Died: 88 A.D.
aka “St. Anacletus”
How do we know he was pope?
Like St. Linus before him, St. Cletus is identified by St. Irenaeus in his work Adversus haeresis (“Against Heresy”).
Give me the scoop on Cletus.
Pope St. Cletus was pope for 12 years. Early Church writers sometimes used more than one name to identify him – Cletus, Anacletus, or Anencletus – perhaps like one today would use “Jimmy” and “James” interchangeably for the same person. His feast day is celebrated on April 26, and he is traditionally remembered as having been martyred for the faith.
What was he known for?
The tradition of the Church says that St. Cletus was known for ordaining 25 priests during his rule, and was buried near St. Peter in Rome after his death. You can hear his name mentioned in the Roman Canon at Mass between “Linus” and “Clement”.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
Right around the beginning of St. Cletus’ papacy, the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed and buried after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius (79 A.D.).
Coming tomorrow….Pope St. Clement I
Can’t get enough papal history?
Click here to list to The Popecast, a short podcast about popes from the author of Popes in a Year.
SOURCES:
– “Pope St. Cletus” – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04054a.htm
– “Pope St. Anacletus” – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01446a.htm
– “Pope Anacletus” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Anacletus