To Eusebius of Thessalonica and Other Bishops, on the Title of Universal Bishop

Gregory to Eusebius of Thessalonica, Urbicus of Dyrrachium, Andrew of Nicopolis, John of Corinth, John of Prima Justiniana, John of Crete, John of Larissa and Scodra, and many other bishops. [a]

The care of government we have taken on compels us to extend the concern of our office watchfully, and to instruct the minds of our brothers with words of warning, so that no wrongful presumption may succeed in deceiving those who do not know, and no pretense may excuse those who do. Let your fraternity know, then, that John, formerly bishop of the city of Constantinople, acting against God, against the peace of the church, and to the contempt and injury of all priests, went beyond the bounds of modesty and of his own proper measure, and in a synod unlawfully seized the proud and pestilent title of “ecumenical,” that is to say, universal. When our predecessor Pelagius of blessed memory learned of this, he annulled by a fully valid censure all the proceedings of that same synod, except what had been done there in the case of Gregory, bishop of Antioch, of venerable memory. He took John to task with the severest rebuke and warned him to give up that new and reckless name of superstition, going so far as to forbid his own deacon to go in procession with him unless John corrected so great a wickedness. And we, holding in every respect to the zeal of his uprightness, keep his ordinances unbroken, under the protection of God. For it is fitting that a successor walk without stumbling along the straight way of his predecessor, since the judgment seat of the eternal Judge awaits him to give an account of the same office of government. In this matter, so that we might not seem to leave out anything that belongs to the peace of the church, we wrote more than once to the same most holy John, bidding him give up that name of pride and bend the elation of his heart to the humility which our Master and Lord has taught us. And when we found that he paid no attention, we did not stop, in our desire for harmony, from sending the same warnings to our most blessed brother and fellow priest Cyriacus, his successor. But now that the end of this world is near at hand, as we see, the enemy of the human race has already appeared in his forerunners, so that through this title of pride he has as his heralds the very priests who ought to have opposed him by living well and humbly. So I urge and beg that not one of you ever accept this name, that not one consent to it, that not one write it, that not one admit it wherever it may have been written, or add his signature to it. Rather, as becomes ministers of Almighty God, let each of you keep himself from this kind of poisoned infection and give no room to the cunning one who lies in wait. For this thing is being done to the injury and tearing apart of the whole church, and, as we have said, in contempt of all of you. For if one man, as he supposes, is Universal Bishop, it follows that you are not bishops. [b]

Further, it has come to our knowledge that your fraternity has been summoned to Constantinople. Our most pious emperor allows nothing unlawful to be done there. Even so, perverse men may take the occasion of your gathering to look for a chance of coaxing you into favoring this name of superstition, or may think of holding a synod about some other matter, so as to slip the name into it by cunning devices. Without the authority and consent of the Apostolic See nothing that might be passed would have any force. Nevertheless, before Almighty God I solemnly charge and warn you: let no one obtain the assent of any of you by any flattery, any bribes, or any threats whatever. Keep the eternal judgment before your eyes, and conduct yourselves soundly and with one mind against these wrongful aims. Upheld by a shepherd’s steadfastness and by apostolic authority, keep out the robber and the wolf who would rush in, and give no ground to the one who rages to tear the church apart. Do not allow, through any coaxing, a synod to be held on this subject. It would not be a lawful synod, and it ought not even to be called a synod. At the same time we also warn you that if nothing is done with mention of this absurd name, but a synod happens to be gathered on some other matter, you must be in every respect cautious, alert, watchful and careful, so that nothing is decreed there against any place or person to its prejudice, or unlawfully, or against the canons. But if some question comes up that can usefully be dealt with, let the matter be handled in such a way that it overturns no ancient ordinances. So we warn you once more, before God and his saints, to keep all these things with the utmost care and with the whole bent of your minds. For if anyone, as we do not believe will happen, should disregard any part of this present letter, let him know that he is cut off from the peace of the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles. Let your fraternity act, then, in such a way that when the Shepherd of shepherds comes in judgment, you may not be found guilty with respect to the office of government you have received. [f]