Editing Pope Cornelius

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 251 to 253}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[List of popes|Pope]] [[List of canonised popes|Saint]]
| name = Cornelius
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| term_start = 6 or 13 March 251
| term_end = June 253
| predecessor = [[Pope Fabian|Fabian]]
| successor = [[Pope Lucius I|Lucius I]]
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = [[Rome]], [[Roman Italy|Italy]], [[Roman Empire]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Cornelius|title=Saint Cornelius|author=((The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica)) |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=14 August 2016}}</ref>
| death_date = June 253
| death_place = [[Civitavecchia|Centum Cellae]], [[Roman Italy|Italy]], [[Roman Empire]]
| feast_day = 16 September
| image = Saint-Joseph (Robertville) 11.jpg
| caption = 18th century depiction of St. Cornelius from the [[Church (building)|Church]] of [[Saint Joseph]] in [[Robertville, Belgium|Robertville]]
}}
'''Pope Cornelius''' ({{langx|el|Κορνήλιος}}) was the [[bishop of Rome]] from 6th or 13 March 251 until his martyrdom in June 253.

He was pope during and following a period of persecution of the church, while a schism occurred over how [[Lapsi (Christianity)|repentant church members]] who had practiced pagan sacrifices to protect themselves could be readmitted to the church. He agreed with [[Cyprian]] of Carthage that those who had lapsed could be restored to communion after varying forms of [[Initiation|Reinitiation]] and [[Penance]]. This position was in contrast to the [[Novatianism|Novatianists]], who held that those who failed to maintain their confession of faith under persecution would not be received again into communion with the church. This resulted in a short-lived schism in the Church of Rome that spread as each side sought to gather support. Cornelius held a [[synod]] that confirmed his election and excommunicated [[Novatian]], but the controversy regarding lapsed members continued for years.

The persecutions resumed in 251 under Emperor [[Trebonianus Gallus]]. Cornelius was sent into exile and may have died from the rigours of his banishment; possibly he was beheaded.

==Christian persecution==
{{See also|Decian persecution}}
[[Emperor Decius]], who ruled from 249 to 251, persecuted Christians in the [[Roman Empire]] rather sporadically and locally, but starting in January of the year 250, he ordered all citizens to perform a religious sacrifice in the presence of commissioners, or else face death.<ref>{{citation | contribution = Decius | title = Encyclopædia Britannica | edition = Online School | date = 7 December 2008 | url = http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9029704}}.</ref> Many Christians refused and were martyred, (including [[Pope Fabian]] on 20 January 250), while others partook in the sacrifices in order to save their own lives.<ref name="Feast Days 1991">Saints and Feast Days. New York: Loyola P, 1991.</ref>

Two schools of thought arose after the persecution. One side, led by [[Novatian]], a priest in the diocese of Rome, said those who had stopped practising Christianity during the persecution could not be accepted back into the church, even if they repented. He held that idolatry was an unpardonable sin, and that the Church had no authority to forgive apostates, but that their forgiveness must be left to God; it could not be pronounced in this world.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11138a.htm Chapman, John. "Novatian and Novatianism." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 6 August 2018</ref> The opposing side, including Cornelius and [[Cyprian]] of Carthage, said the ''[[Lapsi (Christianity)|lapsi]]'' could be restored to communion through repentance, demonstrated by a period of penance.<ref name="McBrien">{{citation | last = McBrien | first = Richard P | quote = Pope Cornelius, a reconciler, had a hard road | title = National Catholic Reporter | number = 41 | date = September 24, 2004 | volume = 40 | page = 19(1) | publisher = General OneFile. Gale. Sacred Heart Preparatory (BAISL) | access-date = 5 December 2008 | url = http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS}}.</ref>

During the persecution it proved impossible to elect a successor, and the papal seat remained vacant for a year. During this period the church was governed by several priests, including Novatian. When Decius left Rome to fight the invading [[Goths]], the Roman clergy chose a new bishop.<ref name="Feast Days 1991"/> In the fourteen months without a pope, the leading candidate, Moses, had died under the persecution. The more moderate Cornelius was unwillingly elected over Novatian and others as the twenty-first [[pope]] in March 251.<ref name="McBrien"/>

==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"/>

==Death and letters==
[[File:Legendari di sancti istoriado uulgar, 1497 - (Cornelio papa) - BEIC IE4411197.jpg|thumb|The Martyrdom of Cornelius in the ''[[Golden Legend]]'' (1497)]]

In June 251, [[Emperor Decius|Decius]] was killed in battle with the [[Goths]]; and persecutions resumed under his successor, [[Trebonianus Gallus]]. Cornelius was exiled to [[Centumcellae]], Italy, where he died in June 253. The Liberian catalogue ascribes his death to the hardships of banishment; later sources say he was beheaded. He was [[List of extant papal tombs|entombed in a catacomb near the chapel of the popes]], behind a Latin inscription, not Greek like his predecessor [[Pope Fabian]] and successor [[Lucius I]]. It translates to "Cornelius Martyr". The letters he sent while in exile are all written in the colloquial Latin of the period instead of the classical style used by the educated such as Cyprian, a theologian as well as a bishop, and Novatian, who was also a philosopher.<ref name="CE">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Pope Cornelius|author=Chapman, John}}</ref> This suggests that Cornelius came from a financially average family and thus was given an ordinary education as a child. One letter mentions an office of "[[exorcist]]" in the church for the first time.<ref name="NCR">{{Citation|author=Allen, John L Jr |title=A bit of exorcist history| url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2000c/090100/090100h.htm|newspaper=[[National Catholic Reporter]]|date=September 1, 2000}}</ref>

