SAINT FABIAN AND THE CONTEMPORARY CONCLAVE

 SAINT FABIAN AND THE CONTEMPORAY CONCLAVE

Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa utaziprince@yahoo.com

OUTLINE

Saint Fabian, the first lay man to be elected pope

Layman becoming Pope in the Roman Catholic Church

Conclave

Brief history of the method of electing a new Pope from 2nd century till date

Time frame to electing a new pope

Cardinals who are eligible to elect the pope in our contemporary time

What happens when a cardinal is elected pope

How do popes choose their names?

Saint peter as the the first pope

When was saint peter made pope

Bibliography

SAINT FABIAN, THE FIRST LAY MAN TO BE ELECTED POPE

Fabian was a Roman layman who came into the city from his farm one day as clergy and people were preparing to elect a new pope. This was after the death of Pope Anterus. Eusebius, a Church historian, says a dove flew in and settled on the head of Fabian. This sign united the votes of clergy and laity, and he was chosen unanimously.

Saint Fabian was the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 236 AD to 250 AD. His election to Papacy was surrounded by extraordinary circumstances. While the names of several illustrious and noble persons were being considered for the office of the Pope, a dove suddenly descended upon the head of Fabian, of whom no one had even thought. To the assembled brethren the sight recalled the Gospel scene of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Saviour of mankind, and so, divinely inspired, as it were, they chose Fabian with joyous unanimity and placed him in the Chair of Peter. 

The successor to Saint Anterus, Fabian was an outstanding administrator and one of the great popes of the early church. According to the Liber Pontificalis, he supposedly divided Rome into seven districts assigned to the seven deacons and is said to have founded several churches in France. His appointment of notaries to register the deeds of the martyrs reflected the increasing precision with which the Roman Catholic Church began to keep records during his time. He also appointed seven subdeacons, to collect, in conjunction with other notaries, the acta of the martyrs, that is, the reports of the court-proceedings on the occasion of their trials (cf. Eusebius, Church History VI, 43). During his reign of fourteen years there was a lull (calmness, stillness) in the storm of persecution. 

There is a tradition that he instituted the four minor orders (Portar, Lector, Acolyte, Subdeacon). Today, the Roman Catholic Church still give their seminarians the offices of lector and acolyte. The other Sui Iuris Catholic Churhes still give the four. Under him, considerable work was done in the catacombs. He caused the body of Pope St. Pontianus to be exhumed, in Sardinia, and transferred to the catacomb of St. Callistus at Rome. Later accounts, more or less trustworthy, attribute to him the consecration (245) of seven bishops as missionaries to Gaul, among them St. Denys of Paris (Greg. of Tours, Hist. Francor., I, 28, 31). St. Cyprian mentions (Ep., 59) the condemnation by Fabian for heresy of a certain Privatus (Bishop of Lambaesa) in Africa. The famous Origen did not hesitate to defend, before Fabian, the orthodoxy of his teaching (Eusebius, Church History VI.34). Fabian died a martyr on 20 January 250 AD at the beginning of the Decian persecution, and was buried in the Crypt of the Popes in the catacomb of Saint Callistus, where in 1850 AD De Rossi discovered his Greek epitaph (Roma Sotterranea II, 59): Fabian, bishop and martyr. His feast day is on January 20.

LAYMAN BECOMING POPE IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

In history, it is on record that one Italian family so controlled the papacy that it got three laymen elected to the Papacy (that is, became Pope). This is the Tusculan family which you shall read in the following passages.

There are only two requirements for becoming pope in the Roman Catholic Church according to the Canon Law: being male and being baptized into the Catholic Church. But although this technically leaves hundreds of millions of people eligible (both married and single, both clergy and non-clergy), they should not rejoice that they will one day be elected Pope. Note that a non-Cardinal has not been chosen since 1378 AD, when the selection of Urban VI brought about the Western Schism.

Canon 332 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states: The Roman Pontiff obtains full and supreme power in the Church by his acceptance of legitimate election together with episcopal consecration. Therefore, a person elected to the supreme pontificate who is marked with episcopal character obtains this power from the moment of acceptance. If the person elected lacks episcopal character, however, he is to be ordained a bishop immediately. Now, you can see that it is not compulsory that it is only bishops and Cardinals who are to be elected Pope.

