LOL The accolades the CC gives him show they still venerate him. He doesn’t appear to have been denigrated too much.
Mark - it would appear that those who profess to be experts on Catholicism still do not have a clue. They seem to believe that Catholic saints have live perfect lives modestly suffering on their knees in mystical prayer. For the record Catholics only recognize two persons to have ever been without sin. Sainthood is a recognition of persons by the Church for living extraordinary lives of who great charity and heroic virtues. They are as much to be emulated as venerated.
St. Hippopolytus was no exception. He did indeed permit himself to be elected as an opposing Bishop of Rome and openly challenged Pope Urban on issues of doctrine. His frequently cited writings came at this period of time which is this snippet from them have found favor among Protestants. It is completely lost on them that he confirms; "Peter preached the Gospel in Pontus, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Betania, and Italy, and Asia, and was afterwards crucified by Nero in Rome with his head downward, as he had himself desired to suffer in that manner." or that he was exiled and martyred by the Emperor Thrax and was reconciled with the Church before his death.
Though not nearly as appalling as the exclusion of actual Scripture to justify the Protestant heresy, ignoring the writings of the Early Church Fathers who gave their lives for the faith is pretty bad. When we look to what they had to say about St. Peter being the first Pope it is pretty convincing;
- St. Clement of Alexandria writes of "the blessed Peter, the chosen, the pre-eminent, the first of the disciples, for whom alone and Himself the Saviour paid tribute, [who] quickly seized and comprehended the saying" (Ch. 21), referring to Mk 10:28.
- Tertullian, wrote of Peter,; "Monogamist I am led to presume him by consideration of the Church, which, built upon him..." and "On Modesty", Tertullian wrote about the significance of Matthew 16:18-19, "On this rock I will build my Church" and similar, emphasizing the singular, not plural, right, and condemning "wholly changing the manifest intention of the Lord, conferring (as that intention did) this (gift) personally upon Peter" (Ch. 21).
- Origen wrote of "Peter, upon whom is built the Church of Christ" (Jurgens §479a). St.
- Cyprian of Carthage, wrote discussing Mt. 16:18-19, "On the Unity of the Church” - "On him He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to feed the sheep; and although He assigns a like power to all the Apostles, yet He founded a single chair, and He established by His own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity" (Jurgens §555-6).
LOL The accolades the CC gives him show they still venerate him. He doesn’t appear to have been denigrated too much.
Can you show me veneration of Hippolytus?