Today September 16

Today is the (old) feast of Cornelius and Cyprian (former died 253, latter 258 AD). They were good friends, though they didn't know each other before Cornelius was elected pope "by the judgment of God and of Christ, by the testimony of most of the clergy, and by the vote of the people" after a 12-month vacancy of the holy See during the bloody reign of Emperor Decius. Cyprian was bishop of Carthage in Africa. They share this their feast day (two days after the anniversary of Cyprian's martyrdom), and while they are not buried together (Cornelius is in the crypt of Lucina, near the old papal cemetery, and Cyprian is in Africa), Cyprian's picture is painted on the wall of Cornelius' crypt and they are mentioned together in the Roman Martyrology.

What brought them together was a heresy, a particularly nasty little heresy called Novatianism, after Novatian, the very able and self-righteous priest whose beliefs favored the permanent shunning of all lapsi, or apostates, who wanted to return to the Faith. He and his gang were so taken with these beliefs that they set up Novatian as an antipope and went on to deny absolution to not only apostates but murderers, adulterers, fornicators and those who, tsk, tsk, contracted second marriages, whatever the circumstances. Cornelius, supported by Cyprian, stood up against him and for the mercy of God. Absolution was always possible after the appropriate penance and confession. At a synod in Rome, the very well-qualified -- but very mistaken -- Novatian was condemned and excommunicated.

Cornelius was banished (by Decian) and died of his ill-treatment there; Cyprian, who lived on and even disagreed with the following pope, St. Stephen I in the matter of baptism by heretics and schismatics (which Cyprian condemned -- requiring re-baptism -- and Stephen upheld, condemning re-baptism), was later himself martyred by beheading. As St. Augustine ways, the excess of passion Cyprian displayed in the controversy with Stephen was atoned by his glorious martyrdom. Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, pray for us.