Cornelius whose feast day is September 16th. A Roman priest, Cornelius was elected Pope to succeed Fabian in an election delayed fourteen months by Decius’ persecution of the Christians. The main issue of his pontificate was the treatment to be accorded Christians who had been apostasized during the persecution. He condemned those confessors who were lax in not demanding penance of these Christians and supported St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, against Novatus and his dupe, Felicissimus, whom he had set up as an antibishop to Cyprian, when Novatus came to Rome. On the other hand, he also denounced the Rigorists, headed by Novatian, a Roman priest, who declared that the Church could not pardon the lapsi (the lapsed Christians), and declared himself Pope. However, his declaration was illegitimate, making him an antipope. The two extremes eventually joined forces, and the Novatian movement had quite a vogue in the East. Meanwhile, Cornelius proclaimed that the Church had the authority and the power to forgive repentant lapsi and could readmit them to the sacraments and the Church after they had performed proper penances. A synod of Western bishops in Rome in October 251 upheld Cornelius, condemned the teachings of Novatian, and excommunicated him and his followers. When persecutions of the Christians started up again in 253 under Emperor Gallus, Cornelius was exiled to Centum Cellae (Civita Vecchia), where he died a martyr probably of hardships he was forced to endure.
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Cornelius and Cornelia were saints names used two generations ago on the German Swiss side of the family. The male cousin was always referred to as Neil. Then there was Uncle Linn who was legally named Linus also after an early pope.
Perhaps the most interesting part is how there was a fourteen month gap between the death of the old pope and the election of Pope Cornelius caused by worldly conditions, in this case government persecution.
This may be a good thing to remember as we go forward in our tumultuous century.
The Church did not collapse in those fourteen months. There was no need for daily pontifications (pardon the pun) to sustain the laity or clergy. The pontificate returned, vigorous and true enough for the man to be recognized for his piety.
I think we suffer from a glut of information and a paucity of wisdom. Like Lucy and Ethel on the production line, we are so busy struggling to put the pieces of information in any available place, we are denied the requisite time to process it into a prudent arrangement, let alone distill it into wisdom.
Neil means Champion.