==Veneration==
[[File:Mille Chp1cJPG.jpg|thumb|right|Chapel from 1460 dedicated to Cornelius, in [[Hamme-Mille]], Belgium]]
Some of his [[relics]] were taken to [[Germany]] during the [[Middle Ages]]; his head was claimed by [[Kornelimünster Abbey]] near [[Aachen]].
In the [[Rhineland]], he was also a [[patron saint]] of lovers. A legend associated with Cornelius tells of a young artist who was commissioned to decorate the Corneliuskapelle in the Selikum quarter of [[Neuss]]. The daughter of a local townsman fell in love with the artist, but her father forbade the marriage, remarking that he would only consent if the pope did as well. Miraculously, the statue of Cornelius leaned forward from the altar and blessed the pair, and the two lovers were thus married.

Cornelius, along with [[Quirinus of Neuss]], [[Hubertus]] and [[Anthony the Great]], was venerated as one of the [[Four Holy Marshals]] in the Rhineland during the late Middle Ages.<ref>[http://www.soetele.de/links/quellen/kalvarien/muhresoat/marschaelle/marschaelle.html marschaelle]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ahrdorf.de/html/body_die_kapelle.html |title=Die Kapelle |access-date=2008-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211092415/http://www.ahrdorf.de/html/body_die_kapelle.html |archive-date=2012-02-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://heimatbund-st-toenis.de/heilige.htm |title=Heimatbund St.Tönis 1952 e.V |access-date=2008-03-29 |archive-date=2014-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030225623/http://heimatbund-st-toenis.de/heilige.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A legend told at [[Carnac]] states that [[Carnac stones|its stones]] were once pagan soldiers who had been turned into stone by Cornelius, who was fleeing from them.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.therecord.com/Life/Travel/article/320293 |title=TheRecord.com – Travel – Marvelling at Carnac's stones |access-date=2008-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415042932/http://www.therecord.com/Life/Travel/article/320293 |archive-date=2012-04-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.franceholidays.co.uk/france_holidays/brittany.php |title=France Holidays, Brittany |access-date=2008-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003153629/http://www.franceholidays.co.uk/france_holidays/brittany.php |archive-date=2011-10-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Catholic Church commemorated Cornelius by venerating him, with his Saint's Day on 16 September, which he shares with his friend [[Cyprian]].<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/137950/Saint-Cornelius "Saint Cornelius." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 24 November 2008]</ref> His Saint's Day was originally on 14 September, the date on which both Cyprian and Cornelius were [[martyred]], according to [[Jerome]].<ref name="CE"/> Cornelius's saintly name means "battle horn", and he is represented in icons by a pope either holding some form of cow's horn or with a [[cow]] nearby. He is the [[patron]] against [[earache]], [[epilepsy]], [[fever]], [[fasciculation|twitching]], and also of [[cattle]], [[domestic animals]], earache sufferers, [[epileptics]], and the town of [[Kornelimünster]], Germany, where his head is enshrined.<ref name="PSI">[http://saints.sqpn.com/saintc32.htm "Pope Saint Cornelius."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023170948/http://saints.sqpn.com/saintc32.htm |date=2008-10-23 }} Patron Saints Index. 7 December 2008.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|History}}
*[[List of popes]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS "A bit of exorcist history." National Catholic Reporter 36.38 (September 1, 2000): 6. General OneFile. Gale. Sacred Heart Preparatory (BAISL). 5 December 2008]
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Pope Cornelius|author=Chapman, John}}
* [http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9029704 "Decius." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 7 December 2008]
* [http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9035926 "Gallus." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 7 December 2008]
* [http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS McBrien, Richard P. "Pope Cornelius, a reconciler, had a hard road." National Catholic Reporter 40.41 (September 24, 2004): 19(1). General OneFile. Gale. Sacred Heart Preparatory (BAISL). 5 December 20]
* Moody Smith, D. "Review: The Rise of Christianity: A Review." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 54 (1986): 337–42.
*[http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9056376 "Novatian." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 7 December 2008]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081023170948/http://saints.sqpn.com/saintc32.htm "Pope Saint Cornelius."] Patron Saints Index. 7 December 2008
* [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/137950/Saint-Cornelius "Saint Cornelius." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 24 November 2008]
* Saints and Feast Days. New York: Loyola P, 1991.
* Schrembs, Joseph. "The Catholic Philosophy of History." ''The Catholic Historical'' Review 20 (1934): 1–22.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cornelius (pope)}}
*[http://www.seanmultimedia.com/Pie_Cornelius_I_Letters.html Letters of Pope Cornelius I]
*{{Hl-Lex|b|Cornelius.htm|Cornelius}}
*[http://www.cornelissen.de/cor_pap4.htm The Rediscovery of Cornelius' Crypt]
*[http://www.cornelissen.de/cor_pap6.htm The Saint with the Horn]
*[http://www.cornelissen.de/cor_ver1.htm Sites where Cornelius is venerated]
*[http://www.cornelissen.de/cor_hei1.htm More saints called Cornelius]
<!--*[http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_01_0251-0253-_Cornelius,_Sanctus,_Martyr.html Collected works by Migne Patrologia Latina]-->

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|grt}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pope Fabian|Fabian]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Bishop of Rome]]|years=251–253}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lucius I]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelius}}
[[Category:253 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd-century archbishops]]
[[Category:3rd-century Christian martyrs]]
[[Category:3rd-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:3rd-century Romans]]
[[Category:Papal saints]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:3rd-century popes]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman exiles]]