Today the Catholic Church commemorates Saint Linus, Pope and martyr, a fundamental yet often silent figure of the dawn of Christianity. As the second Supreme Pontiff and the first immediate successor of the Apostle Peter, Linus found himself steering the boat of the Roman Christian community at the end of the 1st century. It was a very heavy legacy, taken up during the difficult and dramatic years that followed the fierce Neronian persecution. His figure is also attested to by the Scriptures: Saint Linus is in fact mentioned by Saint Paul in his second Letter to Timothy. A faithful witness to the Gospel until the supreme gift of his life, he suffered martyrdom during the empire of Domitian. His body was laid on the Vatican Hill, a short distance from the tomb of the prince of the Apostles, thus sealing in death that bond of service and communion that had characterized his earthly leadership.
