(Notes in italics are the Willard Preacher’s commentary. Bolded text shows emphasis added by the Willard Preacher.)
Honorius, Pope of Rome (Monothelite)
“We confess a single will of our Lord Jesus Christ, because our nature has truly been assumed by his divinity.”
Council of Constantinople (681)
Condemned a letter by Honorius as,
“Altogether alien to the Apostolic Doctrines, to the definitions of the Holy Councils, and to all the accepted fathers.”
“And with these we define that there shall be expelled from the Holy Church of God and anathematized Honorius who was at one time Pope of Old Rome, because of what we found written by him to Sergius, where he in all respects followed the latter’s view and confirmed his impious doctrines.”
Session XIII – The Sentence Against the Monothelites
And with these we define that there shall be expelled from the holy Church of God and anathematized Honorius who was some time Pope of Old Rome, because of what we found written by him to Sergius, that in all respects he followed his view and confirmed his impious doctrines.
Council of Chalcedon (451), Session XV
Constantinople which is New Rome, was granted special privileges along side those of Old Rome, on the grounds that Old Rome had received its position in the Church because it was the Imperial City.
Canon 28
Following in every way the decrees of the holy fathers and recognising the canon which has recently been read out–the canon of the 150 most devout bishops who assembled in the time of the great Theodosius of pious memory, then emperor, in imperial Constantinople, new Rome — we issue the same decree and resolution concerning the prerogatives of the most holy church of the same Constantinople, new Rome. The fathers rightly accorded prerogatives to the see of older Rome,since that is an imperial city; and moved by the same purpose the 150 most devout bishops apportioned equal prerogatives to the most holy see of new Rome, reasonably judging that the city which is honoured by the imperial power and senate and enjoying privileges equalling older imperial Rome, should also be elevated to her level in ecclesiastical affairs and take second place after her. The metropolitans of the dioceses of Pontus, Asia and Thrace, but only these, as well as the bishops of these dioceses who work among non-Greeks, are to be ordained by the aforesaid most holy see of the most holy church in Constantinople. That is, each metropolitan of the aforesaid dioceses along with the bishops of the province ordain the bishops of the province, as has been declared in the divine canons; but the metropolitans of the aforesaid dioceses, as has been said, are to be ordained by the archbishop of Constantinople, once agreement has been reached by vote in the usual way and has been reported to him.
Jaroslav Pelikan
To the East the Pope was chief bishop because he was Orthodox. To the West he was and always would be orthodox because he was the chief bishop.
