ELEUTERIO, POPE, saint. - The Lib. Pont. describes him as a Greek, born at Nicopoli to a certain Abbondio. Egesippo reports that he was deacon of the Roman Church under Aniceto. He succeeded Sotero and was pope during the reign of Commodo, under whom the Church enjoyed a certain period of tranquillity (175-89). His action with regard to the Montanists is not clear; he nevertheless followed their movement with watchful prudence and condemned it only after having thoroughly learned its doctrines.
This conduct of E. has given rise to the suspicion that he at first favoured the Montanists. Eusebio, however (Hist. eccl., V, 3-4), reports that the Churches of Lione and Vienne sent him, through s. Ireneo, wise and orthodox letters advocating the preservation of ecclesiastical unity. The Lib. Pont. attributes to E. a decree against the Gnostics and the Marcionites concerning the freedom of Christians to eat every kind of food. All modern historians reject the report that the British king Lucio wrote to E., expressing his desire to convert to Christianity. He was buried at the Vatican near the body of s. Pietro. Feast day, 26 May.