreted in an orthodox manner or heretically) and excommunicated the orthodox St. Athanasius. First pope not canonized. [Note: Infallibility does not apply here as he was forced against his will to sign the creeds and did not intend to bind the Church. Additionally, the creeds may be given an orthodox interpretation. His condemnation of St. Athanasius, a ruling directed against an individual person, is also not an exercise of papal infallibility.]

37. St. Damasus I

Birth Date: c. 305

Beginning of Reign: October 1, 366

End of Reign: December 11, 384

Date of Death: December 11, 384

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 61

Lived to Approx. Age: 79

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 18 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): December 11

Violent beginning of papacy. Under his reign, temporal and spiritual powers were united and Christendom came into being. He fought heresy, wrote poems, beatified churches, and commissioned the Vulgate translation of the Bible. He is credited with revisions to the Roman Liturgy that were in continual use until the Novus Ordo Missae (New Mass) was imposed on the faithful in the 1960's.

38. St. Siricius

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: December 384

End of Reign: November 26, 399

Date of Death: November 26, 399

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Nearly 15 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): November 26

His letter is the earliest surviving papal decree. He enforced clerical celibacy and rebuilt St. Paul's basilica

39. St. Anastasius I

Birth Date: N/A

Beginning of Reign: November 27, 399

End of Reign: December 19, 401

Date of Death: December 19, 401

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: N/A

Lived to Approx. Age: N/A

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 2 years

Prior Name (if different):

Feast Day (if applicable): December 19

Fought heresy (condemned Origenists and Donatists). Is credited with prescribing standing for Gospel readings.

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