Letter 9: I have been patient for a long time, dear brothers, hoping that silence and forbearance would restore order.

I have been patient for a long time, dear brothers, hoping that silence and forbearance would restore order. But now the reckless presumption of certain people is disturbing the honor of the martyrs, the dignity of the confessors, and the peace of the entire community — and I can no longer stay quiet. Too much silence brings its own danger, both to you and to me. Some of the presbyters — forgetting the Gospel, disregarding their own station, ignoring the Lord's future judgment, and showing contempt for the bishop placed over them — have claimed for themselves an authority that was never exercised even under our predecessors. They are reconciling the lapsed to communion without any process, without genuine repentance, without the bishop's knowledge. This has never been done before, and it must stop. I would gladly tolerate the disrespect to my own authority — I've always been willing to let that slide. But this isn't about my dignity. It's about the safety of our people. These presbyters are deceiving the lapsed into thinking they've been restored when they haven't truly repented. They're offering a false peace that will do more spiritual harm than the persecution itself. The martyrs have asked that certain people's cases be reviewed. I honor that request. But I said it should wait until peace returns, until the bishop is present, until the whole matter can be examined properly. Rushing ahead without order — reconciling people wholesale, without inquiry or penitence — is not mercy. It's negligence dressed up as compassion. Let the lapsed continue to knock at the door. But let the door be opened properly, at the right time, in the right way. Let those who have fallen demonstrate by their tears, their patience, and their changed lives that they understand what they forfeited. Then — and only then — let them be received back, with the dignity that both the Gospel and the martyrs deserve.

Epistle 9