Pope Soter


Soter
Bishop of Rome
Modern bust of Pope Soter, from Fondi, with anachronistic papal tiara
ChurchEarly Church
Papacy beganc. 167
Papacy ended174
PredecessorAnicetus
SuccessorEleutherius
Personal details
Born
Diedc. 174
Rome, Roman Empire
Sainthood
Feast day22 April

Pope Soter (Greek: Σωτήρ Latin: Soterius) was the bishop of Rome from c. 167 to his death in c. 174.[1] According to the Annuario Pontificio, the dates may have ranged from 162–168 to 170–177.[2] He was born in Fondi, Campania, today in the Lazio region of Italy.[3] Soter is known for declaring that marriage was valid only as a sacrament blessed by a priest and also for formally inaugurating Easter as an annual festival in Rome.[4] His name, from Greek Σωτήριος from σωτήρ "saviour", would be his baptismal name, as his lifetime predates the tradition of adopting papal names.

  1. ^ Chapman, John (1908). "Caius and Soter, Saints and Popes" in The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. ^ Annuario Pontificio 2012 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, ISBN 978-88-209-8722-0), p. 8*
  3. ^ "Biography: Pope Soter". Archived from the original on 2006-10-09. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  4. ^ Pope Saint Soter » Saints.SQPN.com