In the same Spirit, Canon 1024 states: A baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly. It is concluded that one only needs to be a baptized male in order to be elected pope. Even married men, as much as that might seem as fantasy to some, could be elected pope! Many bishops in the early Church had been married first before the election to Papacy; however they would cease to live in the conjugal state. That would not annul or dissolve the marriage of the person, though.

You see that the 1983 Code of Canon Law does not specifically require ordination before one is elected Pope (cf Can. 332). As it suggests, episcopal character means being at least a bishop. There are no other requirements. It means that, IN THEORY, any Catholic could be elected pope.

As might be expected, theory flounders on reality. Until the early 11th century, church members or secular rulers generally selected popes. Then, because of recurrent conflict between the two, Pope Nicholas II issued a decree in 1059 AD that the Cardinals of the Church would elect the pope. No non-cardinal has been pope since the cardinals made an archbishop Pope Urban VI in 1378 [1379] AD. IN PRACTICE, of course in our contemporary time, Catholic laity and even priests and bishops have no real chance to be elected pope, and the papacy is restricted to Cardinals.

Further more, in actuality, it is not clear of how many laymen became pope before then 1059 AD. The reason is that until at least the seventh century, papal biographies are a mesh of veritable fact, romantic legend, deliberate fabrication, and heedless error, according to Louise Ropes Loomis, a translator of Liber Pontificalis, the earliest known history of the papacy. Religious schisms creating popes and antipopes further cloud the situation, as illustrated by Pope Leo VIII.

As a matter of fact, not only have lay men (e.g. John XIX 1024-1032) been elected pope, but deacons (e.g. Leo X 1513-1521), and in the early centuries, many priests of the diocese of Rome. Of course, many bishops have been elected, as well, especially since the appointment of the bishops of dioceses surrounding Rome, and from elsewhere, as Cardinals (advisors and electors of the popes). 

Below are some people who became Pope as lay men:

1. Saint Fabian was the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 236 AD to 250 AD

2. Leo, a layman, was ordained on December 5 and consecrated as Pope Leo VIII on December 6 963

3. When Pope Sergius IV died in May 1012, Theophylactus became Pope Benedict VIII six days later. He was the second of three sons of Gregory I, the count of Tusculum, and there is more conjecture than ascertained fact regarding his selection, according to Rev. Horace Mann, author of a multi-volume work of the lives of popes (Mann, Horace K., The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. IV: The Popes in the Days of Feudal Anarchy, 891999 (1910)). Most accounts say he was placed on the papal throne by force of arms. Although Mann raises some doubts, most sources say Benedict was a layman when elected pope. A rival family selected another man as pope, but Holy Roman Emperor Henry II recognized Benedict VIII.

4. On April 9, 1024, Benedict died of natural causes in Rome. One of his brothers was in the wings. While Benedict VIII was pope, his younger brother, Romanus, became a Roman consul and senator, essentially putting him in charge of the city. According to Mann, when Benedict died, Romanus, a layman, made use of his influence and of his money to become pope. It appears he was elected, ordained, and consecrated as Pope John XIX the same day. Mann says that although John does not seem to have entered the inner sanctuary honorably, once within it, he appears to have proved himself no unworthy successor of his distinguished brother. Others are less complimentary. Though his method of becoming pope was not above reproach, he had not done badly, says Catholic historian Father Joseph S. Brusher. Similarly, Italian author Claudio Rendina says the Church did not lose much when John XIX died in 1032.

