their priest Athanasius, formerly Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus.[1] Among the priests of this colony there are many who had been Orthodox bishops, who for some reason quarrelled with their people in the East, came to Italy, were converted, and then accepted this post at Leghorn. The colony never had a bishop, on principle; but the fact that its chaplain was in bishop's orders incidentally gave them for continual periods the advantage of having an ordaining bishop, like the Albanians in the south.
From the time of the quarrel between Melkites and Orthodox in Syria — that is, from the first quarter of the eighteenth century (see pp. 194 seq.) — many Syrian Melkites, speaking Arabic, came to join the colony at Leghorn. So comes a period of disputes, partly between the Greeks and the Melkites, partly between the Uniates and Orthodox. For many Orthodox merchants and refugees had also settled in the town. The Orthodox, having no church of their own, had attended the holy liturgy at the Uniate church. About the year 1757 they made an effort to turn it into an Orthodox one. But the Melkites and the Uniate Greeks joined forces to prevent this. Eventually, in 1757, the Grand Duke allowed the Orthodox to build a church for themselves, on condition that outside, where the door faced the street, there should be no symbol; inside they could put what they liked. It was to be quite distinct from the Uniate church; a list was to be kept of the members of both groups. No one was to be prevented turning Uniate if he wished to do so.[2] For Italy at that time these terms are not harsh. Then the Melkites began to make difficulties. They wanted a Melkite priest at the Annunziata church, and to have the services in Arabic. As they could not get this, most of them turned Latin. In 1763 Pope Clement XIII (1758-1769) tried to stop this; he issued a decree that all Catholics of the Byzantine rite, including the Melkites, should remain in, or return to, that rite. But the disputes went on. In 1816 the Melkites again petitioned Pius VII (1800-1823) that they might become Latins. This time at first they got the leave they wanted. It is odd, but characteristic of the Levantine Christian, that these people should prefer to become Latins rather than hear the prayers of their own rite said in another language.
