Abstract: Minor references to St Clement of Rome (the 1st century AD), the third successor of St Peter, in popular, educational, and scholarly writings (not only in Slovakia) are mostly related to the theme of the mission and legacy of Sts Constantine-Cyril and Methodius, who brought his relics to Papal Rome in the year 867/868. Thereafter, his figure and legacy have been treated in various writings on the basis of the so-called First and Second Letters of Clement to the Corinthians, other Pseudo-Clementine writings, or various hagiographical texts about the given saint. However, the topic discussed has not yet been debated in the light of the documents of the 20th-century Popes, and has also been insufficiently examined and compared in the context of the (Catholic) Church of the periods of Antiquity and the 20th century. Various aspects of the personality and work of the aforementioned first-century Apostolic Father, as well as other related and intertwined particular themes or aspects, can be found in 22 Papal documents. They are the apostolic constitutions, encyclicals, apostolic exhortations and letters, as well as the speeches of the following four Popes of the 20th century: Pius XI (1922 – 1939), John XXIII (1958 – 1963), Paul VI (1963 – 1978) and John Paul II (1978 – 2005).

Authors: Husár, Martin

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2023.16.2.163-185

Publication order reference: doc. Mgr. Martin Husár, PhD.; Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Faculty of Arts, Institute for Research of Constantine and Methodius’ Cultural Heritage, Štefánikova 67, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6569-6833, WOS Researcher ID: AAG-9365-2020, SCOPUS Author ID: 57191329261

Source: Konštatínove listy, 2023, vol.: 16, issue: 2, pages: 163-185 (PDF file)

Keywords: ST CLEMENT OF ROME, ANTIQUITY, THE 20TH CENTURY, THE CHURCH, POPES

Language: ENGLISH

Recommended Citation:
Husár, Martin. 2023. St Clement of Rome and Reflection on His Personality, Work and Time in the Documents of the 20th-Century Popes. In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 16/2, 163-185.