By VALENTINE OBIENYEM
I recently listened to Dr. Abel Damina claim that the Catholic Church is not the Church founded by Christ, further insisting it was established in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine. Such a statement betrays his ignorance of history and theology.
If the Catholic Church were truly founded in 325 AD, as he alleges, then one must ask: over which Church did the 33 named popes before 325 AD preside?
1. St. Peter (42-67 AD)
2. St. Linus (c. 67–76 AD)
3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (c. 76–88 AD)
4. St. Clement I (c. 88–97 AD)
5. St. Evaristus (c. 97–105 AD)
6. St. Alexander I (c. 105–115 AD)
7. St. Sixtus I (c. 115–125 AD)
8. St. Telesphorus (c. 125–136 AD)
9. St. Hyginus (c. 136–140 AD)
10. St. Pius I (c. 140–155 AD)
11. St. Anicetus (c. 155–166 AD)
12. St. Soter (c. 166–175 AD)
13. St. Eleutherius (c. 175–189 AD)
14. St. Victor I (c. 189–199 AD)
15. St. Zephyrinus (c. 199–217 AD)
16. St. Callixtus I (217–222 AD)
17. St. Urban I (222–230 AD)
18. St. Pontian (230–235 AD)
19. St. Anterus (235–236 AD)
20. St. Fabian (236–250 AD)
21. St. Cornelius (251–253 AD)
22. St. Lucius I (253–254 AD)
23. St. Stephen I (254–257 AD)
24. St. Sixtus II (257–258 AD)
25. St. Dionysius (260–268 AD)
26. St. Felix I (269–274 AD)
27. St. Eutychian (275–283 AD)
28. St. Caius (Gaius) (283–296 AD)
29. St. Marcellinus (296–304 AD)
30. St. Marcellus I (308–309 AD)
31. St. Eusebius (309–310 AD)
32. St. Miltiades (Melchiades) (311–314 AD)
33. St. Sylvester I (314–335 AD; served during the Council of Nicaea).
Each of these men served as the Bishop of Rome, shepherding the same Church that traces its foundation to Christ Himself and the apostles. The Catholic Church’s continuous leadership from St. Peter is an indisputable historical fact.
Damina’s argument is not only historically unfounded but also indicative of an astonishing lack of intellectual depth. For someone who presents himself as a scholar of Christianity, such ignorance is disappointing, to say the least. Instead of challenging the Catholic Church, perhaps he should focus on acquiring a basic understanding of Church history.
