St. Cornelius, Pope, Martyr and St. Cyprian, Bishop, Martyr

Feast date: Sep 16

Saint Cornelius was elected Pope in 251 during the persecutions of the Emperor Decius. His first challenge, besides the ever present threat of the Roman authorities, was to bring an end to the schism brought on by his rival, the first anti-pope Novatian. He convened a synod of bishops to confirm him as the rightful successor of Peter.

The great controversy that arose as a result of the Decian persecution was whether or not the Church could pardon and receive back into the Church those who had apostacized in the face of martyrdom.

Against both the bishops who argued that the Church could not welcome back apostates, and those who argued that they should be welcomed back but did not demand a heavy penance of the penitent, Cornelius decreed that they must be welcomed back and insisted that they perform an adequate penance.

In 253 Cornelius was exiled by the emperor Gallus and died of the hardships he endured in exile. He is venerated as a martyr.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage is second in importance only to the great Saint Augustine as a figure and Father of the African church. He was a close friend of Pope Cornelius, and supported him both against the anti-pope Novatian and in his views concerning the re-admittance of apostates into the Church.

Saint Cyprian was born to wealthy pagans around the year 190, and was educated in the classics and in rhetoric. He converted at the age of 56, was ordained a priest a year later, and made bishop two years after that.

His writings are of great importance, especially his treatise on The Unity of the Catholic Church, in which he argues that unity is grounded in the authority of the bishop, and among the bishops, in the primacy of the See of Rome.

In, "The Unity of the Catholic Church," St. Cyprian writes, "You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother.... God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body.... If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace."

During the Decian persecutions Cyprian considered it wiser to go into hiding and guide his flock covertly rather than seek the glorious crown of martyrdom, a decision that his enemies attacked him for.

On September 14, 258, however, he was martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Valerian.

“As pastors, we want to emphasize this point to anyone who is suffering from mental illness or facing mental health challenges: nobody and nothing can alter or diminish your God-given dignity,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop Robert Barron. “You are a beloved child of God, a God of healing and hope.”

The group is co-chaired by Msgr. Mirosław Wachowski, the Holy See’s undersecretary for relations with states, and Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnam’s deputy minister of foreign affairs. Pope Leo XIV received participants in the group on September 13.

Nhan Dan, the newspaper of Vietnam’s Communist party, also reported on the meeting, with the headline, “Viet Nam, Holy See bolster ties at 12th meeting of joint working group.”

The General Regulations of the Roman Curia now state the “employment of persons with disabilities is to be promoted in a spirit of welcome and, where necessary, through the adoption of appropriate and specific measures, since the condition of disability does not preclude suitability for work.”

One regulation formerly stated that new employees should be in a “state of good health.” It now states that new employees should have “psycho-physical suitability for the duties to be carried out.”

“The peace of heart that inhabited these daughters of St. Teresa [of Avila], who faced martyrdom praising God with hymns and psalms dear to the Church’s liturgy, was truly the fruit of immense charity, but also of the theological faith and hope that inspired them,” Cardinal Parolin wrote.

“Total self-giving, forgiveness and gratitude, joy and peace: these are the fruits of charity that have filled the souls of our martyrs,” he continued. “May we learn from them the strength and fruitfulness of an interior life completely focused on heavenly realities!”

The analysis of statistics published in the latest edition of The Official Catholic Directory took into account adult baptisms, the baptisms of minors who are not infants, and receptions into full communion.

The Diocese of Raleigh led the way, with 1 non-infant reception into the Church for every 71 Catholics. In the typical American diocese, there was one for every 413 Catholics; in the last-place Archdiocese of Newark, there was one for every 2,448 Catholics.

A theology of wisdom follows “the model developed by the great Fathers and Masters of antiquity. Because of their docility to the Spirit, they knew how to unite faith and reason, reflection, prayer and practice,” Pope Leo said. “Theology is the wisdom, therefore, that opens up greater existential horizons, dialoguing with science, philosophy, art and all human experience. The theologian is a person who lives out, in his or her theological work, a missionary fervor.”

In his address, the Pope also referred to the conference’s theme (“Creation, Nature, Environment for a World of Peace”). “You have reflected on issues of urgent relevance, which are very dear to me, just as they were to my venerable predecessors Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis,” Pope Leo said. “Environmental sustainability and the care of creation are essential commitments to ensure the survival of the human race.”

“We discussed this initiative with the Catholic bishops’ council and concluded the need for a theological center that serves the faithful—especially adults—since what we receive as children is not enough,” he said. “We need to deepen our understanding of our faith. The more we delve into the Church and the faith, the deeper it becomes within our hearts.”

In the most prominent article in its September 13 edition, L’Osservatore Romano praised the diplomatic work of the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates in seeking to end the civil war in Sudan.

King Charles III attended the Requiem Mass, as did his heir, Prince William of Wales, with his wife Kate.

Pope Leo XIV sent a message that was read at the service, offering his condolences to “Your Majesty, the members of the Royal Family, and especially to her husband, the Duke of Kent, and their children and grandchildren.”

The Duchess of Kent, a convert to Catholicism, died on September 4 at the age of 92.