Pope Saint Pius I was Bishop of Rome, according to the
"Annuario PontificioThe 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...
," from 142 or 146 to 157 or 161, respectively. Others suggest that his pontificate was perhaps from 140 to 154.
Early life
Pius is believed to have been born at
AquileiaAquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times.-History:Aquileia was founded as a colony by the Romans in 180/181 BC...
, in Northern Italy, during the late 1st century. His father was called
"Rufinus," who was also said to be of Aquileia according to the
"Liber PontificalisThe 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...
."
It is stated in the 2nd century
Muratorian CanonThe Muratorian fragment is a copy of perhaps the oldest known list of the books of the New Testament. The fragment is a seventh-century Latin manuscript bound in an eighth or seventh century codex that came from the library of Columban's monastery at Bobbio; it contains internal cues which suggest...
, and in the
"Liberian CatalogueIn 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...
," that he was the brother of
HermasHermas was a well-to-do freedman who lived in Ancient Rome. He was a brother of Pius, Bishop of Rome about the middle of the second century. He was an earnest simple-minded Christian, with little education or culture, but typical, no doubt, of many in the Church of his day. Some...
, author of the text known as
"The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas is a Christian literary work of the second century, considered a valuable book by many Christians, and considered canonical scripture by some of the early Church fathers. The Shepherd had great authority in the second and third centuries...
."
The writer of the later text identifies himself as a former
slaveSlavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation...
. This has led to speculation that both Hermas and Pius were freedmen.
Pontificate
St Pius I governed the Church in the middle of the 2nd century during the reigns of the Emperors
Antoninus PiusTitus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus , generally known in English as Antoninus Pius was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors and a member of the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and
Marcus AureliusMarcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus was Roman emperor from 161 to his death in 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Lucius' death in 169...
. He was the ninth successor of
Saint PeterSimon Peter , Pétros “Rock”, Kephas in Hellenized Aramaic) was a leader of the early Christian Church, who features prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Peter was the son of John, and was from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee...
. He decreed that
EasterEaster is the most important annual religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day from his crucifixion...
should only be kept on a Sunday. Although being credited with ordering the publication of the
"Liber Pontificalis", compilation of that document was not started before the beginning of the 6th century . He is said to have built one of the oldest churches in Rome,
Santa PudenzianaThe basilica of Santa Pudenziana is a 4th century church in Rome, dedicated to Saint Pudentiana, sister of Saint Praxedis and daughter of Saint Pudens....
.
St Pius I endured many hardships during his reign. The fact that
Saint JustinSaint Justin may refer to:*Justin Martyr *Justin de Jacobis *Justin of Chieti*Justin of Siponto *Saint Justin School, a Catholic elementary school in Santa Clara, California...
taught
Christian doctrineA catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
in Rome during the pontificate of St Pius I and that the
hereticA heretic is a person who committed heresy.Heretic m*Heretic , a 1994 game by Raven Software*Heretic II, a 1998 sequel to the aforementioned gameIn literature:* Heretic, an autobiography of Peter Cameron...
s Valentinus, Cerdon and Marcion visited Rome at the same time, is a strong argument for the primacy of the
Roman SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Catholic...
during the 2nd century. Pope Pius I opposed the Valentinians and Gnostics under Marcion, whom he
excommunicatedExcommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. The word literally means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
.
Some conjecture that he was a
martyrA Christian martyr is one who is killed for following Christianity, through stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word "martyr" comes from the Greek word which means "witness."...
in Rome, a conjecture that entered earlier editions of the
BreviaryA breviary is a liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially by, bishops, priests, and deacons in the Divine Office...
. The study that had produced the 1969 revision of the
Roman Catholic Calendar of SaintsThe General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
stated that there were no grounds for his consideration as a martyr, and he is not presented as such in the
"Roman MartyrologyThe 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:...
."
Feast Day
St Pius I's feast day is celebrated on July 11. In the
Tridentine CalendarThe Tridentine Calendar is the calendar of saints to be honoured in the official liturgy of the Roman Rite during the course of the liturgical year. It was established in 1570 by Pope Pius V, when he implemented a decision of the Council of Trent by promulgating his Roman Missal...
it was given the rank of "Simple" and celebrated as the feast of a martyr. The rank of the feast was reduced to a
CommemorationIn the Tridentine Mass period of the Roman Rite, when a higher-ranked liturgical celebration impeded the celebration of a lesser that, either permanently or by coincidence, fell on the same day, the prayer of the lower-ranked celebration was usually added to that of the higher...
in the 1955
General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XIIIn 1955 Pope Pius XII made several changes to the General Roman Calendar of 1954, changes that remained in force only until 1960, when Pope John XXIII, on the basis of further recommendations of the commission that Pius XII had set up, decreed a further revision of the Roman Catholic calendar of...
and the
General Roman Calendar of 1962This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1962, following the reforms of Pope John XXIII introduced with his motu proprio Rubricarum instructum of 23 July 1960...
. Though no longer mentioned in the General Roman Catholic calendar of saints, he may now, according to the rules in the present-day
Roman MissalThe 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.-History:...
, be celebrated everywhere on his feast day with a "Memorial", unless in some locality an obligatory celebration is assigned to that day.
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