CrucisPope St. Clement I
Pope St. Clement I lived in the first century and, according to ancient tradition, died around the year 99 or 101. He was one of the earliest successors of St. Peter as bishop of Rome — reckoned the fourth pope — and belongs to the Apostolic Fathers, having known and been formed by the Apostles themselves; some early writers identify him with the Clement mentioned by St. Paul in the Letter to the Philippians.
His great legacy is his Letter to the Corinthians (known as 1 Clement), written to restore peace to a church torn by division. It is among the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament and an important early witness to the exercise of authority by the Church of Rome over another community. Tradition holds that he died a martyr, exiled and cast into the sea tied to an anchor, and he is honored as patron of mariners.
Selected quotes
“Let our faith be seen not in what we profess with our lips but in the patience and love with which we face each day.”
“The peace of Christ is not a peace the world gives — it must be guarded with prayer, humility, and brotherly forbearance.”
“Let no man think himself greater than his brother in Christ, for the same Blood has purchased us both.”