(Short Version)
November 23: Saint Clement I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial
c. 35–c. 99
Patron Saint of sailors, mariners, sick children, and stonecutters
Pre-Congregation canonization
Pope Saint Clement I was the Church’s fourth pope and is listed as such in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I). According to early Church theologian Tertullian, Clement not only knew Saint Peter but was also ordained by him, either as a priest or a bishop.
Little is known about Pope Saint Clement’s early years. However, his pontificate greatly enriched the Church, through his martyrdom and through a letter he left behind, addressed to the nascent Church in Corinth. He is one of three early Church Fathers who hold the title “Apostolic Father,” alongside Saint Ignatius of Antioch and Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. The Apostolic Fathers are those who personally knew the Apostles and received the Gospel from them, becoming their first heirs and successors.
Pope Saint Clement’s lengthy and heartfelt letter to the Church in Corinth addressed the community’s internal conflict and division. The Corinthians sought guidance from Pope Clement, who was delayed in responding, likely due to Emperor Domitian’s persecution of the Church. With the death of Emperor Domitian in 96 and a pause in persecution, Pope Clement could address the issues facing the Church in Corinth.
Pope Clement’s letter to the Corinthians serves as one of the early indications that the young Church recognized the authority residing in the See of Rome, initially occupied by Peter. His letter is both doctrinal and pastoral, and it was often read and revered in the early Church alongside the canonical Gospels and letters in the New Testament, although it is not included in the New Testament. In addition to addressing the divisions, Pope Clement articulates the hierarchical structure of the Church, noting that the Father sent the Son, the Son sent the Apostles, and the Apostles sent their successors, and so forth. This sacramental structure proceeds from the Father in Heaven in an ordered manner through ordination.
In early 98, Trajan became emperor and was mostly mild in his approach to Christians, although he executed or exiled those who refused to renounce their faith and honor the Roman gods. According to a fourth-century legend, Pope Clement was arrested by Emperor Trajan and exiled to the Tauric Chersonese (modern-day Crimea), where he was forced to work in a stone quarry. Some of his co-prisoners, some of whom were also Christians, were starving and dehydrated. Pope Clement saw a lamb appear and, believing it a sign from Heaven, struck the ground with his ax, causing a spring of water to gush forth. This led many prisoners to convert. When this news reached the emperor, he was outraged and ordered Pope Clement’s execution. An anchor was tied around Clement’s neck, and he was thrown into the Black Sea. The legend continues that in the mid- to late-ninth century, brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius
