In silence, the elders of the Orthodox Church are very old men, and it is not that no one has wanted to change this state of the Church for many years, and corruption and depravity are always the inevitable themes of every country and organization.

The most recent example is Gregory VII of the Roman Church, who led a far-reaching Reformation.

The pope made clear the decrees prohibiting clergy marriage and buying and selling the priesthood, and zealously enforced them—a move that earned him the nickname "Holy Satan."

It is different from the previous Christians' idea that they should be cautious in their thoughts, retreat from the world, and abstain from pleasure and desire.

Gregory VII insisted that Christians should be motivated to join the world and shoulder the lofty ambition of "creating "right order in the world."

Based on this notion, Gregory demanded absolute obedience and chastity from his subordinates – leading some opponents to complain that Gregory VII was simply demanding priesthood by the standards of angels.

Unlike his predecessors, who were content with a dualistic order of the sacred and the profane, Pope Gregory VII aspired to be the co-ruler of both worlds, which laid the foundation for the failure of his reforms.

The disgrace of Canossa sparked an all-out confrontation between the Church and the Holy Roman Emperor, and the end result was the hasty escape from Rome by Gregory VII, a great and lone reformer.

In the eyes of these Orthodox elders, the new emperor's approach was no different from that of Pope Gregory VII.

It's just that one was initiated by the supreme leader of the church, and the other was initiated by the supreme of the empire, and there is no guarantee that the two will not end up in the same way.

Michael and Duka all scoffed at the emperor's ideas, but after all, the years they had experienced were very long, and the change of several emperors did not cause a change in their status.

In their eyes, Emperor Alexios, who insisted on taking advantage of this great ecclesiastical scandal to launch a new reform, was the next Pope Gregory VII.

The 100,000 monks are the cornerstone of Orthodoxy, and anyone who tries to touch this taboo will be shattered.

When the church gets through this difficult period, those monks who have been swept away will definitely cause a new round of riots, and when the time comes, it will be seen how the emperor ends, thinking of this, Michael and the others are a little relieved.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out in the church:

"There is indeed a big problem within the Church, it is undeniable that some clergy accept bribes to buy and sell the priesthood openly, and some of the nuns in the convent, who are supposed to be pure and virgin, have also deviated from the faith of God.

His Majesty's proposal is very good, and I personally support His Majesty's suggestion that the establishment of seminaries can help the Church to effectively screen out the true believers, and those false believers and heretics will be eliminated in the examination again and again.

Although I am old, I still hope to see new changes in the church in my lifetime! ”

Isidore's words shook the elders in attendance, he was an elder figure in the Orthodox Church, his statement largely represented the voice of some people, and Isidore's statement would lead his disciples to support the emperor.

Michael and Duka winked at the old bishop, but Isidore just looked Alexios in the eye, and after a long time the Emperor smiled at the old man.

"Your Majesty, I wonder if the seminary is established, will it be managed by the Imperial Family or by the Church?"

Seeing that the matter was irreparable, Duka directly pointed out the crux of the problem, if he could obtain the management of the seminary, then it was not up to the church to decide who to recruit as a pastor and how much to recruit, and this matter must be disputed.

"Your Majesty, the Church serves God, the priests are all servants of God, I hope Your Majesty can hand over the management of the seminary to the Church for unified management!"

Michael also saw the point, and the key was who held the seminary.

"You all seem to have forgotten one person, our esteemed Patriarch of Constantinople, His Majesty the new Pope Basil!"

When Alexios said the name, the church door was open and the patriarch with the scepter walked in.

Basil's appearance made the two Orthodox elders lament in their hearts, he was something that no one could avoid, and the Patriarch of Constantinople was the supreme leader of the Orthodox Church even if he was a puppet elected by the Roman emperor.

Not long ago, Basil had reaffirmed his allegiance to the Emperor, and this was his best chance to prove himself, and the Emperor naturally wanted to use him in his confrontation with the Church.

"Ladies and gentlemen, whether it is the proposal of His Majesty Alexios or the suggestion of Elder Isidore, I think everyone should have reached a consensus, there is a big problem within the church, we urgently need reform, we need new blood.

My decision is very simple, all monasteries belonging to the Orthodox Church will be tested after the establishment of the seminary next year, and we will screen out qualified priests, and only priests who have passed the examination of the seminary will be qualified to shepherd all beings for God. ”

Basil's resounding words made several elders who wanted to refute dumbfounded, this time it was originally the Orthodox Church itself that made a big mistake and needed the emperor's strong support.

And this suggestion made by Alexios is more equivalent to an exchange, and they now have to swallow the bitter fruit planted by their predecessors.

Alexios walked up to the crucifix and looked at the Son before he said slowly, "The falsity of the Holy Grail incident will be clarified by the Empire.

The escape heresy still needs the help of the church to arrest it, and I think the establishment of the seminary can be built in a quiet place outside of Constantinople. ”

"Elder Isidore, would you like to be the first dean of the seminary in Constantinople?"

"Of course it's an honor, Your Majesty!"

"Patriarch Basil, I hope that the Church will be able to unify its opinion as soon as possible, the establishment of the seminary cannot be delayed, the Church cannot remain unchanged for thousands of years, it must always be reformed.

If there are still heretics in the Church that blaspheme the glory of God in the future, I will not hesitate to raise the butcher's knife. ”

Seeing the emperor leave the church, the originally silent elders finally couldn't hold back.

"Isidore, why did you just speak out in support of the Emperor, you must know that you are the bishop of the Church, not the consul of the Empire!" Duka was the first to speak out against his parishioners.

"Elder Duka, don't be in a hurry to accuse our parishioners, I think Elder Isidore also has a hard time!"

Although Michael looked displeased and looked very dissatisfied, he still suppressed his anger and persuaded Duka.

"No, you don't understand what the church needs, what the people need!

Holy and benevolent pastors can edify sentient beings, cunning and greedy heretics can lure people into hell, all I have done is to leave a clean and empty land for the church. ”

After saying this, Isidore walked out of the church, and Duka angrily scolded: "Who does he think he is, saint?" His support for the emperor would only ruin the Church. ”

Basil on the side looked at these farces with gloomy eyes.