Saints Cornelius and Cyprian

Cornelius was elected Bishop of Rome in 251, after the persecution of Emperor Decius had left the see vacant for over a year. Many Christians had denied the faith under threat of death, and Cornelius taught that these "lapsed" could be forgiven after sincere penance. The priest Novatian rejected this mercy and set himself up as a rival pope. Under Emperor Gallus, Cornelius was exiled to Centumcellae, near Rome, where he died in 253.

Cyprian, a wealthy and educated teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, North Africa, converted around 246 and soon became bishop of the city. He strongly supported Cornelius, and his treatise On the Unity of the Catholic Church defended the bond between the bishops and Rome. During the persecution of Emperor Valerian he was arrested and was beheaded in Carthage on September 14, 258. Both are named in the Roman Canon of the Mass.

The two martyrs are remembered together because of their friendship and shared defense of the Church's unity, and their names are heard whenever the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) is prayed.

Their feast is a good occasion to pray for the pope and the bishops and for Christians who are persecuted today.