To the most holy and most blessed father and fellow minister, archbishop of ancient Rome, Leo: Anatolius, in the Lord, greetings.1

Chapter I: Anatolius Reports That the Proceedings Have Been Sent to Rome and Praises Leo’s Solicitude for the Faith

The zeal of your holiness for piety, and your solicitude for the right faith — dear and pleasing to God the Savior of all — has become worthy of universal admiration.2 For it is your custom, great as you are, to support what is rightly done and to place the proof of Christ’s Churches in your praises. Wherefore your holiness did not despise the true faith trampled by profane assaults, but execrating evil workers, vehemently overpowered their wickedness with irresistible weapons. Since therefore our most pious and Christ-beloved emperors, bearing before them the best zeal for piety and eager to cut off every bitter shoot lest they themselves be defiled by it — for they were raised to the throne precisely for this, that they might bring aid to the faith of the Fathers when it was under tyranny’s oppression — caused the priests from nearly every place under the sun to be gathered, so that, confirming by common judgment the faith of the blessed and venerable Fathers, and the letter of your holiness consonant with them,3 they might dispel every innovation of foreign sophisms that wounds the understanding of piety. And since all things that have followed must necessarily come to the knowledge of your holiness, we send hence the elect brother most beloved of God and our fellow bishop Lucianus, and the most religious deacon Basilius, writing again to signify these things — since our brother most beloved of God and our fellow bishop Lucentius, together with your pious presbyter Bonifacius and the most religious deacon Marcianus, has already departed from this city with the public documents containing what was done in the ecumenical synod.

Chapter II: Anatolius Reports the Finding Against Dioscorus and Trusts Leo Will Approve

Since after these men it was fitting that the remaining documents — which must necessarily come to your knowledge — should also be sent through our own representatives, for this reason we have chosen the aforementioned most religious bishop, abounding in piety, intelligence, and simplicity of faith, with the said deacon, and dispatched them to your great Rome: so that, having made some things clear through letters and others through their own testimony, they may return to us with joy carrying a response worthy of you and of us — celebrating with all the love and benevolence which the paternal solicitude of your beatitude has long been accustomed to show toward the see of this royal city. Now, how the holy and universal synod, after careful scrutiny, found the author of the storm raised against the common peace — Dioscorus, I mean, who was once the bishop of the Alexandrians, and has fallen from the priesthood — all this the records of the ecumenical council set out in full detail. For it was necessary, it was necessary to remove from the midst the wicked man who filled the entire world with storms and turbulence. We are confident, however, that your holiness will give assent to these measures, so well established, on account of your innate hatred of wickedness.

Chapter III: Anatolius Reports the Definition of the Faith, Placed on the Altar in Accordance With Leo’s Sacred Letter

After the judgment concerning him — for which end the most pious emperor most diligently assembled the holy synod — it was necessary that the understanding of all should converge on the right sense of your faith. With prayer and tears, with your holiness present in spirit and cooperating through those most dear to God sent from there,4 and having the most holy and most beautiful martyr Euphemia as protectress, we applied ourselves entirely to this salutary work, setting all other concerns aside. And when the moment required, all the gathered most holy bishops put forth a harmonious definition for the explanation and clearer understanding of the confession in our Lord Jesus Christ. Though some at the outset attempted to resist contentiously, the Lord God, found by those not seeking and appearing to those not asking, showed His truth — and so arranged that a document free of all contradiction should be published unanimously, confirming the hearts of the steadfast and inviting to the path of truth all who had declined from it. And when we had all subscribed with unanimous consent to this document — we who had convened in universal agreement of our synod in the confession of that same most holy and victorious martyr Euphemia — with the prayer and joy and gladness of our most pious and Christ-beloved emperor Marcian and of our most pious and in all things most faithful empress and Augusta, our daughter Pulcheria, we placed it upon the holy altar in accordance with your sacred letter5 when they themselves had asked for it. They who received it gave glory together with us to Christ the Lord, who expelled the darkness of perverse opinion and illuminated the word of truth with supreme consensus. And the things pertaining to ecclesiastical peace and the harmony of the priests in the pure faith were thus brought to completion, by the grace of the Savior.

