of his other statement that the use of Latin was forbidden throughout so large a region.[1] Certainly, during the whole of this period of Byzantine aggression, the use of Latin rites, at least in Apulia, never entirely ceased.
The policy of the Emperors, then, was to set up Metropolitans with provinces all over Lower Italy, to see that these were ordained at Constantinople, that they were Greeks, either Greeks from the East or Greeks of Italy or Sicily, to insist that they use the Byzantine rite, and so to detach all this part of the Church from its ancient immediate dependence on Rome. As soon as the Great Schism began the Byzantine Government and Patriarch naturally tried to drag these Greek bishops in Italy with them into schism. Fortunately the Norman conquest, which happened just at that time, prevented the formation of anything like an organized schismatical Church in Italy. At the time of that conquest, however, there are many of these Greek bishops who sympathize with the schismatics at Constantinople and show every disposition to share their schism. The object of the policy of hellenizing the Church was naturally to attach the people the more to the Byzantine Government, and so to fortify Byzantine rule against Lombards, Saracens, and Normans.[2]
But an irreconcilable Latin element remained in the Lombards themselves. They had no tendency to adopt the Byzantine rite or to send their bishops to Constantinople to be ordained. At least, in the Lombards there remained a Latin and Catholic element all the time. In 743 Pope Zachary (741-752) held a provincial synod at Rome. While at this time, as the acts of the second Nicene Synod show, the bishops of Calabria and (in great part) Apulia were reckoned among those of the Byzantine Patriarchate, the Bishops of Tarentum and Cusentia (Cosenza) attended this Roman Synod.[3] These were still Lombard cities.
Nor had the Greek propaganda any success at Naples. Naples was always particularly Roman and Latin in feeling.
- ↑ J. Gay, for instance, doubts Luitprand's accuracy in this point ("L'Italie mérid.," pp. 351-352).
- ↑ In justice to the Government at Constantinople we must remember that the loyalty of Southern Italy and Sicily was of great political importance. It kept the Eastern Mediterranean open to the Împerial fleet and prevented hostile incursions on the coast of Greece. This point is well brought out by S. Zampelios, Βυζαντῖναι Μελέται (Athens, 1858), pp. 505-506.
- ↑ Other bishops from Apulia and Calabria attended the Roman Synod of 743 also; see p. 78.
