shave the beard, nor use Azyme nor say the Filioque.[1] By this time Cerularius has found some more grievances against us besides the three chief ones (Azyme, Saturday fast, and celibacy). He bitterly complains of these customs, too: Latin clerks shave the beard, eat unclean food, their monks eat meat on Wednesday, they say the Filioque, and sing in Mass "One holy Lord Jesus Christ in the glory of God the Father through the Holy Ghost"; they have a kiss of peace in Mass, their bishops wear rings, do not venerate relics, despise the Eastern Fathers, will not pray to St. Gregory of Nazianzum, St. Basil, or St. John Chrysostom, and their bishops go to war.[2] Of all this amazing list of nonsense, some statements are sheer falsehoods, as that Latins do not venerate relics nor pray to the Saints he names.[3] In some cases one simply cannot, with the best will, make out what he means: why he objects to bishops' rings, shaving, or the verse at the end of our Gloria, unless on the general principle that the whole world must conform to Constantinople, down to the smallest trifles. One accusation (about our eating food Levitically unclean) is too ridiculous, as coming from the man who was always accusing us of Judaism. But in one point he has happened to hit on a real abuse—the 11th-century Latin bishop was too much disposed to go a-fighting. Peter, in his answer, agrees about the Filioque, but points out how absurd the other charges are.[4] In the case of the verse in the Gloria he reminds Cerularius that the Eastern Liturgies contain almost exactly the same words.[5] As for relics, the Romans have the very bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul, and "Adrian the Roman Pope presided at the Seventh Synod (against the Iconoclasts)." "And we have seen the Frank pilgrims in our venerable churches give every honour and reverence to sacred pictures."[6] But, above all, Peter of Antioch dreads schism, and the pathetic words, with which he implores Cerularius not to make one, end
- ↑ Will, o.c. p. 186. The Roman Church has never asked the Easterns to do any of these things.
- ↑ Ibid. pp. 180–183.
- ↑ In the Latin Church St. Gregory Nazianzum has his feast on May 9th, St. Basil on June 14th, St. John Chrysostom on January 27th. All three are honoured as Doctors of the Church.
- ↑ Will, o.c. pp. 193–197.
- ↑ P. 198.
- ↑ P. 202.
