Pope Sixtus I

Sixtus I
Birth name	Sixtus or Xystus
Papacy began	117 or 119
Papacy ended	126 or 128
Predecessor	Alexander I
Successor	Telesphorus
Born	??? Rome, Italy
Died	126 or 128 Rome, Italy
Other popes named Sixtus

Styles of Pope Sixtus I
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	Saint

Pope Saint Sixtus I was the bishop of Rome from about 117 or 119 C.E. to 126 or 128 C.E., succeeding Pope Alexander I. The spelling Xystus is also used for the first three popes of that name.

The Xystus who is commemorated in the Catholic Canon of the Mass is Xystus II, not Xystus I.

Sixtus was a Roman by birth, and his father's name is given as Pastor. The Liber Pontificalis, credits him with instituting the following three ordinances:

• that only sacred ministers are allowed to touch the sacred vessels;
• that bishops who have been summoned to the Rome can only accepted back by their diocese after presenting letters from the pope
• that after the Preface in the Mass the priest shall chant the Sanctus together with the people.

The Felician Catalogue of popes and the various martyrologies style him martyr, which is not the case with several earlier popes which the Liber Pontificalis calls martyrs. However, Irenaeus of Lyons, writing in the second century, says nothing of his martyrdom. His successor, Telesphorus, is the first bishop of Rome after Saint Peter whom Irenaeus designates a martyr.

Sixtus was reportedly buried in the Vatican, beside the tomb of St. Peter. His relics are said to have been transferred to Alatri in 1132, although others contend that they are still in the Vatican Basilica.

An image of Pope Saint Sixtus can be seen on a fresco at Chalivoy-Milon in the Berry and is reproduced here: http://picasaweb.google.com/JuliannaLees/ChalivoyMilon

According to the Liberian Catalogue of popes, he ruled the Church during the reign of Hadrian "a consulatu Negro et Aproniani usque Vero III et Ambibulo," that is, from 117 to 126. Eusebius states in his Chronicon that Sixtus I was pope from 114 to 124, while his Historia Ecclesiastica, using a different catalogue of popes, claims his rule from 114 to 128. All authorities agree that he reigned about ten years.

The eighteenth century English Roman Catholic hagiographer Alban Butler (Lives of the Saints, 6 April) states that Pope Clement X gave some of his relics to Cardinal de Retz, who placed them in the Abbey of St. Michael in Lorraine. The Xystus who is commemorated in the Catholic Canon of the Mass is Xystus II, not Xystus I.

His feast is celebrated on April 6.

Roman Catholic Popes
Preceded by: Alexander I	Bishop of Rome Pope 115–125	Succeeded by: Telesphorus

Notes

• "Pope St. Sixtus I" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Pope Sixtus I  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Pope Sixtus I"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.