Gregory the Great and the Sixth-Century Dispute over the Ecumenical Title

The article explores the showdown between Pope Gregory I and Patriarch John IV of Constantinople over the ecumenical title. It argues that the promotion of the title coincided with other Eastern challenges to Roman prestige and that Gregory's diplomatic strategies evolved over the course of the controversy. While nothing in his correspondence suggests that he would endorse subsequent claims to universal Roman privilege, Eastern intransigence pushed the pontiff to embrace the rhetorical claims of Petrine privilege.