Leo, bishop of the city of Rome, to Pulcheria Augusta [Empress Pulcheria — sister of Theodosius II and later wife of Emperor Marcian; a powerful champion of orthodox Christianity who helped convene the Council of Chalcedon].
I. He rejoices at Pulcheria's zeal against both Nestorius and Eutyches.
What we have always expected concerning your Grace's holy purposes, we have now proved fully true: that however varied the attacks of wicked men upon the Christian Faith, when you are present and prepared by the Lord for its defense, it cannot be overthrown. For God will not forsake either the mystery of His mercy or the merits of your labors, through which you long ago repelled the cunning enemy of our holy religion from the very heart of the Church. When the impiety of Nestorius failed to maintain his heresy, it was because it did not escape you — the handmaid and student of the Truth — how much poison was being injected into simple folk through the polished falsehoods of that glib man. And the sequel to that great struggle was that through your vigilance, the schemes the devil contrived through Eutyches also did not escape detection. Those who had chosen one side of the twofold heresy [Nestorianism on one extreme and Eutychianism on the other] were overthrown by the one and undivided power of the Catholic Faith. This, then, is your second victory over the destruction of Eutyches' error. If he had possessed any soundness of mind — that error having been long ago routed and put to shame in the person of its originators — he could easily have avoided trying to rekindle smoldering ashes, and thus only share the fate of those whose example he followed, most glorious Augusta. We therefore wish to rejoice and offer our prayers for your clemency's prosperity to God, who has already bestowed on you a double crown throughout all the regions of the world where the Lord's Gospel is proclaimed.
II. He thanks her for her aid to the Catholic cause and explains his wishes about restoring the fallen bishops.
Your clemency should therefore know that the whole church of Rome is deeply grateful for all your faithful deeds — whether that you have with pious zeal supported our representatives throughout and brought back the Catholic priests who had been expelled from their churches by an unjust sentence, or that you have arranged for the honorable restoration of the remains of that innocent and holy priest, Flavian, of blessed memory, to the church he led so well. In all of this your glory is abundantly increased, as long as you honor the saints according to their merits and work to remove the thorns and weeds from the Lord's field. But we learn both from the report of our delegates and from that of my brother and fellow bishop Anatolius [Patriarch of Constantinople] — whom you graciously recommend to me — that certain bishops are requesting reconciliation for those who appear to have given their consent to heretical proceedings, and desire Catholic communion for them. We grant this request on condition that the benefit of peace should not be extended to them until — with our delegates working alongside the aforementioned bishop — they are corrected, and with their own hand condemn their wrongdoing. For our Christian religion requires both that true justice constrain the obstinate, and that love not reject the penitent.
III. He commends certain bishops and churches to her care.
Because we know how much pious care your Grace devotes to Catholic priests, we have directed that you be informed that my brother and fellow bishop Eusebius is living with us and sharing our communion. We commend his church to you, for the man improperly claimed to have been elected in his place is said to be ravaging it. We also ask of your Grace — which we have no doubt you will do of your own accord — that you extend the favor that is due both to my brother and fellow bishop Julian and to the clergy of Constantinople who remained faithfully loyal to the holy Flavian. On all matters, we have given our delegates full instructions about what ought to be done and arranged. Dated April 13, in the consulship of the illustrious Adelfius (451).
Leo, bishop of the city of Rome to Pulcheria Augusta.
I. He rejoices at Pulcheria's zeal both against Nestorius and Eutyches.
That which we have always anticipated concerning your Grace's holy purposes, we have now proved fully true, viz. that, however varied may be the attacks of wicked men upon the Christian Faith, yet when you are present and prepared by the Lord for its defense, it cannot be disturbed. For God will not forsake either the mystery of His mercy or the deserts of your labours, whereby you long ago repelled the crafty foe of our holy religion from the very vitals of the Church: when the impiety of Nestorius failed to maintain his heresy because it did not escape you the handmaid and pupil of the Truth, how much poison was instilled into simple folk by the colored falsehoods of that glib fellow. And the sequel to that mighty struggle was that through your vigilance the things which the devil contrived by means of Eutyches, did not escape detection, and they who had chosen to themselves one side in the twofold heresy, were overthrown by the one and undivided power of the Catholic Faith. This then is your second victory over the destruction of Eutyches' error: and, if he had had any soundness of mind, that error having been once and long ago routed and put to confusion in the person of his instigators, he would easily have been able to avoid the attempt to rekindle into life the smouldering ashes, and thus only share the lot of those, whose example he had followed, most glorious Augusta. We desire, therefore, to leap for joy and to pay due vows for your clemency's prosperity to God, who has already bestowed on you a double palm and crown through all the parts of the world, in which the Lord's Gospel is proclaimed.
II. He thanks her for her aid to the Catholic cause, and explains his wishes about the restoration of the lapsed bishops.
