A Letter from Bishop Philo Nikomedes of Pergamon to Cardinal Lysander

To: Cardinal Lysander

Greetings, my good man. I am Bishop Philo of Pergamon. I am writing to you as you are the Cardinal that has been appointed to represent Cybelos in the Church in Rome, and I would like to inquire upon a few matters. A good friend of mine recently traveled to Rome, and has told me much about the Church there. I must be honest, many of their practices disturb me greatly, and I would like to hear from you whether these aren’t true and my friend was merely mistaken, or if they are indeed true what you think of them. There are three main points of contention, and I shall address each one individually.

I. My friend who returned from Rome told me of the fact that the Roman Church practices fasting on saturdays. This is directly against what was decided in the Quinisext Council in 692, and I do not see how it is possibly justifiable. It strikes me as odd that the Church in Rome, who would so eagerly state how learned they are, are ignorant to this simple fact.

II. Another matter my friend has told me of is the fact that it is the discipline of the Roman Church to require celibacy from all of their Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. This is, as with the first point, against the Quinisext Council of 692. Indeed, it is said that anyone who separates a Priest or deacon from his wife is to face excommunication. This seems a very glaring problem with the Church in Rome, who again so brazenly ignore the Quinisext Council. Indeed, they seem not content to just ignore it, but feel them must explicitly contradict it.

III. The Final piece of contention that my friend brought to my attention is the practice of using Unleavened bread in the Eucharist. Would the Church in Rome deny the Holy Spirit? I am baffled by this, indeed I was almost sure my friend was joking when I first read this in his letter, but others I have spoken to have supported his statements.

I have made correspondence with many of my fellow bishops, and have spoken with men of faith throughout Pergamon, and I have found that they all find these problems, in particular the third, to be simply unacceptable. The Church in Rome would seem to have a disregard for much of the true faith, and as much as it pains me to say, is falling under the influence of evil - perhaps even the devil himself. I eagerly await your response to this, as I am unable to put this matter off my mind, and many of my fellow men of faith are also consumed by this issue. I specifically chose to write to you because, as I mentioned, you are the Cardinal from Cybelos in the Roman Church, and because Cybelos has been sympathetic to Constantinople.

Glory to God,

Signed: Bishop Philo Nikomedes of Pergamon.

Dear Bishop Philo Nikomedes of Pergamon,

I am afraid what you have heard is true. I am also afraid of what is happening to the once respectable Roman Catholic Church, I fear some of my fellow countrymen are correct when they say Rome is corrupt and power-hungry. Their altering of the Nicene Creed is most disturbing to me, calling the amendment just and the will of the Pope as he is divine and that the Pope needs no Council if he wishes to alter a Creed, not mentioning the addition of the filioque, most preposterous. Romes use of images? They worship them, not the teachings, I believe it dilutes the message of God, but I am silenced if I bring this up. I must say it is most depressing how far Rome has fallen.

Farewell and God be with you,
Lysander of Athens