Church Fathers | Fr. Jacob Lindle On July 17, 180 A.D., in the little town of Scillium in the Roman Province of North Africa, a Roman governor demanded that 12 Christians “swear by the spirit of our lord the emperor and offer sacrifice for his health.” These men and women …

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 …