Styles of
Pope Stephen I |
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His Holiness |
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Your Holiness |
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Holy Father |
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Saint |
Pope Saint Stephen I served as Bishop of Rome from May 12, 254 to August 2, 257.
Of Roman birth but of Greek ancestry, he became bishop of Rome in 254, having served as archdeacon of Pope Lucius I, who appointed Stephen his successor.
At the time, internal disputes racking the Church were as much a threat as the external persecutions. Following the "Decian persecution" of 250 - 251 churches split over how to deal with the lapsed Novatian, later declared a heretic, holding for the strictest approach. In the early part of his pontificate Stephen was thus urged by Faustinus, Bishop of Lyon, to take action against Marcian, Bishop of Arles, who denied communion to the penitent among those whose faith had lapsed during the persecutions, the position called Novatianism.
This led to controversy over whether to accept as a valid sacramente baptism by splinter Christian groups. Stephen also held that converts from such groups did not need rebaptism, while Cyprian, but certain bishops of the Roman province of Africa held rebaptism necessary for admission to the Eucharist. Stephen's view eventually won broad acceptance.
He is also mentioned as having insisted on the restoration of the bishops of León and Astorga, who had been deposed for unfaithfulness during the persecution but afterwards had repented.
The Deposition Episcoporum of 354 speaks of Pope Stephen I as not a martyr.[1] Probably because of a conflation with his successor Pope Sixtus II, who was one of the first victims of Valerian's 258 persecution, it has been said that, as he was sitting on his pontifical throne in the catacombs, celebrating Mass for his congregation when the emperor's men came and beheaded him on 2 August 257. As late as the 18th century, the chair was preserved, still stained with blood. But Valerian's original persecution in 257 did not order summary execution of bishops.
His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is 2 August.[2]
Saint Stephen I is the patron of Hvar.
External links
af:Pous Stefanus I
bg:Стефан I (папа) ca:Papa Esteve I cs:Štěpán I. (papež) da:Pave Stefan 1. de:Stephan I. (Bischof von Rom) et:Stephanus I es:Esteban I (Papa) fr:Étienne Ier (pape) gl:Estevo I, papa ko:교황 스테파노 1세 id:Paus Stefanus I it:Papa Stefano I he:סטפנוס הראשון jv:Paus Stephanus I sw:Papa Stefano I la:Stephanus I hu:I. István pápa mk:Папа Стефан I nl:Paus Stefanus I ja:ステファヌス1世 (ローマ教皇) no:Stefan I (pave) pl:Papież Stefan I pt:Papa Estêvão I ro:Papa Ştefan I ru:Стефан I (папа римский) sk:Štefan I. (pápež) fi:Pyhä Stefanus I sv:Stefan I (påve) th:สมเด็จพระสันตะปาปาสตีเฟนที่ 1 uk:Стефан I
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