Pope Pontian and the priest Hippolytus had once been rivals in the Roman Church but were exiled together to the mines of Sardinia. There they were reconciled and died after harsh labor, and they are honored together as martyrs.
Life
Saint Pontian became pope in 230, and Saint Hippolytus was a priest and noted theologian in Rome in the early third century. Strict by temperament, Hippolytus criticized the more merciful pastoral approach of the popes of his day, broke with the Church, and for a time acted as an antipope.
In 235, during the persecution of Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Pope Pontian and Hippolytus were both exiled to the mines of Sardinia. Pontian resigned the papacy for the good of the Church, and after harsh labor and suffering both men died there. Tradition holds that Hippolytus was reconciled with the Church in exile. Their remains were later brought back to Rome, where they were honored as martyrs.
Spirituality
The spirituality of Pontian and Hippolytus is a reconciliation forged in suffering. Two men who had walked different paths became one as they suffered for Christ in the same place of exile. Pope Pontian set aside his office for the Church, and Hippolytus chose the unity of the Church over his own stubbornness.
Reflection
Two men once at odds were reconciled beneath the same cross. If there is someone I have long shut out of my heart, why not begin by praying for them today?