Roots and Fruits of the New Apostolic Reformation - Part 1a

Pope Clement I was a desciple of Saint Paul and was ordained a bishop by Saint Peter

Pope Clement I’s famous letter to the Corinthians is credited as the first great non-inspired Christian document. His epistle rebuked the Corinthians for a schism and reminded the Corinthians of the necessity to obey the traditional authorities of the Church.

Pope Clement I had the strongest personality among the first popes, second only to Saint Peter's

When Emperor Nerva exiled Pope Clement I to Crimea on the Black Sea, Pope Clement I carried out his apostolate among the two thousand Christians forced to labor in the marble quarries. During Pope Clement I's forced abdication from the See of Peter, there were many conversions, thereby angering the new Emperor Trajan. When Pope Clement I refused to offer sacrifice to false gods, Emperor Trajan ordered Pope Clement I thrown into the Black Sea with an anchor around his neck.

About 868, on behalf of Pope Nicholas I, Saint Cyril unearthed bones and an anchor in Crimea which are believed to be Saint Clement I’s relics. Saint Cyril carried Pope Clement I’s relics to Rome where in 869 Pope Hadrian II deposited them in the high altar of the Basilica of Saint Clement in Rome.



Name:
Pope Clement V
Preceded by: Blessed Benedict XI (1303 - 1304)
Succeeded by: John XXII (1316 - 1334)
Roman Catholic Pope #196

Dates:
Born: c. 1260 (France)
Died: April 20, 1314
Pope: June 5, 1305 - April 20, 1314 (8 years)

Biography:
Clement V was the first pope of the so-called "Babylonian Captivity," also known as the "Avignon Exile" because the seat of the papacy was set in Avignon, France instead of Rome. Indeed, Clement never even set foot in Rome - he spent all of his time in France. Both the popes and thy general church structure were largely under the control of the French monarchy and French interests. Clement even went so far as to publish a bull praising King Philip of France for this fervor and hostility towards Pope Boniface VIII on account of the latter's unfavorable actions towards France. It is also believed that Clement's actions against the Knights Templar would not have occurred without pressure from Philip.

On matters not French, Clement V excommunicated Robert the Bruce of Scotland because he had a rival of his, John Comyn, murdered in church during mass. He also founded a number of universities and important teaching posts at other institutions.