December 1054-1058 A.D. Michael I Cerularius—Constantinople’s 102nd; Disputes with Mr. (Pope) Leo IX; Eucharist & Unleavened Bread; Pope Cites Donation of Constantine for heavenly and early imperium; Michael calls Leo “brother” rather than “father;” Closed
Roman Churches in Constantinople
Michael I Cerularius
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Michael I Cerularius
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Ecumenical Patriarch
of Constantinople
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See
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Installed
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1043
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Term ended
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21 January 1059
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Predecessor
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Successor
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Personal details
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Birth name
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Michael Keroularios
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Born
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Died
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Residence
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Michael
I Cerularius or Keroularios (Greek: Μιχαήλ Α΄ Κηρουλάριος; c. 1000 – 21 January 1059) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1043 to 1059.
Biography
Born in Constantinople, Patriarch Michael I Cerularius is noted for
disputing with Pope Leo IX over church practices in respect of which the Roman
Church differed from Constantinople, especially the use of unleavened bread in
the Eucharist.[1]
Pope Leo IX sent a letter to the Patriarch in 1054, that cited
a large portion of the Donation of Constantine believing it genuine.[2]
"The first pope who used it [the Donation] in an official act and
relied upon it, was Leo IX; in a letter of 1054 to Michael Cærularius,
Patriarch of Constantinople, he cites the "Donatio" to show that the
Holy See possessed both an earthly and a heavenly imperium, the royal
priesthood."
Leo IX assured the Patriarch
that the donation was completely genuine, not a fable or old wives' tale, so
only the apostolic successor to Peter possessed that primacy and was the
rightful head of all the Church.
This letter of Pope Leo IX was
addressed both to Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Leo of Ohrid, Archbishop of Bulgaria, and was in response to a letter sent by Leo, Metropolitan of Achrida to John, Bishop of Trani (inApulia), that categorically attacked the customs of the
Latin Church that differed from those of the Greeks. Especially criticized were
the Roman traditions of fasting on the Saturday Sabbath and consecration of
unleavened bread. Leo IX in his letter accused Constantinople of historically
being the source of heresy and claimed in emphatic terms the primacy of the Bishop of Rome over even the Patriarch of
Constantinople, who would have none of it.
It can be argued that in 1054,
the Patriarch's letter to Pope Leo IX initiated the events which followed,
because it claimed the title "ecumenical patriarch" and addressed
Pope Leo as "brother" rather than "father." Pope Leo IX
sent Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida on a legatine mission to treat with the
Patriarch. Cerularius refused to meet with Cardinal Humbert and kept him
waiting with no audience for months.
Thus, Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida delivered a notice of excommunication against
Patriarch Michael on July 16, 1054, despite the death of Pope Leo three months
prior and thus the invalidity of the excommunication. Michael in turn
excommunicated the cardinal and the Pope and subsequently removed the pope's
name from the diptychs, starting the East-West Schism.
This schism led to the end of
the alliance between the Emperor and the Papacy, and caused later Popes to ally with the Normans against the Empire. Patriarch Michael closed the
Latin churches in his area, which exacerbated the schism. In 1965, those
excommunications were rescinded by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, when they met in the Second Vatican Council. Although the excommunication delivered by
Cardinal Humbert was invalid, this gesture represented a significant step
towards restoring communion between Rome and Constantinople.
The short reign of the Empress Theodora saw Michael intrigue against the throne. Michael Psellus notes that while their initial relations had been
cordial, once Theodora took the Imperial throne, they entered into open
conflict, as Michael "was vexed because the Roman Empire was being
governed by a woman", and on this topic "he spoke his mind
freely.".[3] The historian suggests that Theodora would have
deposed Michael for his open effrontery and sedition, had she lived longer.
Cerularius had a hand in
negotiating the abdication of Michael VI Stratiotikos, convincing him to step down on 31 August 1057, in
favour of the rebellious general Isaac, for whom the army declared on 8 June.[4] The emperor duly followed the patriarch's advice
and became a monk. Having had a role in bringing him to the throne, Cerularius
next quarrelled with Isaac I Komnenosover confiscation of church property. Michael went
so far as to take the highly symbolic step of donning the purple shoes
ceremonially reserved for the Emperor. Michael apparently planned a rebellion,
to overthrow the Emperor and claim the Imperial Throne for himself or for his
relative Constantine Doukas. Isaac exiled Michael to Proconnesus in 1058 and, as Michael refused to
step down, had Psellus drew up the Accusation of heresy and treason against him.[5] Cerularius died before coming to trial.
References
2. Jump up^ Migne's Patrologia Latina, Vol. 143 (cxliii), Col.
744-769. Also Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova Amplissima Collectio, Vol. 19 (xix) Col. 635-656.
Sources
- Migne's Patrologia Latina, Vol. 143 (cxliii), Leo IX Epistolae Et Decreta .pdf - 1.9 Mb. See Col. 744B-769D (pgs. 76-89) for Leo IX's letter.
- Mansi's, Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova Amplissima Collectio, Vol. 19 (xix) .pdf - 66 Mb. See Col. 635-656.
- Michael Psellus, Fourteen Byzantine Rulers (The Chronographia), E.R.A. Sewter, trans. New York: Penguin, 1966.
- Skylitzes, John (John Wortley, trans. and J-C. Cheynet, notes). Cambridge: University Press, 2010.
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Preceded by
Alexios Stoudites |
Patriarch
of Constantinople
1043–1058 |
Succeeded by
Constantine III Leichoudes |
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