Pope St. Cornelius
Sep 16
Patron Saint of Earache Sufferers, Domestic Animals, Cattle
By 251, the Church had endured fourteen months without a pope when Cornelius was elected, much against his will.
After the persecution, the Church became divided in two. One side, led by the Roman priest Novatian, believed that those who had stopped practicing Christianity during the persecution could not be accepted back into the Church even if they repented.
Under this philosophy, the only way to re-enter the Church would be re-baptism. The opposing side, headed by Pope Cornelius, did not believe in the need for re-baptism.
Instead, he believed the sinners should only need to show contrition and perform penance to be welcomed back into the Church. Novatian resisted Cornelius and declared himself Pope – thus becoming History's first antipope.