St. Photios the Great Died in Communion with Rome

Originally posted 7/31/2009.

MYTH The non-saintly Photios persisted in schism until the end of his life and died out of communion with Rome

A couple of weeks ago I was blessed to receive a copy of Fr. Francis Dvornik’s The Photian Schism from Barnes & Noble.

1. Fr. Francis Dvornik of pious memory proved conclusively that there was no second Photian schism, i.e., that St. Photios the Great (†2/6/891) was in communion with Rome through the pontificates of John VIII (†882), Marinus I (882-884), St. Adrian III (884-885), Stephen V (885-891), and Formosus. Fr. Dvornik says that if John VIII had excommunicated St. Photios after learning what transpired at the 879-880 Reunion Council of Constantinople, Archbishop Stylianos would have mentioned it in his letter to Pope Stephen V of Rome [Mansi XVI:432], since that would have been immensely important for his purposes [Dvornik 219]. The anti-Photian compiler does not, as promised [Mansi XVI:448-449], produce the anti-Photian synodical letter of Pope John VIII, but should have if such a thing really existed [218].The anti-Photian compiler is untrustworthy for several reasons, one being his claim that John VIII, as Roman archdeacon, authoritatively condemned Photios at the Council of 869-870, whereas the seventh session Acts of the Council show that Bishop Gauderich of Velletri was the spokesman [218].
2. This same compiler also does not, as promised, produce the purported anti-Photian synodical letter of Pope Marinus I, implying that such a letter never existed [220]. The overconfident anti-Photian compiler quotes nothing in the letters of Stephen V that prove that Pope Marinus I, upon his accession to the Chair of St. Peter, broke with Pope John VIII’s proven policy of reconciliation [220]. The letter of Pope Stephen V on Marinus refers to the latter’s 869-870 embassy to Constantinople, not any acts of his afterwards. If Marinus I was not in communion with Photios, he would not have retained Photios’s loyal friend Zachary of Anagni as his librarian [224].
3. St. Photios himself said he was friendly with Pope St. Adrian III [PG 102:381A], and, according to Fr. Dvornik [225], the anti-Photian compiler had no documentary evidence that St. Photios the Great was not in communion with Pope St. Adrian III of Rome (7/8), because he did not even include the latter’s name in his list of allegedly anti-Photian popes [Mansi XVI:445].
4. St. Photios was in communion with Pope Stephen V, who accepted the former as the legitimate Patriarch of Constantinople [228-236].
5. St. Photios the Great was also on good terms with Pope Formosus [253-255].
6. Patriarch Sisinnios of Constantinople (996-998), who was in communion with Rome, added the name of St. Photios to the list of saintly patriarchs (tomos tês Henôseôs) [389]. This was a time when, even in the Latin Church, ordinary bishops, not just the Pope, could canonize saints. Fr. Dvornik cites Fr. Martin Jugie, “Le Culte de Photius dans l’Église Byzantine” in Revue de l’Orient Chrétien (1922-3), 3rd ser., tom. III, pp. 109 seq.

Advertisement