Editing Pope Cornelius (section)

==Papacy==
[[File:Heiliger Cornelius.jpg|thumb|upright|Cornelius by [[Master of Meßkirch]]]]
Those who supported a more rigorist position had Novatian consecrated bishop and refused to recognize Cornelius as Bishop of Rome.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?TrebonianusGallusid=QjJMAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74&dq=Novatian&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjz9sWCj_7KAhXGeT4KHQ1hCXMQ6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=Novatian&f=false Papandrea, James L., ''Novatian of Rome and the Culmination of Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011] {{ISBN|9781606087800}}</ref> Both sides sent out letters to other bishops seeking recognition and support. Cornelius had the support of [[Cyprian]], [[Pope Dionysius|Dionysius]], and most African and Eastern bishops while Novatian had the support of a minority of clergy and [[laymen]] in Rome.<ref name="McBrien"/> Cornelius's next action was to convene a [[synod]] of 60 [[bishop]]s to acknowledge him as the rightful pope and the council [[excommunicated]] Novatian as well as all [[Novatianists]]. Also addressed in the synod was that Christians who stopped practising during Emperor Decius's persecution could be re-admitted into the Christian community only after doing [[penance]].<ref name="McBrien"/>

The verdict of the synod was sent to the Christian bishops, most notably the bishop of [[Antioch]], a fierce Novatian supporter, in order to convince him to accept Cornelius as bishop of Rome. The letters that Cornelius sent to surrounding bishops provide information of the size of the church in Rome at that time. Cornelius mentions that the Roman Church had, "forty six [[priests]], seven [[deacons]], seven [[sub-deacons]], forty two [[acolytes]], fifty two ostiarii, and over one thousand five hundred [[widows]] and persons in distress."<ref name="ce">Chapman, John (1908). "Pope Cornelius" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref> His letters also inform that Cornelius had a staff of over 150 [[clergy]] members and the church fed over 1,500 people daily.<ref>Moody Smith, D. "Review: The Rise of Christianity: A Review." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 54 (1986): 337–42.</ref><ref>Schrembs, Joseph. "The Catholic Philosophy of History." The Catholic Historical Review 20 (1934): 1–22.</ref> From these numbers, it has been estimated that there were at least 50,000 Christians in Rome during the papacy of Pope Cornelius.<ref name="McBrien"/>