1.St Peter: died 64. From Bethsaida, on the Sea of Galilee. Head of the Apostles, Rock upon which Jesus built his Church. Crucified in Rome under Nero. Jew.
2. St Linus: 64-78. Appointed by Sts Peter and Paul after they set up the Church in Rome. Companion of St Paul (2 Tim 4,21). His name occurs first after those of Sts Peter and Paul in the most ancient Canon of the Mass. Roman. Martyr.
3. St Anacletus: 79-91. Died in the 12th year of the reign of Diocletian (81-96). Greek. Martyr.
4. St Clement: 91-101. Fellow worker with St Paul (Phil 4,3). Wrote a famous Epistle (96 A.D.) to the Church at Corinth. Earliest example of the fraternal intervention of a Pope in the affairs of another Church. Widely loved in Christian antiquity, this epistle was often regarded as part of Holy Scripture. Martyr.
5. St Evaristius: 100-109. Prescribed that Matrimony should receive a special blessing from the priest. Jew. Martyr
6. St Alexander I: 109-116. Introduced the practice of blessing houses with holy water mixed with salt. Roman. Martyr.
7. St Sixtus I: 116-125. The insertion of the threefold Sanctus in the Mass is attributed to him. Roman, of Greek origin. Martyr.
8. St Telesphorus: 125-136. Credited with introducing the Gloria in Excelsis into the Christmas midnight Mass. Greek. Martyr.
9. St Huginus: 138-142. During his reign the Gnostic teachers Valentinus and Cerdo came to Rome from Egypt and Syria. A Greek from Athens, he had previously been a philosopher. Martyr.
10. St Pius I: 142-155. His brother, Hermas, was author of a famous call to repentance entitled The Shepherd. He presided over a Synod of Priests in July 144 which expelled Marcion from the Catholic community for his rejection of the Old Testament. Italian, from Aquileja. Martyr.
11. St Anicetus: 155-166. Polycarp of Smyrna visited him to try to persuade him to celebrate the Lord's resurrection on the 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan. He replied that it was the custom of his predecessors to celebrate the Lord's resurrection every Sunday. He built a memorial shrine to St Peter on the Vatican Hill, that was still being admired by visitors in 200 A.D. Syrian, from Homs.
12. St Soter: 166-174. Sent a special letter with gifts to the Church of Corinth. Introduced Easter as an annual feast, but on the Sunday after the 14th of the month of Nisan. Was critical from Montanism, the ascetic movement started in Phrygia. Italian. Martyr.
13. St Eleutherius: 174-189. Lucius, King of Edesssa, wrote to him asking to become a Christian. Was visited by St Irenaeus of Lyons. Greek, from Nicopolis, in Epirus.
14. St Victor: 189-198. Convoked Synods in Rome, and in centres in Gaul and Mesopotamia to decide on a date of Easter.
15. St Zephyrinus: 198-217. During his time the renowned Christian writer Origen visited Rome 'earnestly desiring to set eyes on the most ancient Church'. He stood firm against various heretical sects - Montanists, Adoptionists, Modalists - who denied the divinity of Christ or blurred the distinction between the Persons of the Trinity. Roman. Martyr.
16. St Callistus I: 217-222. A slave, who for a time was sentenced to hard labour in the mines of Sardinia. Under previous Pope was appointed curator of the Catacombs of the Appian Way that bear his name. Showed great compassion for Christians who fell into sin after baptism: taught that the Church was a home for sinners as well as saints. Martyr.
17. St Urban I: 222-230. During his reign, St Cecilia was martyred. He was buried in the Catacomb of St Callistus. Roman. Martyr.
18. St Pontian: 230-235. Abdicated on the 28th of September 235 (first Pope to do so) when sentenced to the dreaded mines of Sardinia, the 'island of death', so that the Church would not be without a Pope. Roman. Martyr.
19. St Antherus: 235-236. He collected and preserved the records of martyrs. Greek.
20. St Fabian: 236-250. Much loved by all. Eusebius the historian (260-340) recounts that when the priests were choosing a successor to Antherus a dove settled on Fabian's head. He re-organised the Church of Rome and died in the terrible persecution of Decius in 250.
21. St Cornelius. 251-253. No election could be held because of the persecution and because most suitable candidates were in prison - including the priest Moses whom most favoured. Cornelius was chosen after fourteen months and Moses had died. He taught that Christians who had lapsed during the persecutions, could be re-admitted to communion with the Catholic Church after a suitable penance. At a Synod held in 251 attended by sixty Bishops his teaching was endorsed; and he excommunicated the Bishop Novatian who held that there was no forgiveness for serious sins committed after baptism. Patrician Roman. Martyr.
22. St Lucius I: 253-254. Banished almost immediately on election, he returned to Rome to die a martyr under Valerian. Roman. Martyr.
23. St Stephen I: 254-257. Appealed to by African, Spanish and Gaulish Bishops to depose certain Bishops who were not teaching the Catholic faith. He upheld the ancient custom (against Cyprian of Carthage) of not demanding that persons baptized by heretics be re-baptised. Patrician Roman.
