FEAST OF THE FIRST MARTYRS OF ROME Today we honour the first martyrs of Rome. The feast is superseded today by the Sunday Liturgy These \u201cproto-martyrs\u201d of Rome were the first Christians persecuted en masse by the Emperor Nero in the year 64, before the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. Nero was widely believed to have caused the fire that burned down much of Rome in the same year. He blamed the fire on the Christians and put them to death, many by crucifixion, being feeding to the wild animals in his circus, or by being tied to posts and lit up as human torches. These martyrs were called the \u201cDisciples of the Apostles\u201d and their firmness in the face of their gruesome deaths were a powerful testimony that led to many conversions in the early Church. Let us also remember the first four Popes, all of whom were martyred for Christ. Saint Peter, St. Pope Linus, St. Pope Anacletus, St. Pope Clement I, pray for us.