Chapter IV: The Synod Also Confirmed Constantinople’s Honor Under the Canon of the 150 Fathers

Since it was also necessary for us to consider other matters, so that a synod of such importance should be seen to have done nothing requiring correction or approval without attention — care was applied both to the canons and to particular ecclesiastical matters, by those who govern all things, the most magnificent and glorious judges, the illustrious senate, and the entire clergy and people, so that some further honor might be added to the most holy see of this royal city of Constantinople, through the consent of this holy synod, in accordance with the canon of the hundred and fifty holy Fathers who were gathered under the great Theodosius of pious memory, then emperor of Constantinople — presided over by Nectarius of Constantinople, Timothy of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, Helladius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others. We undertook this matter confidently, since your beatitude will deservedly regard the honor of the see of Constantinople as its own — inasmuch as your apostolic throne has long maintained solicitude toward it and concord with it, and has abundantly supplied its proper needs in all things. There is no doubt therefore that your beatitude rejoices entirely that the gathering which it celebrates has received greater honor; and with ready goodwill it proceeded to confirm the canon of the hundred and fifty holy Fathers, which decrees that the bishop of Constantinople hold honor and the first place after the most holy Roman see, since Constantinople also is the New Rome6 — and also defined that he should himself ordain the metropolitans of the Pontic, Asian, and Thracian dioceses; the bishops who are under their authority receiving ordination from their own metropolitans — so that in this way the ordinations of a great number of bishops, which the throne of Constantinople has been accustomed to perform for sixty or seventy years, are formally assigned to it.

Chapter V: Leo’s Legates Opposed the Canon; Anatolius Begs Leo’s Confirmation, for Constantinople Has Leo’s Apostolic Throne as Its Father

And so, when all matters had proceeded well and were coming to their conclusion with joy, our most pious bishops Paschasinus and Lucentius and the most reverend presbyter Bonifacius — often instructed by us on this matter and unaware of the intention which your holiness holds toward the most holy Church of Constantinople — after the holy synod signed and confirmed with subscription this definition, rejected the synod, disturbed it, and filled its consensus with confusion, treating this see as nothing and inflicting injury both on me and on the most holy Church of Constantinople. These measures were established by the command of our most pious emperors, with the most magnificent and glorious judges present at the council — who declared the definition of the holy synod to be firm, and strenuously contended for and desired the things pertaining to the honor of the see, as we said. Of these many things we have made a few known to you, lest we seem to burden them or to tire your ears. We have both before and after their arrival attended in all things to what pertains to your glory and due honor — God is witness, and the facts themselves declare — how we have honored them with reverence and gifts. And for the sake of the honor which we render you, the holy synod referred this same decree concerning the see of Constantinople to your holiness, and we ourselves beseech that this also be effected through you, O most holy ones.

For the see of Constantinople has as its father your apostolic throne,7 joined to you in a choice and excellent manner, so that from your solicitude toward it all may understand that you have long sincerely attended to its welfare and continue to do so even now. And just as all things useful to the ecclesiastical state that have been accomplished and rightly done in the most holy and universal synod you will deign to ratify, so also this definition concerning the see of Constantinople we have taken care to send to your holiness, so that it may know how, through your prayers and divine wisdom, all things have been accomplished — and we earnestly beseech that each proposition receive a fitting response, as the most beloved of God, Bishop Lucianus himself, who was present at the holy council and worked with great prudence and fully cooperated with our effort toward the faith, chosen by us to undertake on your behalf the service of our devotion toward you — being a perfect man and a friend to our most pious and Christ-beloved emperors — may by your goodness be sent back to us joyfully. I, and all those with me, greet your beatitude in Christ with fullest affection of brotherhood. Remain safe in the Lord and, praying for us, may you be given to us — most beloved and most blessed Father.