ordained a bishop for Ḥomṣ, Ḥāma, and Yabrūd, thereby taking those places from the diocese of Beirut. Athanasius 'Ubaid of Beirut complained to Rome of this, and Propaganda took his side. This did not prevent Maximos from carrying out his plan. He ordained a bishop for Diyārbakr; but this time the result was most tragic. The bishop was Peter Sammān, who took the name Makarios. In 1843 the see of Aleppo was vacant, and Makarios of Diyārbakr applied for it. The Patriarch, however, did not give it to him; so he turned sulky and, after a period of playing a double part, finally he went off to the Orthodox at Constantinople. The apostasy of this wretched man acquired some fame because of the extraordinary things the Orthodox did to him. He was to be Orthodox Metropolitan of Diyārbakr. He had received all sacraments, including his bishop's orders, according to the Byzantine rite, exactly the same as that of the Orthodox. Nevertheless they not only reordained him, but began proceedings by rebaptizing the man. It is a famous case illustrating their belief that no sacraments are really valid except those administered in the Orthodox Church.[1]
Another bishop of unhappy memory in the time of Maximos III was the once notorious Athanasius Totūnǵī of Tripoli. His ordination was a further mistake of Maximos, always too ready to multiply bishops. He was Superior of the seminary of 'Ain Trāz. Maximos had turned out the Jesuits who had been in charge of that seminary after the troubles of Germanos Ādam (p. 211), and had put this Totūnǵī there as rector. There was not the slightest need to make him a bishop. Seminaries get on quite well with a priest as rector. Still less was there any need to make a bishop for Tripoli. Charon says there were then at most ten Melkites there.[2] The Patriarch's idea was that he should administer the diocese while residing at 'Ain Trāz and conducting the seminary. Then very serious rumours about Totūnǵī's moral conduct got abroad. Maximos examined them; Totūnǵi pleaded guilty and gave the Patriarch a written confession. Maximos then told him to go to Ḥomṣ, to be quiet, and out of the way till the scandal had blown over. However, Totūnǵī fled to the refuge of all discontented Melkites,
- ↑ For the story of Makarios Sammān see Charon, op. cit., ii, pp. 117-122. His admission to the Orthodox Church has become a kind of test case and precedent. From this point of view it is discussed by L. Petit, "L'entrée des catholiques dans l'Eglise orthodoxe," Éch. d'Or., ii, 129-138.
- ↑ Op. cit., ii, 141. All Totūnǵī's story is told, ii, 140-146.
