Sixtus I

Pope Sixtus I (d. c. 126) was the seventh Bishop of Rome, traditionally reigning from approximately 117 to 126 during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. According to the Liberian Catalogue of popes, he served from the consulate of Niger and Apronianus to that of Verus III and Ambibulus — that is, from 117 to 126. Eusebius in his Historia Ecclesiastica places the reign slightly later, from 119 to 128, and scholarly comparison of the sources, notably by Richard Adelbert Lipsius, places his death around 125–126 after roughly ten years in office. A Roman of Greek descent, Sixtus succeeded Alexander I and was in turn succeeded by Telesphorus. The Liber Pontificalis records that he was a Roman by birth. Like most early popes, he was traditionally believed buried near Peter's grave on Vatican Hill. His relics are also venerated in Alife, brought there by Rainulf III, and Clement X gave some relics to Cardinal de Retz, who placed them in the Abbey of Saint Michael in Lorraine. Sixtus I is credited with three specific ordinances preserved in the Liber Pontificalis: that only sacred ministers may handle the sacred vessels of the altar; that bishops summoned to Rome must present Apostolic letters to their diocese upon returning; and that after the Preface in the Mass, the priest shall recite the Sanctus with the people. These decrees, if historical, represent early steps in the formalization of Roman liturgical practice and episcopal accountability to Rome. His name presents a small puzzle. Older sources use the spelling Xystus, from the Greek ξυστός meaning 'polished' or 'correct.' Because he was also the sixth pope after Peter, later tradition speculated that 'Sixtus' derives from the Latin sextus, 'sixth' — though this etymology remains disputed. It should be noted that the 'Xystus' invoked in the Roman Canon of the Mass refers to Xystus II, not Xystus I.