y which he had gained, in
combating Basiliscus, of maintaining the truth"; while the next Pope
Gelasius charges him with intense pride; the effect of which was to leave
to the Church "cause for the peaceful to mourn and the humble to weep".

But all this evil had been wrought by Acacius, and upon his death it
remained to be seen how his successor would act. He was succeeded by
Fravita,[48] who, so far from maintaining the conduct of Acacius in
excluding the name of Pope Felix from the diptychs, wished above all things
to obtain the Pope's recognition. He would not even assume the government
of his see without first receiving it. It was usual for patriarchs and
exarchs to enter on their office immediately after election and
consecration, before the recognition of the other patriarchs which they
afterwards asked for by sending an embassy with their synodal letter. It
seems Fravita would make no use of this right, but besought the Pope's
confirmation in a very flattering letter. It would seem also that, by the
death of Acacius, the emperor Zeno had been delivered from thraldom, and
returned to some sentiment of justice. For he supported the letter of the
new patriarch by one himself to the Pope, and it is from the Pope's extant
answers[49] to these two writings that we learn some of their contents. To
the emperor, the Pope replies that he knows not how to return sufficient
thanks to the divine mercy for having inspired him with so great a care for
religion as to prefer it to all public affairs, and to consider that the
safety of the commonwealth is involved in it. That, desiring to confirm the
unity of the Catholic faith and the peace of the churches, he should be
anxious for the choice of a bishop who should be remarkable for personal
uprightness and, above all things, for affection to the orthodox truth.
That the Church has received in him such a son, and that the pontiff, in
whose accession he rejoices, has already given an indication of his rule in
referring the beginning of his dignity to the See of the Apostle Peter. For
the newly-elected pontiff acknowledges in his letter that Peter is the
chief of the Apostles and the Rock of the Faith: that the keys of the
heavenly mysteries have been entrusted to him, and therefore seeks
agreement with the Pope. Then, after enlarging upon the misdeeds of
Acacius, and his rejection of the Council of Chalcedon, and his absolution
of notorious heretics, the Pope beseeches the emperor