Cyril V of Constantinople

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Cyril V
Church of Constantinople
In office28 September 1748 – end May 1751
7 September 1752 – 16 January 1757
Personal details
Bornunknown
Died27 July 1775
Mount Athos
Previous post(s)Metropolitan of Nicomedia

Cyril V Karakallos (Greek: Κύριλλος Καράκαλλος; died 27 July 1775) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two periods from 1748 to 1751 and from 1752 to 1757.

A controversial figure, often blamed for his ideas about the baptism,[1] in 1755 he issued the Oros, a canonical document which, superseding the previous use of accepting Christian converts by Chrismation, stated that all non-Orthodox (including Catholic) baptisms were not valid and all converts needed to be re-baptized.[2]

Life

Cyril was born in Dimitsana,[a] in the Peloponnese. Still young, he was taken captive during the Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–1718) and after his release he went to Patmos where he became a monk. In Patmos, he also continued his studies but he was expelled by the school for behavior issues before graduation.[1]

In 1737, he was appointed

Paisius II,[5] even if some days before he had sworn to Paisius that he would not try to depose him.[6]

As Patriarch, Cyril had three priorities: the recovery of the patriarchal finances, the fight against Catholic positions and the instruction of the monks. To improve the finances, he raised taxes on the metropolitan bishops and relieved the little parishes: this action was quite successful but made him unpopular among the bishops. He strongly supported the need to re-baptise all converts, and especially women,[7] because he considered the Armenian and Catholic baptisms as not valid. These positions created discontent among the metropolitans, who deposed him in May 1751 and reinstalled the moderate Paisius II in his place. Cyril retired on island of Halki, near Istanbul.

Cyril however was supported by a large portion of the populace, both because of his regulations on taxes and because of his opposition to the Catholic Church. In this regard Cyril was helped by the

piastres[8]
: 166 ), appointed Cyril V, who was reinstalled on 7 September 1752.

With regards to the instruction of the monks, Cyril established in 1749 the Athonite Academy on Mount Athos, and in 1753 he called the eminent theologian and scholar Eugenios Voulgaris to guide it. However the Enlightenment ideas of Voulgaris were too modern for the monks, and he had to resign in 1758.[6]: 220 

The opposition to Cyril was led by the Metropolitan of Proilavo (

embassy in Istanbul. Here Callinicus obtained a large amount of money which were given to the Sultan Osman III and resulted in Cyril's second and final deposition on 16 January 1757.[7]

Cyril was exiled to the

Serapheim II he was allowed to move to the skete of Agia Anna on Mount Athos. In 1763, he returned to Constantinople to attempt a restoration to the patriarchal throne, but he was promptly and forcibly taken back to Agia Anna, where he died on 27 July 1775.[1]

The Oros and the validity of baptisms

From the beginning of his reign, Cyril took a stand against the validity of the

thaumaturgic and demagogic monk Auxentios, who was able to stir up anti-Catholic mobs.[7]

The issue of the validity of baptisms arose after the Ottoman–Venetian War, when the Venetian-ruled Peloponnese was reconquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans ruled the Christians through the millet system and subjected the Catholics to the civil authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople, causing numerous conversions to Orthodoxy. Cyril's actions to require the re-baptism of converts was due both by his fierce anti-Catholic position and by his sincere desire to provide what he considered to be a valid baptism.[6]

As of 1752, Cyril ruled that in any case the Armenian and Catholic converts should be re-baptised. The

praxis. At this point, Cyril exiled the members of the Holy Synod who were contrary to his view.[7]

In June 1755, Cyril issued a circular letter with title "Anathema of those who accept papal sacraments", and a month later he issued the formal order "Oros (Tome) of the Holy Great Church of Christ" which required the re-baptism in any case for any converts. The Oros had at least seven editions.[8]: 197 

No other

Eastern Orthodox Church, except the Greek churches, accepted the Oros.[9] The Russian Orthodox Church went on following the practice it had adopted in the previous century, which recognized baptisms performed in the Catholic and Lutheran Churches as valid and did not repeat them.[9] The Oros was never formally retired, but since the beginning of 20th century the Greek Orthodox Church authorized different forms of reception for the converts.[2] The Oros is still today deemed as binding by some conservative Orthodox circles.[10]

According to scholar C.A. Frazee, the Oros, rather than the

1054 events, marked the true East–West Schism.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ The scholar Gedeon[3] suggested Nafplio in place of Dimitsana.

References

  1. ^ a b c Moustakas Konstantinos. "Kyrillos V of Constantinople". Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ Gedeon, Manuel (1890). Πατριαρχικοί Πίνακες (in Greek). Lorenz & Keil. p. [page needed].
  4. ^ "Κύριλλος Ε´". Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 19 June 2011.(in Greek)
  5. .
  6. ^ .
  7. ^ .
  8. ^ a b Papadopoullos, Theodōros (1952). Studies and documents relating to the history of the Greek Church and people under Turkish domination. Brussels. pp. 166, 197.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ a b Ambrosius Pogodin. "III, The decision of the Constantinople Council of 1756...". On the Question of the Order of Reception of Persons into the Orthodox Church. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  10. .
  11. .

Sources

External links

Religious titles
Preceded by
Paisius II
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

1748–1751
Succeeded by
Paisius II
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

1752–1757
Succeeded by