Eustathius (Greek: Ευστάθιος; ? – December 1025) was

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...

from July 1019 to December 1025. Eustathius was the

protopresbyter A ''protoiereus'' (from grc, πρωτοϊερεύς, "first priest", Modern Greek: πρωθιερέας) or protopriest in the Eastern Orthodox Church is a priest usually coordinating the activity of other subordinate priests in a bigger church. T ...

of the imperial palace when he was raised to the Patriarchal throne by the Emperor

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...

, after the death of Sergius II. Eustathius participated in the efforts of the Byzantines in 1024 to come to an accommodation with the Latin

Papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

concerning the widening gap between the Western and Eastern churches, which culminated in the Schism of 1054. At the time of Eustathius, the Papacy claimed dominion over the Christian world, not just primacy, a position which offended Constantinople, the effective spiritual guides of much of the East to include the

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely underst ...

and

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

. Eustathius offered a compromise to

Pope John XIX Pope John XIX ( la, Ioannes XIX; died October 1032), born Romanus, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1024 to his death. He belonged to the family of the powerful counts of Tusculum, succeeding his brother, Benedict VIII ...

, suggesting that the Orthodox Patriarch would be

ecumenic Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

in its own sphere (''in suo orbe'') in the East as the Papacy was in the world (''in universo''). It is assumed this was Eustathius' effort to retain control over the Southern Italian churches. While the offer was rejected, there was an acceptance by John of the practice of the

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. The canonical hours a ...

in the south of Italy in exchange for the establishment of

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language onc ...

churches in Constantinople.Runciman, p. 123. His successor was

Alexius of Constantinople Alexios Stoudites or Alexius Studites ( el, Ἀλέξιος ὁ Στουδίτης) (? – 20 February 1043), an ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, was a member of the Monastery of Stoudios (founded 462), succeeded Eusthathius as patriarch ...

References

Sources

Charles William Previté-Orton Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

, ed.. ''The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History'', Vol. 1. Cambridge: University Press, 1979. *Steven Runciman. ''Byzantine Civilisation''. London, University Paparback, 1961. *JM Hussey. ''The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eustathius Of Constantinople 1025 deaths 11th-century patriarchs of Constantinople Year of birth unknown Basil II 10th-century births