To Anatolius of Constantinople, Welcoming Him into Communion

Leo the bishop to Anatolius the bishop.

We rejoice in the Lord and glory in the gift of his grace, who has shown you to be a follower of the teaching of the gospel, as we have found from your letter, beloved, and from the account of our brothers whom we sent to Constantinople. For now, through the tested faith of its priest, we are justified in assuming that the whole church committed to him will have no wrinkle or spot of error, as the apostle says: “For I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” For that virgin is the church, the bride of one husband, Christ, who lets herself be corrupted by no error. So throughout the whole world we have one entire and pure communion, in which we now welcome you as a partner, beloved, and we give our approval to the order of proceedings we have received, confirmed, as was proper, with the necessary signatures. So that your spirit in turn, beloved, may be strengthened by our words, we have sent back after the Easter festival, with our letters, our sons the presbyter Casterius and the deacons Patricius and Asclepias, who brought your writings to us. Through them we tell you, as we said above, that we rejoice at the peace of the church of Constantinople, on which we have always spent such care that we wish it to be polluted by no heretical deceit. [a]

Now we learn from your letters and from our delegates’ account that certain brothers desire communion with us. They grieve that they did not stand firm against violence and intimidation, but gave their assent to another man’s crime when terror had so bewildered them that, by their hasty agreement, they lent themselves to the condemnation of the catholic and guiltless bishop, Flavian, and the acceptance of the detestable heresy of Eutyches. About them we approve what was decided in the presence and with the cooperation of our delegates: that for the present they should be content with the communion of their own churches. But we want our delegates, whom we have sent to consult with you, to come to some arrangement by which those who condemn their wrongdoing with full assurances of repentance, and who choose to accuse themselves rather than defend themselves, may be gladdened by peace and communion with us. The condition is that what was accepted against the catholic faith must first be condemned with a complete anathema. For otherwise, in the church of God, which is Christ’s body, there are neither valid priesthoods nor true sacrifices, unless in the reality of our nature the true High Priest makes atonement for us, and the true blood of the spotless Lamb makes us clean. For although he is seated at the Father’s right hand, yet in the same flesh which he took from the Virgin he carries on the mystery of propitiation, as the apostle says: “Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who also rose, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” For our kindness cannot be blamed in any case where we receive those who give assurance of repentance, and whose being deceived grieved us. So the gift of communion with us must be neither harshly withheld nor rashly granted. For just as it fully agrees with our religion to treat the oppressed with a Christlike love, so it is fair to lay the full blame on the authors of the disturbance. [b]

As to reading out the names of Dioscorus, Juvenal and Eustathius at the holy altar, it is fitting for you, beloved, to keep to what our friends who were present there said should be done. That agrees with the honored memory of Saint Flavian and will not turn the minds of the lay people away from you. For it is very wrong and unfitting that those who have harassed innocent catholics with their attacks should be mixed in without distinction among the names of the saints, since by not forsaking their condemned heresy they condemn themselves by their perversity. Such men should either be punished for their unfaithfulness or strive hard for forgiveness. [c]

As for our brother and fellow bishop Julian, and the clergy who stood by Flavian of holy memory and gave him faithful service, we want them to stand by you as well, beloved, so that they may know that he, who we are sure lives with our God by the merits of his faith, is present with them in you. We want you to know this too, beloved: our brother and fellow bishop Eusebius, who for the faith’s sake endured many dangers and hardships, is staying with us at present and continues in our communion. We would have your care protect his church, so that nothing may be destroyed in his absence, and so that no one may dare to harm him in anything until he comes to you bearing a letter from us. And so that our affection for you, or rather the affection of all Christian people, may be stirred up all the more, we want what we have written to you, beloved, to come to everyone’s knowledge, so that those who serve our God may give thanks that peace between the Apostolic See and you is complete. On other matters and persons you will be more fully instructed, beloved, by the letter you will have received through our delegates. Dated the 13th of April, in the consulship of the illustrious Adelfius (in the year 451). [e]