Today we celebrate the feast of St. Callistus I (reigned as pope ca. 217 AD - 222AD). Most of what we know about Callistus comes to us from his critics, notably Tertullian, who accused Callistus of heresy. Callistus' route to the papacy and sainthood was a highly unusual one. Born a slave, Callistus was entrusted with a sum of money by his master in order to found a bank. Callistus took in deposits, and loaned out money, but this money was not repaid, and thus all the money entrusted to Callistus by his master was lost. Callistus fled by ship, but his master caught up with the ship, so Callistus jumped overboard and nearly drowned. Callistus was rescued from drowning, only to receive the punishment of being forced to turn a mill, like a beast. Callistus was soon freed in order retrieve the lost money, was re-arrested, denounced as a Christian, and condemned to the tin mines of Sardinia. Eventually, the wife of the Emperor Commodus obtained the release of the Empire's Christian prisoners, including Callistus. Weakened by his ordeal, he was sent to Antium (modern Anzio) to recuperate, and given a pension by Pope Victor I. From this low ebb in his fortunes, Callistus somehow rose to the position of Archdeacon, was given authority over the catacombs which today bear his name, and eventually became pope. We don't know how Callistus was martyred. The Church did not suffer persecution during his pontificate, so the circumstances of Callistus's martyrdom, like so much of his life, must have been somewhat unusual.
While pope, Callistus was criticized for permitting serious sinners to return to communion. Callistus argued that the Church had been given the power to "bind and loose" through St. Peter. Perhaps Callistus' personal experience of condemnation and redemption also had some bearing on his views. Though denounced by some as indefensible laxity, Callistus' opinion prevailed, and was of supreme value to the Church in dealing with the Donatist schism and its consequences in the fourth century AD.
Pope St. Callistus, pray for us.
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