Anacletus
3rd pope and bishop of Rome from c. 79 to c. 92 AD
Feast: 26 April (1962 Missal, III class) · not on the current Roman calendar
Who they were
The Martyrology once counted Cletus (26 April) and Anacletus (13 July) as two martyr popes; later study showed them to be one person, the name Anacletus shortened to Cletus. St Irenaeus and Eusebius both place him as successor of Linus, who followed St Peter.
Born in Athens, he may have helped St Peter govern the Church, and led it himself around the years 79-90.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: Cletus has been honoured as a martyr since the early Church.
Why that counted as sanctity
Cletus, third Bishop of Rome after Peter, handed on the apostles' faith in the first generation of the Church.
- Vatican News - Saint of the day (Italian): Pope Anacletus
- Wikidata Q80450 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pope Anacletus (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.