24. St Sixtus II: 257-258. A peace-loving and much beloved pastor, he continued the policies of Stephen, but in a less confrontationist manner, and was a great friend of Cyprian of Carthage, and Dionysius of Alexandria. On August 6, 258, while celebrating Mass with four of his deacons in the catacomb of Praetextatus, he was found by Valerian's soldiers and beheaded along with his deacons. Two other deacons were executed the same day, and St. Lawrence four days later. Greek. Martyr.
25. St Dionysius: 260-269. Because of the persecutions and the fact that all seven deacons had been killed with Sixtus, the Church was without a head for two years. Remarkable for his wisdom and judgement, he called a Synod to condemn un-Catholic theology on the Trinity, and sent a full explanation of the teaching of the Roman Church on the Trinity to the Church in Alexandria, and demanded an explanation from Dionysius, Patriarch of that city, of statements that some took to be tri-theistic. He continued the Roman Church's long-standing tradition of helping distressed Christians wherever they might be. Greek.
26. St Felix I: 269-274. During his time the rebel Bishop Paul of Samosata refused to vacate the Church building at Antioch until the Emperor Aurelian ordered that the building be handed over to 'those with whom the Bishops of Italy and Rome are in Communion.' Felix approved the decision of the Synod at Antioch that deposed Paul and elected Domnus I in the first place. Roman.
27. St Eutychian: 275-277. A native if Tuscany, records of his reign (an of many that preceded him) seemed to have perished in the terrible persecution of Diocletian.
28. St Gaius: 283-296. A close relative of the Emperor Diocletian. Period of peace and consolidation for the Roman Church. From Dalmatia (now The Former Yugoslavia).
29. St Marcellinus: 296-304. During the last year of his reign Diocletian commenced persecuting Christians, and Marcellinus, according to one account, complied, only to repent and be beheaded with three others on Diocletian's orders.
30. St Marcellus: 306-308. The See remained vacant for a time after the death of Marcellinus. When Emperor Maxentius published his decree of toleration an election was possible. According to Pope Damasus, he was a rigorist who took a hard line against Christians who apostasised. He died in exile.
31. St Eusebius: 308-310 He permitted those who had apostasised under Dioceltian to be readmitted to Communion. Died in exile in Sicily. Greek.
32. St Melchiades: 311-314 Last of Popes buried in the Catacombs. During his pontificate Constantine the Great granted the Church the freedom to exist, and presented Miltiades with the Palace on the Celian Hill (St John Lateran) that became the Papal residence. Held a Synod and found that Caecilian Bishop of Carthage in North Africa was the lawful Bishop, and excommunicated Donatus for demanding the baptism of laity and reordination of clergy who had lapsed under persecution. African.
33. St Sylvester: 314-335. His legates presided over the General Council of Nicaea (Iznik, in northwest Turkey) in 325 A.D. Roman.
34. St Mark: Jan 18-Oct 7, 336. He first granted the Pallium, a band of white wool decorated with crosses, worn by the Pope and granted to him by Metropolitan Bishops as a symbol of their authority. Roman.
35. St Julius: 337-352. Supported the Council of Nicaea, especially its Eastern champions Athanasius of Alexandria (died 373) and Marcellus of Ancyra (died 376). Reorganised the Papal chancery. Founded the Churches of Santa Maria in Trastevere and the Church of the Twelve Apostles. Roman. Decreed that Christmas be celebrated on December 25 by the whole Church.
36. St Liberius: 352-366. Suffered much under the Arian Emperor Constantius. Champion of orthodoxy, he built the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline hill, in Rome.
37. St Damasus: 366-384. One of the most learned and zealous Popes of antiquity. He summoned St Jerome to Rome as his secretary, and entrusted the translation of the Old and New Testaments into Latin to him. He reorganized and rehoused the Papal archives. Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity to be the religion of the Empire (Feb 27, 380) - in that form in which the Romans had received it from St Peter, and which Damasus of Rome and Peter of Alexandria now professed. Roman.
38. St Siricius: 384-399. First Pope to issue decretals. The earliest that has survived (Feb 11, 385) is addressed to Bishop Himerius of Taragona who sent 15 questions on Church discipline to the Pope. He gave answers to questions concerned with re-admission of heretics, proper seasons (Easter and Pentecost) for baptisms, age and qualification for ordination to the priesthood, clerical continence and celibacy. Siricius commanded that these decretals which were binding, be communicated to the neighbouring provinces of Africa, Gaul and Spain. In January 386 he sent to Africa and the other churches, nine canons laid down by a Synod held 'near the relics of the Apostle Peter' which laid down that no Bishop was to consecrated without approval of the Holy See. Roman.
39. St Athanasius: 399-401. He condemned a translation of the writings of Origen. Much admired by St Jerome, and Paulinus of Nola. When the bishops of Africa asked for a relaxation on the ban on Donatist clergy being allowed to function as priests, because of the shortage of clergy, he replied that they should continue the struggle against Donatism. He required Bishops, priests and deacons to stand with bowed heads during the Gospel at Mass.
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