5. Pope Benedict IX (10321045, 1045, 104748). Alberic, the older brother of Popes Benedict VIII and John XIX, evidently believed the papacy belonged to the Tusculan family. Upon the death of John XIX, he continued a family tradition. Bribery paved the way for his unordained son to become Pope Benedict IX. Some accounts claim Benedict IX was 10- or 12-years-old when he became pope. More likely, he was in his twenties. But although Benedict IX was a boy, his vices were the vices of a man, and, moreover, of a man utterly lost to shame, depraved and contemptible, according to historian Oswald Reichel. Even the Catholic Encyclopedia calls him a disgrace. Roman nobles so disliked Benedict IX, they drove him from the city in late 1044 and elected Pope Sylvester III in January 1045. His private army of his family returned him to Rome and the papacy two months later. But Benedict IX abdicated on May 1 in exchange for a large payment on behalf of his godfather, a respected priest who became Pope Gregory VI. Accounts differ on whether the payment was to remove him from the papacy or fund marriage to a cousin that never happened. It was not long before Benedict IX began plotting his return. In December 1046, a synod convened by King Henry III of Germany ousted Gregory VI and selected Pope Clement II. When Clement II died in November 1047, Benedict IX bribed his way back into the papacy. This would be his last papal stint. In July 1048, Henry III arranged the ouster of Benedict IX and replaced him with Pope Damasus II.

CONCLAVE

Conclave is the official process for electing a pope. The College of Cardinal gathers together in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pope. All others are barred from entry. Conclave in Latin literally means locked with a key. Typically, the current Pope must die or resign based on congent reasons in order for conclave to convene. It is extremely rare for a pope to resign. The Cardinals gather 15-20 days after the death of the Pope to conduct a secret ballot. Only the Cardinals are allowed in the chapel. There are a few exceptions, such as medical personnel. Each cardinal must take a solemn oath that he will adhere to the rules of conclave, as written by Pope John Paul II. After the first day of conclave, two votes may be taken each morning, and two each afternoon.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE METHOD OF ELECTING A NEW POPE FROM 2ND CENTURY TILL DATE

The early history of papal elections remains unclear. There is some evidence that the early popes, including Peter, appointed their own successors, though this practice evidently failed to gain support. Subsequently, the election of the bishop of Rome (the Pope) mirrored the election process for bishops in other towns: the local clergy were the electors; neighbouring bishops acted as presidents of the assembly and judges of the election; and the laity indicated their approval or disapproval more or less tumultuously. Elections were sometimes challenged or disrupted; as early as 217 AD, a schism occurred and rival popes (anti-Popes) were elected. After the Roman emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the early 4th century, the emperor assumed a role in the election, often presiding over the process and at times imposing a candidate. In the 6th century the Byzantine emperor Justinian I asserted that the newly elected pope could not be consecrated until his election had been confirmed by the emperor. Two centuries later, the Carolingian kings of the Franks, the pre-eminent power in Latin Christendom, replaced the Byzantine emperor as the secular authority who received formal notification of the results of papal elections, and Western rulers subsequently appropriated the rights and privileges assumed by Justinian and his successors. In the 10th and 11th centuries, popes were appointed by Otto I and Henry III, respectively.

In the 11th century, when the entire church underwent reformation, the system of papal election was transformed. In 1059 AD, Pope Nicholas II who reigned between 1059 AD and 1061 AD issued a decree that reformed the electoral procedure, limiting the role of the emperor. The election was to be carried out by the Cardina bishops with the assent of the Cardinal priests and Cardinal deacons (Note: These are the three categories of Cardinals) and the acclamation of the people. Despite these reforms, papal elections in the 12th century continued to be turbulent affairs. In the 1130s and the 1160s and 1170s, schisms occurred as disputed elections led to the consecration of popes and antipopes. The third Lateran Council of 1179 AD, which followed one of these schisms, made all Cardinals to be electors and required a two-thirds majority to decide the election.

Nevertheless, abuses still occurred. When the Cardinals failed to elect a pope for more than two years after the death of Clement IV who reigned between 1265 AD and 1268 AD, the local magistrate locked the electors in the episcopal palace, removed the roof, subjecting the Cardinals to the harsh weather elements, and allowed the cardinals nothing but bread and water until they made their selection, Gregory X who reigned between 1271 AD and 1276 AD. At the second Council of Lyon in 1274 AD, Gregory promulgated a constitution that called for the Cardinals to meet in closed conclave and imposed strict regulations to guide the election; Pope Boniface VIII who reigned between 1294 AD and 1303 AD ordered this decree incorporated into canon law. Despite the wisdom and rigour of the reform of Gregory X, papal elections continued to face difficulties in the 14th century. The most serious problem resulted in the Western Schism, when in 1378 AD two groups of Cardinals elected rival popes, one residing in Avignon and the other in Rome, and a third group of cardinals, convening in Pisa in 1409 AD, elected a third. The crisis caused by the schism was partially resolved by the reforms implemented at the Council of Constance which was held between 1414 AD and 1418 AD: the claims to the papacy of the Avignon pope, Benedict XIII, and the pope selected by the Pisan cardinals, John XXIII, were rejected, and each was branded a schismatic antipope; Gregory XII grudgingly resigned; and Martin V was elected to replace him.

