more Greeks arrived in Venice; they became a most prosperous and wealthy community. They established a great school, the Phlangineion, destined to be one of the chief Greek schools abroad, when there were none under the Turk. And the Œcumenical Patriarch wrote strong letters to them, fortifying them in their resolution not to bow to the horns of Roman pride.
In 1700 the Government seems suddenly to have realized how this community was slipping away from its influence. It was not so much the question of faith as that of the Government's rights that brought about a crisis. While the bishop was now frankly a schismatic, he was even nominated at Constantinople. So all the rights of the state in his election were ignored. When the bishop Gerasimos died, in 1679, the Council of Ten resolved to make itself felt in the nomination of his successor. The Venetian Patriarch, Peter Barbarigo, seized this opportunity to restore the old state of communion with Rome. Between them they arranged for the election of Meletios Typaldos in 1680. He was a Greek from the island Kephallenia, presumably formerly a schismatic. But he became a Uniate, made a Catholic profession of faith, satisfied all the conditions set by the authorities at Rome, and so was ordained in the church of St George as Catholic auxiliary of the Patriarch of Venice for the Greek community. Typaldos held this office thirty-seven years (1681-1718), during which he remained always a zealous supporter of the Government and of union. He insisted that all his clergy should make a Catholic profession of faith, would not allow any wandering Greek priest to officiate in his church till he, too, had done so, and used every means to put an end to the spirit of schism among his people. He was on excellent terms with the Venetian Government, obtained further privileges for his people from it, and helped it to put down and punish any attempt at schism.
Naturally there is difference of opinion as to the character of Typaldos. The Orthodox Kyriakos and the Protestant Schröckh cannot bear him. Kyriakos says he was corrupted by Roman gold and betrayed the Orthodox by himself helping the Government to carry out its persecuting laws.[1] Schröckh
- ↑ Ἐκκλ. Ἱστ., iii, 120.
Metropolitan of Zakynthos and Kephallenia (then Venetian territory); he may himself be ordained by any bishop, at the choice of the Venetian Government (Pisani, loc. cit., p. 210).
