Saint Clément 1er (23 novembre) : le pape des origines, martyr de l’ancre ⚓️

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En ce 23 novembre, le calendrier liturgique met à l’honneur Saint Clément Ier, quatrième pape de l’Église et témoin direct de l’héritage des apôtres Pierre et Paul. Dans une Rome encore hostile aux chrétiens, Clément a imposé une vision forte : une Église unie, fidèle à la tradition apostolique et capable de tenir dans les tempêtes.
Auteur de la célèbre Lettre aux Corinthiens, l’un des textes chrétiens les plus anciens après le Nouveau Testament, il devient une référence majeure de l’Église primitive.

Exilé en Crimée sous l’empereur Trajan, il transforme son bannissement en mission : il baptise, encourage, rassemble… jusqu’à ce que ses persécuteurs décident d’en finir. On l’attache alors à une ancre de fer et on le précipite dans la mer Noire. L’ancre devient le symbole éternel de sa foi stable et de son courage.

Lectures pour aller plus loin :
"Épître aux Corinthiens" de Clément de Rome : https://amzn.to/3JPpHn5
"Les Pères de l'Eglise, de Clément de Rome à saint Augustin" par Benoît XVI : https://c3po.link/QaVj3MKVvZ

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00:00Today, November 23rd, is Saint Clement's Day.

00:03The Church honors one of the oldest and most fascinating figures in Christianity.

00:09Saint Clement I, the third successor of Saint Peter, is one of the very first popes in history.

00:16The name Clément, derived from the Latin Clemens, means gentle, benevolent, merciful.

00:24It is a first name still widely used in France and is one of the most associated with the values of kindness and stability.

00:33We also celebrate on this day Columbanus, in memory of Saint Columbanus, the great Irish missionary monk of the 6th-7th centuries.

00:42But today, let's turn to Clement, this pope of the early days whose path spanned two millennia.

00:50Clement I, who lived at the very end of the 1st century, in a Roman Empire where Christians were still a fragile minority,

00:59sometimes clandestine, often persecuted.

01:03Traditions report that he knew the apostles Peter and Paul personally,

01:08to the point of being mentioned by Paul himself in the Letter to the Philippians.

01:14This close relationship gave him immense authority in the early Christian communities.

01:18Elected Bishop of Rome around the year 88, he became the fourth pope after Peter, Lain and Anacletus.

01:29His pontificate marked a decisive step in the organization of the early church.

01:35At a time when communities were scattered and sometimes in conflict,

01:39Clément played a role as a moderator and unifier.

01:43His letter to the Corinthians, still preserved today, is one of the oldest Christian writings after the New Testament.

01:52It shows a firm man, but deeply paternal, concerned with unity and peace.

01:59Clement defended the idea that the church should remain faithful to the teachings transmitted by the apostles.

02:05without allowing itself to be torn apart by human divisions or ambitions.

02:09This vision earned him immense prestige in subsequent generations.

02:15But imperial Rome did not look favorably upon this network of believers faithful to a single God.

02:20and refusing to worship the Emperor.

02:24During the reign of Trajan, Clement was arrested and condemned to exile in the Crimean mines.

02:30Even there, he continued to encourage and baptize Christians.

02:35transforming a place of suffering into a mission field.

02:40According to a very old tradition, exasperated by its influence,

02:44His persecutors allegedly had him thrown into the sea with an inkwell tied around his neck.

02:50a symbol that can still be found in its iconography today.

02:53His martyrdom made him an unwavering witness to Christ and Christian hope.

03:01Clement thus became one of the most respected popes of Antiquity.

03:06His authority, his writings, and his courage

03:09They became a model of loyalty, humility, and spiritual fortitude.

03:15Even today, his memory remains alive in the liturgy, art and popular devotion.

03:23Prayer to Saint Clement

03:25O God, who had made Saint Clement a faithful shepherd and a fearless martyr,

03:34granted to your Church to be guided by her teaching and sustained by her prayer.

03:40Grant us, by his example, to remain steadfast in the faith.

03:45united in charity and courageous in trials.

03:49Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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