Dear Mr. Fish, 

In both your 5th and 6th grade history class, you address, multiple times, the pre-schism Western Christian Church as “Catholic” when in fact there was no Catholicism until 1054 when the Great Schism occurred. 

Before 1054, both the Eastern and Western Churches were one. There were many reasons for the split occurring but one of the major causes was the West declaring the Pope as the Supreme Head of the Church while the East only recognizing him as “The First Among Equals.” The Pope had been recognized as the “First Among Equals” for over a millennia when the Latins decided to separate from the East by excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople. 

Leading up to the schism, the Roman Church had been slowly revising original Christian practices by changing some of their theological beliefs, like the adding of the Filioque, painting their icons to look more realistic, and changing the architecture of their churches and cathedrals, while the Eastern Church’s dogma, icons, and architectural designs didn’t, and still haven’t, changed from the way it was 2,000 years ago. 

In lesson 130 of grade 5 history, you address St. Polycarp as “bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna” and “shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world,” when in reality Polycarp, although sainted in today’s Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, was not a Catholic Bishop. Smyrna wasn’t even under the jurisdiction of the Pope, as it was a Greek city on the coast of Turkey. St. Polycarp was, by all means, an Orthodox Bishop. 

In lesson 131, you say “Arianism,  the reigning ‘orthodoxy’ of the day, was in fact heresy.” While Arianism was a heresy that affected the Western and Eastern churches, it might be misleading to call it the “‘orthodoxy’ of the day.” Although your use of orthodoxy here is correct, your improper use of Catholicism could lead students to equate Eastern Orthodoxy with the heresy. Many Eastern bishops opposed the heresy and condemned Arius and his followers at the Council of Nicaea.

Lastly, modern Orthodoxy is not just Greek but is the prominent, and even sometimes official religion in many European countries including Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Belarus and Georgia. It’s also the main form of Christianity in Syria, Israel, Iraq, and Egypt. In addition to these countries, Orthodoxy is growing in parts of the United States.

Although a common misconception, the pre-schism Western Christian Church was not Catholic, but Orthodox, united with the Eastern Church.

We can learn a lot from the Israelites. In Ancient Egypt, the Israelites were slaves. They were treated poorly and were not allowed to have any sons for fear that the Israelites would be the majority in Egypt. God saw their distress and rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt in an event called the Passover. God chose a man named Moses to lead his people out. God sent the angel of death to kill every first born son in every Egyptian household, but the Israelites painted blood on their doorpost and lintel. This meant that they were Jews and the angel of death passed over. As the Israelites were fleeing, Pharaoh and his army drowned in the Red Sea. 

After escaping from Egypt, God gave Moses ten laws he and his people were to follow. They were called the Ten Commandments. Just after being freed from the land where they had been enslaved, the Israelites disobeyed their creator. While Moses was on Mount Sinai retrieving the commandments, the people grew impatient. Although God had revealed himself on Mount Sinai with fire and smoke, they demanded an idol, so Aaron built a golden calf for them to worship. As the commandments were being handed down to Moses, the people of Israel were already breaking the first and second laws: Thou shalt not worship any god before me and thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. In one instance, 3,000 men were killed by the angel of the LORD because of their disobedience and rebellion.

God then made a covenant with his people. It stated that when the people obeyed, they would be protected, but when they disobeyed, He would let their enemies triumph over them. After this, there is an obvious cycle repeated throughout the Old Testament. The people of God disobey god and are captured by their enemies. Then they repent, their enemies are overthrown, but then like a mischievous child, they return to their former sin.

After the age of Judges, the people of Israel demanded that the current Judge, a man named Samuel, give them a king. Wisely, Samuel warned that a king will force them to work hard and be a tyrannical ruler, but the people didn’t seem to care. Consequently, Samuel gives them a man named Saul to be the first king of Israel. At the beginning of Saul’s reign, he obeyed God and won many battles for Israel. God commanded Saul and his army to kill and destroy everything in one Canaanite nation, but Saul kept some of the spoils and donated it to the temple. Because of his sin, Saul’s son Jonathan would not inherit the throne, so when Saul died, the throne was given to a man named David.

During his childhood, David had killed a giant Philistine with a sling-shot. David was a good king, but committed one horrible sin. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of a man in his army, and then had her husband sent to the frontlines to get him killed. David then married her. He realized what he had done and was sorry for his misdeeds. Unlike Saul, David learned to obey God. We are all like the Israelites in our sin, but if we repent, God forgives and rescues us.

By defending against invaders, challenging heresies, and leading his flock as the Bishop of Rome, my patron saint, Leo, rightly deserves the honor of being the first Pope to be called, “The Great.”

Leo was born in Tuscany, Italy, part of the Western Roman Empire, around 400 AD. By 431, he had been tonsured as a deacon in Rome and his zealousness for the Church was known outside the city. About the same time, Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III sent Leo to settle a dispute between Aetius, a military commander of Roman forces in Gaul, and Albinus, a consul. 

While in Gaul in 440, Pope Sixtus III died and Leo was elected to succeed him. During his reign, Leo defended against Dioscorus of Alexandria and Eutyches who believed in the Monophysite heresy that Christ was fully divine, but not fully man. In 451, the Great Bishop called the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon to condemn the heretics. The council concluded with the anathematization and excommunication of the heretical Dioscorus, Bishop of Alexandria, and the monk Eutyches. The next year, Leo persuaded Attila the Hun and his army to refrain from attacking the ancient city of Rome. In 455, Gaiseric, leader of the Vandal tribe, agreed to Leo’s requests not to kill civilians or raze the city. While Gaiseric kept mostly to the agreement, he did take some citizens as slaves during the sack. In addition to these diplomatic feats, Leo also wrote 96 sermons and 143 letters, of which the best known is his “Epistle to Saint Flavin.” 

Leo reposed in peace in 461 after serving his flock for 21 years. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican Churches, with his Orthodox Feast Day being celebrated on February 18. 

Without the guidance of Saint Leo, the Huns and Vandals could have destroyed the entire city of Rome and the Monophysite heresy could have continued to corrupt the Church for many years. Pope Leo was a truly deserving diplomatic defender of the Christian faith. As he said, “Virtue is nothing without temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.”