When was pope Linus born?

Answer 1

A:

The Catholic Church believes that Linus was pope until about 76 CE, although the date is uncertain and there is no tradition as to when he was born. In fact, we can not even be sure whether a person of that name ever lived, in spite of Catholic tradition.

Francis A. Sullivan SJ (From Apostles to Bishops) says that most scholars are of the opinion that, in spite of Church tradition, the early church of Rome was led by a group of presbyters, and that bishops were not appointed to the church in Rome until later in the second century. In other words, there can have been no Pope Linus, although it is just possible there was a presbyter of than name.