Pope Paul V's Reponse to Maronite Latinization

In researching my recent post summarizing the papal bull instituting Bérulle's Oratory of Jesus, I came across another interesting document by Pope Paul V (r. 1605-1621).  The letter (#CLXX, 2/24/1610; Bullarium XI:664-666) is written to the Maronite Patriarch.  Confusingly, the letter refers to both the present patriarch and the past patriarch as "Peter"; this seems to arise from St. Peter being the first bishop of Antioch.  (Modern Maronite patriarchs, beginning with Paul Peter Massad (r. 1854-1890) all add "Peter" to their name upon their election to the patriarchate, in memory of this.)  The letter is actually addressed to Patriarch Yuhanna (John) Makhlouf (r. 1608-1633), and it discusses the reforms of the prior patriarch, Joseph el-Ruzzi (r. 1597-1608).

Pope Paul's letter (§2) recounts many of the complaints Patriarch Yuhanna had about Patriarch Joseph's reforms: 

It has reached our ears that your predecessor, Patriarch Peter of blessed memory, was seen to change some ancient mores of your church, since experience sensibly [sane] taught that they led, not to edification, but to scandal, and that, though done by many, they were not received in use by all...It is recounted to our apostolate that the aforesaid patriarch, your predecessor, wanted archbishops and bishops to eat meat, in the manner of the laity, when, by old custom, they perpetually abstained from meat.  He permitted all of your nation, which used to celebrated all of Lent in abstinence from wine and fish, to eat fish and drink wine.  And, while the fast of the Lord's coming was kept for forty days, and it could not be loosed before noon, yet the aforesaid patriarch, by a novelty of rite, decreed that it would begin on the day of the feast of Saint Barbara.  Furthermore, Maronites were accustomed to fast thirty days, or less, in honor of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, but, by that same predecessor of yours, it was decreed that they fast for only fifteen days, thus breaking the custom of the entire East.  And, while your nation was accustomed to pass the week preceding Lent with only dairy foods, without meat, now all are allowed to eat meat throughout.  [It is recounted] that, in the blessing of the table, the priest no longer blesses the first bread nor distributes it to bystanders, as was the use, this custom also having been destroyed in many places.

A few notes on these liturgical issues: the forty-day Nativity Fast, beginning November 15, is common throughout the Eastern Churches; in the Byzantine Rite, it is called "Philip's Fast," since it begins the day after the feast of St. Philip (November 14).  The feast of St. Barbara is December 4, so Patriarch Joseph's alteration greatly shortened it.  (The modern Melkite Church begins it on December 10.) 

The Apostles' Fast begins on the second Monday after Pentecost and lasts until the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29), so its length is variable based on the date of Pascha and, thus, Pentecost.  Patriarch Joseph gave it a fixed length, which also shortened it (for most years).  Based on this passage, it seems the old Maronite tradition was also to abstain from all food before midday, another practice Patriarch Joseph changed.

The practice leading up to Lent (or the Great Fast, as we call it) includes a gradual easing into fasting.  Two weeks before the Fast starts is Meatfare Week, the last time meat is eaten until Pascha; the week just before the Fast is Cheesefare Week, where meat is forbidden, but dairy, eggs, fish, wine, and oil are all permitted.  Once the Fast begins, none of these are permitted, except for wine and oil in weekends, and fish on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation.  (At least, this is the strict Byzantine practice.)  Patriarch Joseph removed Cheesefare Week altogether.

If I interpreted the final sentence correctly, Pope Paul is referring to the practice of antidoron.  Not all of the altarbread used at the Liturgy is consecrated into the Eucharist: in Byzantine practice, a piece (called "the Lamb") is cut out of the center of the loaf, and this is consecrated, whereas all the rest is simply blessed.  Sometimes, multiple loaves are brought, but only one (or part of one) is consecrated, with the rest being simply blessed.  This blessed, non-consecrated bread is then distributed to the congregants after Liturgy: it is called antidoron, "instead of the Gift," because of its traditional use, when it was given to those who, for whatever reason, could not receive the Eucharist ("the Holy Gifts").  The division and blessing of bread is performed during a preparatory rite before Liturgy, called (in Byzantine practice) the Prothesis: this seems to be the "blessing of the table" (benedicenda mensa) spoken of here.  It seems Patriarch Joseph simply did away with the entire practice of antidoron.

Pope Paul could have directed Patriarch Yuhanna to preserve these changed practices, in order to respect his predecessor's authority, or to not burden and confuse the priests and laity with contradictory changes happening shortly after each other.  But that is not what he did: instead, he declares (in §3 of the letter): "Which ancient customs, since they are understood to have nothing contrary to the Catholic faith, we concede and allow to be restored and preserved."

Patriarch Yuhanna was, I assume, quite happy to receive this response from the Pope, though it was a fairly short-lived victory: most of Patriarch Joseph's changes endured despite Patriarch Yuhanna's efforts, and they became part of the Maronite tradition.  (For more on the Latinizations during Patriarch Joseph's reign, see Chorbishop Seely Beggiani, Aspects of Maronite History, Part Five and Part Six.  Patriarch Joseph's changes reached far beyond the handful of liturgical and fasting changes mentioned in Pope Paul's letter.)

Yet, despite this failure to restore the ancient Eastern tradition, we can still see the laudable response from Pope Paul V, a reply that is mostly consistent throughout the centuries: the Eastern Churches should keep to their own practices, their ancient customs, and not change to match the Latin Church. Though this has often been criminally contradicted on the local level (witness the infamous case of Archbishop John Ireland and Fr. Alexis Toth), it has generally been adhered to on the papal level—and rightly so.

Let the East stay and the East, and "remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set" (Prv 22:28)—or,"before you break a fence, learn what it keeps away."

Text ©2024 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.