April 17 + Saint Pope Anicetus

Born in Emesa, Syria at the end of the first century, Anicetus came along at a time when most of the Apostles had already died. Anicetus was of the generation of leaders who had never met any of the original leaders of the early Church.

Anicetus came to Rome with St. Justin Martyr, one of the first Christian apologists. On the martyrdom of Pius I, Anicetus was elected to the bishopric of Rome. During that time he had to combat the dangerous errors of gnosticism, Christ's ancient enemy, already rampant in the days when Saint John the Apostle wrote his letters to the churches of Asia. Anicetus' vigilance protected his flock from the wiles of the false preachers who were attempting to corrupt the faith in the capital of the empire.

Soon after Marcus Aurelius became emperor, he noted the lack of worship of the standard Roman gods. A brilliant man in his own right, Aurelius must have known the cause of this behavior — people were becoming Christians. He quickly went to the source, Pope Anicetus, and took him into custody. As inflexible as ever in supporting the orthodoxy of the Church and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, Anicetus did not alter his beliefs and he was decapitated quickly.