Electoral rules were further regularized in the 16th and 17th centuries. Pius IV who reigned between 1559 AD and 1565 AD codified all laws on the conclave that had been promulgated since the time of Gregory X. In 1591 AD, Gregory XIV who reigned between 1590 AD and 1591 AD forbade, under penalty of excommunication, the placing of bets on the election of the pope, on the duration of the reign of the Pope, and on the selection of new cardinals. Gregory XV who reigned between 1621 AD and 1623 D issued legislation specifying in detail the procedure of the conclave.

By the 17th century the church had tacitly accepted a right of veto, or exclusion, in papal elections by the Catholic kings of Europe. Typically, a cardinal who was charged with the mission by his home government would inform the conclave of the inadmissability of certain papal candidates. The royal right of exclusion prevented the election to the papal office of various cardinals in 1721 AD, 1730 AD, 1758 AD, and 1830 AD. The right was exercised for the last time in 1903 AD, when Austria blocked the election of Cardinal Rampolla. The conclave then chose Cardinal Sarto, who, as Pius X reigning between 1903 AD and !914 AD, abolished the right of exclusion and threatened to excommunicate any cardinal who accepted from his government the mission of proposing a veto of a papal candidate.

Various popes in the 18th and 19th centuries issued decrees that provided flexibility over the sequestering of the cardinals and that responded to the possibility of interference by secular powers. The entire procedure was codified in a constitution issued by Pius X on December 25, 1904 AD. Pius XII who reigned between 1939 AD and 1958 AD promulgated a constitution on December 8, 1945 AD. This constitution introduced modifications and increased the required majority to two-thirds plus one. Paul VI who reigned between 1963 AD and 1978 AD directed that cardinals who are 80 years of age or older cannot vote; he also limited the number of voting cardinals to 120. Saint John Paul II who reigned between 1978 Ad and 2005 AD issued several more directives, notably declaring that after 30 ballots the traditional requirement of a two-thirds majority may, at the discretion of the cardinals, be superseded by election by a simple majority. In 2007 AD Benedict XVI who reigned between 2005 AD and 2013 AD restored the traditional practice, declaring that the valid election of a new pope required a two-thirds majority.

TIME FRAME TO ELECTING A NEW POPE

After the death of a pope, there is a 15 day period to celebrate the funeral Mass and burial of the pope, as well as a period of mourning. The death of a pope has been the usual time for the election of a new pontiff. The Cardinal Camerlengo, or Chamberlain, declares the death of the pope in the presence of the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, the Cleric Prelates, and the Chancellor of the Apostolic Camera. The Cardinal Camerlengo takes possession of the Ring of the Fisherman, the symbol of papal authority. Then the ring and the papal seal are destroyed before the College of Cardinals.

CARDINALS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO ELECT THE POPE IN OUR CONTEMPORARY TIME

Only cardinals under the age of 80 can be electors in the conclave. There were 115 eligible cardinals in the 2013 conclave. How did the conclave begin? On the morning designated for the beginning of the conclave, the cardinal electors celebrated the Eucharist in St. Peters Basilica. In the afternoon they gathered and process from the Pauline Chapel of the Palace of the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel, while singing Veni Creator Spiritus.

Upon arriving in the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals took an oath to defend the liberty of the Holy See, to keep all the proceedings secret, and to ignore any instructions they might have received from secular authorities on how to vote. The cardinals gave up their cell phones and any other electronic devices. The Sistine Chapel was probably swept, to discover if there are any electronic listening devices. While no devices were found in both in 2013 and 2005, there have been instances in the past when reporters disguised as attendants to the cardinals were found in the chapel.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CARDINAL IS ELECTED POPE?

