Marcellus I, Pope

Biography

In the case of San Marcellus there was an interval, due to the cruel Roman persecutions that the Church suffered, but Peter's boat afloat again. Saint Marcellus I, is number thirty in the series of Popes. His pontificate was very short, from 308 to 309. But longer than that of Marcellus II, in the time of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, which lasted just three weeks. The Church had emerged stronger from the persecutions of the 3rd century. There was a time of tolerance after Decius and Valerian that did not last long. Diocletian, in his long reign, from 284 to 305, was respectful at first. But in the end, from the year 303 to 305, a violent persecution broke out, the strongest ever seen until then. The emperor published several persecutory edicts, and in the various regions of the Empire there were many martyrs, among them Pope Saint Marcellinus in the year 304. Marcellus, who had wanted to accompany the Pope in martyrdom, was the great encourager of Christian life during the persecutions for his charity and apostolic zeal. His election as Pope could not be made until the year 308, according to the most credible sources, four years after the martyrdom of Pope Saint Marcellinus. The sad situation of the time hindered the meeting of the bishops who were to elect him, because although Diocletian abdicated in the year 305, the difficulties continued with his successor Maxentius. The Bishops understood that Marcellus was the man that the circumstances required. The persecution had mainly attacked the organization of the life of the Church. They had destroyed the temples, burned the sacred books, they had led to apostasy or death, preferably Priests. Therefore, a man of temper, gentle and strong, was needed, who would, above all, restore discipline and hierarchy. The new Pope built new temples, consecrated Bishops and Priests, placed 25 highly chosen Priests in as many strategically located churches in Rome, and established a new cemetery, on the Via Salaria, with the help of a noble and rich Roman matron, Saint Priscilla, who was dedicated to helping the martyrs, whom she then buried. The Pope had to face a thorny problem. They were the famous "lapsi", who due to weakness had separated themselves from the Church in the persecution. Some demanded an intransigent rigorism, others a too soft indulgence. The Pope imposed his authority. He opened the doors of reconciliation to all, but due penance would be required of all. Some even treated the Pope as too rigorous, which caused riots and revolts in Rome, and the so-called "Roman schisms." Under the pretext of the aforementioned revolts, Maxentius the usurper, who now felt safe, revolted against the Pope. Saint Marcellus was first cruelly flogged and then condemned to care for beasts in the Roman stables. In January of the year 309, Saint Marcellus died in silent martyrdom. His remains rest under the main altar of the Church, built in his honor, in the city of Rome, on the Via del Corso, in the place where the public stable to which Marcellus was taken was previously built.