GREEK CHUECH. 



335 



instruments of causing fresh sorrows to 1dm useless- 

 ly; nor can we bring ourselves to tear open old 

 wounds, or to resuscitate old and extinct animosities 

 by discussions and " strifes of words" which termi- 

 nate, for the greater part, in alienation and hatred ; 

 whereas, in these days, if ever, both parties need to 

 exercise evangelical and mutual charity, and sym- 

 pathy, in view of the many and multiform dangers 

 and trials which beset the Church of Christ. A com- 

 bined and harmonious synodical action is not possi- 

 ble, where there is no standing-ground in a commu- 

 nity of principles. 



On the other hand, we are of opinion that the most 

 satisfactory and dispassionate solution of questions 

 such as those at issue is that which is supplied by 

 history. That is to say, inasmuch as a Church_ ex- 

 isted ten centuries ago, professing the same doctrines 

 both in the East and West in the elder and new 

 Rome, let us both revert to this Church, and let us 

 see which of us two have made additions or retrench- 

 ments. Let additions be suppressed, if any such 

 they are, and wherever they exist. Let all doctrines 

 that have been suppressed be revived, if any such there 

 are, and wherever they are ; then shall we, one and 

 all, find ourselves, insensibly as it were, marching 

 onward in the same path of Catholic Orthodoxy, from 

 which the Eome of later ages, deviating more and 

 more widely, appears to find a pleasure m enlarging 

 the gap by an ever-varying series of new dogmas and 

 enactments, abhorrent to Divine tradition. 



A conversation ensued between the delegates 

 of the Pope and the Patriarch, on the nature 

 and power of (Ecumenical Councils, in the 

 course of which the Patriarch thus expressed 

 his views with regard to the authorities of 

 councils and of the Pope : 



According to us, an Oecumenical Synod, the Uni- 

 versal Church, genuine Catholicity, are, and are de- 

 fined to be, that holy and undefiled body in which, 

 independently of numerical completeness, is em- 

 braced and comprehended the unadulterated doc- 

 trine of the Apostles and the creed of every particu- 

 lar church firmly established, from the formation of 

 such church up to the close of the first eight centu- 

 ries ; during which period, the fathers, both of the 

 East and West, and the seven solely (Ecumenical, 

 most holy, and heaven-inspired Councils, echo the 

 one uniform^ heavenly voice of the Gospel. Those 

 same Councils, and those same venerable Fathers 

 whose records and writings are known and read of 

 all men, who have become the sure and unerring 

 guide of every Christian, of every Bishop of the West 

 thirsting for and searching after Evangelical Truth, 

 these constitute the supreme judicature of Christian 

 verity. These are the safe way on which we may 

 meet one another in the holy embrace of doctrinal 

 union. But every one straying from this beaten 

 track must be regarded by us as a wanderer from 

 the right path, and unqualified for rallying round him 

 the members of the Orthodox Church. 



But if, perchance, certain among the Western 

 bishops, entertaining doubts respecting any of the 

 articles of their faith, should desire to assemble 

 themselves together, let them so assemble, and let 

 them examine into such matters at any time, if they 

 are so minded. As for us, we are harassed by no 

 doubts respecting the unchangeable doctrines accord- 

 ing to godliness handed down to us by our fore- 

 fathers. 



And, moreover, O venerable abbes ! adverting to 

 the subject of Oecumenical Councils, it does not, to a 

 certainty, escape your memory that Oecumenical 

 Councils have been wont to be assembled with ob- 

 servances very different from those now promulgated 

 by His Holiness. 



If the most holy Pope of Eome had acknowledged 

 the apostolical equality of dignity and brotherhood, 

 it behoved him as an equal in dignity among equals, 



and first in the order of his See according to canon- 

 ical right to address a separate letter to each of the 

 Patriarchs of the East and their respective Synods : 

 not that he should dictate ; through the medium of 

 encyclicals and of the public press, as lord and mas- 

 ter of all ; but as a brother as an equal in rank and 

 dignity to consult his brethren whether or not they 

 approved of the convocation of a Council, and the 

 where and the Jiow and with what objects. 



Seeing that these things are so, either do you recur 

 to the lessons to be drawn from history and the 

 Oecumenical Councils, that, according to historical 

 precedents, the true and divinely-cemented union, 

 longed for by all, may be accomplished ; or, once 

 more, we must seek consolation in the exercise of 

 our unceasing prayers and supplications for the peace 

 of the whole world, the prosperity of the Holy 

 Churches of God, and for the union of the whole 

 body. 



Under such circumstances, then, we are grieved 

 to have to declare to you that we regard the in- 

 vitation as superfluous and fruitless, as well as the 

 missive by which it is conveyed, of which you are 

 the bearers. 



The conversation having been brought to a 

 close, the Patriarch motioned to his Vicar- 

 General to take up the letter and deliver it to 

 those who brought it, who, having been treated 

 with every hospitable and friendly attention, 

 took their departure. 



The Holy Synod of St. Petersburg also re- 

 ceived a formal invitation from the Pope, and 

 prepared a reply declining the invitation. 



A letter from Moscow to the London Church 

 News states that the pastoral letters of the Pan- 

 Anglican Synod held in 1867 were received 

 with profound respect and unfeigned admiration 

 by several prelates of the Russian Church. It 

 adds: "The Reunion School at Moscow, well 

 represented both at the University and Theo- 

 logical Seminary, is full of hope as regards the 

 preparation of a common basis for peace nego- 

 tiations." 



At the meeting of the English Eastern 

 Church Association, held at London in 1868, 

 the Archpriest Popoff mentioned that he had 

 been authorized by the Holy Governing Synod 

 to say mass occasionally in English-, in order 

 to familiarize Englishmen with the Eastern 

 rite. 



In Russia, the "Holy Synod" is speeding its 

 new authorized Russian version of the Bible. 

 Already the section embracing the Old Testa- 

 ment is nearly finished, and, simultaneously 

 with this, a popular edition of the same ver- 

 sion, accompanied with brief notes and ex- 

 planations, is preparing. It was reported that 

 several persons, male and female, as voluntary- 

 agents, were distributing the Bible from house 

 to house in Russia under encouraging circum- 

 stances. A religious library recently estab- 

 lished had been furnished with three thousand 

 copies by order of the bishop, and the priests 

 of one town were proposing to hire a colpor- 

 teur to place a copy in every house. 



The Greek Church of Russia, in 1868, lost 

 one of its most distinguished bishops, by the 

 death of Archbishop Philarete of Moscow. On 

 his successor, a St. Petersburg paper gives the 

 following information : 