When a cardinal has been elected, he is asked in Latin by the Cardinal Dean Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam in Summum Pontificem? meaning: Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff? The cardinal who is elected has the choice of saying non accepto meaning I dont accept. If a cardinal does not intend to accept the papacy, he will explicitly state this before he receives a sufficient number of votes to become pope-elect. Cardinal Giovanni Colombo declared his intention not to accept the papacy in the conclave of 1978 AD.

After the newly-elected pope accepts his election, the Cardinal Dean asks him about his papal name, saying in Latin: Quo nomine vis vocari? meaning By what name do you wish to be called? After the papal name is chosen, the officials are re-admitted to the conclave, and the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies writes a document recording the acceptance and the new name of the pope.

HOW DO POPES CHOOSE THEIR NAMES?

Choosing a name is a personal decision. John XXIII chose his fathers name. John Paul I was the first to choose two names to honor his immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. John Paul II chose his name to show his esteem for John Paul I. Benedict XVI took the name to honor Benedict XV (pope from 1914 AD to 1922 AD) and St. Benedict of Nursia, who founded and inspired the Benedictine monastic tradition in the Western Church.

SAINT PETER AS THE THE FIRST POPE

Saint Peter the Apostle, whose original name was Simeon or Simon, and died in Rome-Italy in 64, was a disciple of Jesus Christ, recognized in the early Christian church as the leader of the 12 apostles and by the Roman Catholic Church as the first of its unbroken succession of popes. Peter, a Jewish fisherman, was called to be a disciple of Jesus at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. He received from Jesus the name Cephas (from Aramaic Kepa [Rock]; hence Peter, from Petros, a Greek translation of Kepa).

The sources of information concerning the life of Peter are limited to the New Testament: the four Gospels, Acts, the letters of Paul, and the two letters that bear the name of Peter. He probably was known originally by the Hebrew name Simeon or the Greek form of that name, Simon. The former appears only twice in the New Testament, the latter 49 times. At solemn moments, in the Gospel according to John 21:15, he was called Simon, son of John. The Gospel According to John prefers Simon, which occurred 17 times or the compound, rarely found elsewhere, of Simon Peter. 

Much can be learned about Peter from the New Testamenteither explicitly from the statements made by and about Peter or indirectly from his actions and reactions as revealed in a number of episodes in which he figures prominently. He was at times vacillating and unsure, as in his relations with the church of Antioch when he at first ate with the Gentiles and later refused to do so (Letter of Paul to the Galatians 2:1114). He could also be resolute (Acts of the Apostles 4:10; 5:110). Occasionally he is depicted as rash and hasty (Luke 22:33, etc.) or irritable and capable of great anger (John 18:10). Often he is pictured as gentle but firm and, as in his professions of love to Jesus, capable of great loyalty and love (John 21:1517).

The New Testament reports that Peter was unlearned in the sense that he was untrained in the Mosaic Law (Acts 4:13), and it is doubtful that he knew Greek. He apparently learned slowly and erred time and time again, but later, when entrusted with responsibility, he demonstrated that he was mature and capable.

The Gospels agree that Peter was called to be a disciple of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, but when and where the event took place is recorded differently in the several Gospels. Luke (5:111) scarcely mentions James and John and omits Andrew while emphasizing the call of Peter. Matthew (4:1822) and Mark (Gospel According to Mark 1:1620) note the call of the four men, and with Luke agree that the event took place at the Sea of Galilee. The Gospel According to John places the call in Judaea (John 1:28) and states that Andrew, who had been a follower of Saint John the Baptist (1:35) and had heard John indicate that Jesus was the Lamb of Godleft John and introduced Peter to the Messiah, who at that time gave him the name (or title) Cephas (i.e., Peter, or Rock).

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are probably correct in recording that the call to Peter was extended in Galilee when Jesus first began his work in that area. The Gospel According to John is here, as elsewhere, perhaps more theologically than historically motivated; the author of John wishes to stress that Peter recognized the messiahship of Jesus from the beginning and that Jesus had seen Simon as the rock from their first meeting.

