«City of the Apostles» vs. «Second Rome»: On the Theological Grounds of St. Gregory the Great’s Criticism of the Title «Ecumenical Patriarch».

Abstract

The article attempts to reconstruct the ecclesiological views of Gregory the Great on the basis of his correspondence with the Eastern patriarchs, which received impetus in connection with the beginning of the controversy about the title «Ecumenical» of the patriarch of Constantinople. Although the question of the authentic meaning of the term «Ecumenical» in the 6th century context and the adequacy of Gregory's understanding of the term remains a subject of debate, the author concludes that Gregory was sufficiently sensitive in questions of ecclesiology by analyzing the classification of approaches to interpreting the title «Ecumenical» proposed by G. Demakopoulos. As is further explained, Gregory's argumentation had both weaknesses (appeal to historically unreliable accounts of Peter's authority) and strengths (emphasis on the inadmissibility of the absolute authority of any bishop in the Church). Thus, according to the author, Gregory's ecclesiology cannot be understood simplistically, as an unproven on Rome centered demagogy.