Saints Soter and Calus

22 April

In Rome, the two martyred popes Saint Soter, in 175, and Saint Calus, in 296.Soter succeeded Saint Anicet in 166. He strongly opposed the heresy of the Montanists. Denys of Corinth had this to say about him to the Romans: «Soter not only maintains the traditions of charity, but he develops them by generously providing everything that is sent to the faithful; and when they come to him, he welcomes them as a father his children. He was a victim of Marcus Aurelius» persecution, around the year 175. Caius, pope from 283 to 296, governed the Church at an equally troubled time, during the reign of the emperor Diocletian, just before the terrible persecution. His sufferings earned him the title of martyr.
In Lyon, in 177, the saints Epipodius and Alexander, martyred after Saint Pothinus.
In Constantinople, in 536, Saint Agapit I, Pope.
In the diocese of Sées, in 770, Saint Opportune, virgin, abbess.