Your clemency must know, therefore, that the whole church of Rome is highly grateful for all your faithful deeds, whether that you have with pious zeal helped our representatives throughout and brought back the Catholic priests, who had been expelled from their churches by an unjust sentence, or that you have procured the restoration with due honour of the remains of that innocent and holy priest, Flavian, of holy memory, to the church, which he ruled so well. In all which things assuredly your glory is increased manifold, so long as you venerate the saints according to their deserts, and are anxious that the thorns and weeds should be removed from the Lord's field. But we learn as well from the account of our deputies as from that of my brother and fellow bishop, Anatolius, whom you graciously recommend to me, that certain bishops crave reconciliation for those who seem to have given their consent to matters of heresy, and desire Catholic communion for them: to whose request we grant effect on condition that the boon of peace should not be vouchsafed them till, our deputies acting in concert with the aforesaid bishop, they are corrected, and with their own hand condemn their evil doings; because our Christian religion requires both that true justice should constrain the obstinate, and love not reject the penitent.
III. He commends certain bishops and churches to her care.
And because we know how much pious care your Grace deigns to bestow on Catholic priests, we have ordered that you should be informed that my brother and fellow bishop, Eusebius, is living with us, and sharing our communion, whose church we commend to you; for he that is improperly asserted to have been elected in his place, is said to be ravaging it. And this too we ask of your Grace, which we doubt not you will do of your own free will, to extend the favour which is due as well to my brother and fellow bishop, Julian, as to the clergy of Constantinople, who clung to the holy Flavian with faithful loyalty. On all things we have instructed your Grace by our deputies as to what ought to be done or arranged. Dated April 13, in the consulship of the illustrious Adelfius (451).
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Source. Translated by Charles Lett Feltoe. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3604079.htm>.
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Leo, bishop of the city of Rome, to Pulcheria Augusta [Empress Pulcheria — sister of Theodosius II and later wife of Emperor Marcian; a powerful champion of orthodox Christianity who helped convene the Council of Chalcedon].
I. He rejoices at Pulcheria's zeal against both Nestorius and Eutyches.
What we have always expected concerning your Grace's holy purposes, we have now proved fully true: that however varied the attacks of wicked men upon the Christian Faith, when you are present and prepared by the Lord for its defense, it cannot be overthrown. For God will not forsake either the mystery of His mercy or the merits of your labors, through which you long ago repelled the cunning enemy of our holy religion from the very heart of the Church. When the impiety of Nestorius failed to maintain his heresy, it was because it did not escape you — the handmaid and student of the Truth — how much poison was being injected into simple folk through the polished falsehoods of that glib man. And the sequel to that great struggle was that through your vigilance, the schemes the devil contrived through Eutyches also did not escape detection. Those who had chosen one side of the twofold heresy [Nestorianism on one extreme and Eutychianism on the other] were overthrown by the one and undivided power of the Catholic Faith. This, then, is your second victory over the destruction of Eutyches' error. If he had possessed any soundness of mind — that error having been long ago routed and put to shame in the person of its originators — he could easily have avoided trying to rekindle smoldering ashes, and thus only share the fate of those whose example he followed, most glorious Augusta. We therefore wish to rejoice and offer our prayers for your clemency's prosperity to God, who has already bestowed on you a double crown throughout all the regions of the world where the Lord's Gospel is proclaimed.
II. He thanks her for her aid to the Catholic cause and explains his wishes about restoring the fallen bishops.
Your clemency should therefore know that the whole church of Rome is deeply grateful for all your faithful deeds — whether that you have with pious zeal supported our representatives throughout and brought back the Catholic priests who had been expelled from their churches by an unjust sentence, or that you have arranged for the honorable restoration of the remains of that innocent and holy priest, Flavian, of blessed memory, to the church he led so well. In all of this your glory is abundantly increased, as long as you honor the saints according to their merits and work to remove the thorns and weeds from the Lord's field. But we learn both from the report of our delegates and from that of my brother and fellow bishop Anatolius [Patriarch of Constantinople] — whom you graciously recommend to me — that certain bishops are requesting reconciliation for those who appear to have given their consent to heretical proceedings, and desire Catholic communion for them. We grant this request on condition that the benefit of peace should not be extended to them until — with our delegates working alongside the aforementioned bishop — they are corrected, and with their own hand condemn their wrongdoing. For our Christian religion requires both that true justice constrain the obstinate, and that love not reject the penitent.
III. He commends certain bishops and churches to her care.
Because we know how much pious care your Grace devotes to Catholic priests, we have directed that you be informed that my brother and fellow bishop Eusebius is living with us and sharing our communion. We commend his church to you, for the man improperly claimed to have been elected in his place is said to be ravaging it. We also ask of your Grace — which we have no doubt you will do of your own accord — that you extend the favor that is due both to my brother and fellow bishop Julian and to the clergy of Constantinople who remained faithfully loyal to the holy Flavian. On all matters, we have given our delegates full instructions about what ought to be done and arranged. Dated April 13, in the consulship of the illustrious Adelfius (451).
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.