[Graves]

Theodore Balsamon says that at that time a certain Mark, Patriarch of Alexandria, came to Constantinople and there went on celebrating the Liturgy of his own Church. The Byzantines told him that the use of the most holy Ecumenical throne was different, and that the Emperor had already commanded all Orthodox Church throughout the world to follow that of the Imperial city. So Mark apologized for not having known about this law and conformed to the Byzantine use (P.G., CXXXVIII, 954)

I see your point. Same exact thing happened in the West during the reign of Charlemagne, and with much more catastrophic effects. It really deserves a seperate string. The Synod of Milan has made a big issue out this. See http://www.odox.net/Liturgy-Western-Culture.htm

I am not saying Milan is right about everything because, personally, I find the Western Rite much too Augustinian for my taste. And I do believe the culprit for that is Alcuin of York. But at least Milan rightly points to the past Orthodoxy of the West.

[Claud]

I went to that Holy Synod of Milan site you mentioned (thanks BTW). Interesting stuff. I'm gonna digest it over the next few days. But what really caught my attention was this:

The Holy Synod of Milan is the Diocese for Western Europe of that Old Calendarist Greek Orthodox Church which (after receiving a Hierarchy with the aid of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia) was united under Archbishops Akakios and Auxentios. This Diocese was granted a Tomos of Autonomy in 1984 from Archbishop Auxentios in order to pursue missionary work among the non-Orthodox people of the West.

Hmm.

Missionary work.

By Russians.

In Italy.

Hmm.