Atila Sinke Guimarãess, in his tract, Resistance - Historical Precedents wrote:
St. Polycarp resisted Pope St. Anicetus
In the second century, the rites of the Church still were not fixed. There was a natural tendency to maintain the Judaic rites. The Roman Empire, dominant in almost the whole known world, exercised a strong influence. There was also the Greek influence present principally in Egypt and Syria. With this, a question understandably presented itself to the Church. Which of these influences should the liturgical rite follow?
Pope St. Anicetus (155-168) wanted to regularize the rites of the Church, initiating what would come to be the Roman Rite. St. Polycarp of Smyrna, a disciple of St. John the Evangelist, wanted to keep the same rites that he had learned from St. John and that had been followed by the other Apostles.
St. Polycarp traveled from the East to Rome and spoke firmly to St. Anicetus, opposing that planned uniformization. St. Polycarp was intransigent. St. Anicetus could not manage to persuade him of his reform. The two rites were maintained, because of the resistance of the great Bishop of Smyrna.
St. Polycarp, along with St. Clement of Rome, the Pope and St. Ignatius of Antioch are each honored with the singular title of Apostolic Father, that is, among the great apologists of the Church these great Saints were instructed by one or another of the Apostles.
SOURCEThe preceding tract contain errors of fact and a faulty conclusion.
1. Mr. Guimarãess asserts that the point of controversy between St. Polycarp and Pope St. Anicetus was based on the standardization of the Roman Rite.
2. This was not the issue. The issue was that St. Polycarp held the view great Easter must be dated on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. According to this position, Easter could fall on any day of the week, and would not be restricted to Sunday.
3. Pope St. Anicetus was universalizing the day of Easter as the Sunday following the 14th Day of Nisan. St. Polycarp met with St. Anicetus to discuss the matter. Both strongly held to their position, and the Pope allowed St. Polycarp to maintain his position. Both remained in peace and communion with each other. Pope St. Anicetus took a moderate approach with St. Polycarp.
4. Several years later, after both St. Anicetus and St. Polycarp had passed away, Pope St. Victor took a much stronger position against those who were then known as the Quartodecimans, by threatening them with excommunication.
5. The idea eventually died out, and Easter was universally recognized as the Sunday following the 14th day of a Nisan.
6. At no point did St. Polycarp resist Pope Anicetus. As a good Catholic bishop he brought the matter to the Pope. Both held strongly to their positions during their meeting, and in the end the Pope allowed St. Polycarp to maintain his date of Easter, and the two remained in peace and communion with each other.
7. We can never know what may have happened if St Anicetus did not allow St. Polycarp to remain in peace and maintain the Easter date based on the 14th day of Nisan. What we do know is that both saints met, and the matter was resolved peacefully, and St. Polycarp did not resist St. Anicetus, as a moderate policy was followed by the Pope which tolerated the practice of the Quartodecimans.