Whenever the disciples are listed, Peter is invariably mentioned first (Matthew 10:24; Mark 3:1619; Luke 6:1416; Acts 1:13; cf. Galatians 2:9). Although it is not certain whether or not this priority is primarily due to reading back into the Gospel narrative the importance of Peter in the apostolic church, his forceful personality was surely a factor. Those not belonging to the immediate followers of Jesus also recognized the authority of Peter, such as when the collectors of the temple tax approached him for information (Matthew 17:24). Again, with characteristic quickness he sought a clarification from Jesus on behalf of the disciples concerning the meaning of a parable (Matthew 15:15) or of a saying (Matthew 18:21). As both an individual and a representative of the Twelve Apostles, he made a plea for personal preference in the kingdom of heaven as a reward for faithful service (Matthew 19:27, 28).

In Catholic tradition, Peter was the first pope. 

WHEN WAS SAINT PETER MADE POPE

People who read John 21:15-17, argues that it was in this chapter that Jesus reconfirms the papacy position of peter, instructing him to feed my sheep. Actually, it is here that Jesus confirms, not reconfirms, the papacy of Peter. Peter was confirmed Pope after his priestly and episcopal ordinations on the Holy Thursday Event, and the Church was born from the side of Jesus on the Good Friday.

Many Scripture Scholars are of the opinion that the gospels clearly portray Jesus as conferring a special status on Peter, but he does not exercise authority over them until after the resurrection.  Later, meeting his brother Simon, Andrew said We have found the Messiah, and brought him to Jesus, who, looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter (cf. John 1:42). Now, compare it with John 21:14-17, where Jesus will again call Peter Simon Son of Jona. I am making this cross-reference for you to be convinced that Peter was confirmed Pope after his priestly and episcopal ordinations. Already, at this first meeting, the Saviour foretold the change of the name of Simon to Cephas (Kephas; Aramaic Kipha, rock), which is translated Petros (Latin, Petrus) a proof that Christ had already special views with regard to Simon. Later, probably at the time of his definitive call to the Apostolate with the eleven other Apostles, Jesus actually gave Simon the name of Cephas (Petrus), after which he was usually called Peter, especially by Christ on the solemn occasion after Peter's profession of faith (Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21). Many Scripture experts are of the opinion that Jesus promised that he would be head of His flock. The Evangelists often combine the two names, while St. Paul uses the name Cephas.

In spite of his weakness, his position as head of the Apostles was later confirmed by Jesus, and his precedence was not less conspicuous after the Resurrection than before. The women, who were the first to find Christ's tomb empty, received from the angel a special message for Peter (Mark 16:7). To him alone of the Apostles did Christ appear on the first day after the Resurrection (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). But, most important of all, when He appeared at the Lake of Genesareth, Christ renewed to Peter His special commission to feed and defend His flock, AFTER PETER HAD THRICE AFFIRMED HIS SPECIAL LOVE FOR HIS MASTER (John 21:15-17). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, Raymond Edward, Karl P. Donfried, and John Henry Paul Reumann. Peter in the New Testament; A Collaborative Assessment by Protestant and Roman Catholic Scholars. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1973. ISBN 9780806614014

Card, Michael. A Fragile Stone: The Emotional Life of Simon Peter. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN 9780851117850

Goulder, M. D. St. Paul Versus St. Peter: A Tale of Two Missions. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995. ISBN 9780664255619

Grant, Michael. Saint Peter: A Biography. New York: Scribner, 1995. ISBN 9780684193540

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Saint_Peter May 17 2022

https://www.britannica.com/topic/conclave May 16 2022

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Fabian April 8 2022

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-fabian

James Campbell. 10 Things to Know About Electing the Pope. https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/scripture-and-tradition/church-leadership/10-things-to-know-about-electing-the-pope/ May 16 2022

Kirsch, Johann Peter. St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 17 May 2022 https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11744a.htm May 17 2022

Meier, Gabriel. Pope St. Fabian. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 8 Apr. 2022. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05742d.htm. April 8 2022