About the futility of suffering that those who are outside communion with the Church endure, and in defense of the 5th Ecumenical Council

In the letter “On the futility of suffering that those who are outside communion with the Church endure, and in defense of the 5th Ecumenical Council,” St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslov) says that suffering not connected with the truth will not bring salvation, referring to the words of St. Cyprian that true martyrdom is determined not by suffering, but by the reason behind it. The saint warns against pride and stubbornness, calling for a return to the fold of the Church through the right faith. He defends the decisions of the 5th Ecumenical Council, which did not change the Orthodox faith, but only condemned individuals whose teachings were contrary to the truth. St. Gregory also explains that the disasters that befell Italy after the council should not be taken as punishment for its decisions, since God punishes those he loves, and suffering can be a sign of Divine love. I accepted your letter with gratitude; but I will rejoice even more if I am worthy to hear about your conversion. Your letter begins with a complaint about the severity of the persecution you are undergoing; but since you do not suffer for the truth, then your suffering will not serve to save you, because you cannot expect reward for an unlawful deed, for you should know the words of Cyprian, who says that martyrdom is not torment, but the cause of torment. Therefore, you should not boast about persecution for which you will not receive eternal reward. You should, my love. brethren, return through the right faith to the mother Church that gave birth to you; No thoughts should tear you away from the unity of the union, and no conviction should seduce you from the path of truth, because the council that took place on the occasion of three writings (Theodore of Mopset, Theodoret of Cyrus and Willow) did not shake or change the faith in the least; on it, as you yourself know, only certain individuals were discussed; and one person was truly condemned, because his writings were clearly contrary to the Orthodox faith. As for the fact that Italy, since the time of this council, began to suffer more than any other country, do not blame her for this, because the Scripture says: the Lord loves him, punishes him, and beats every son whom he accepts (Heb. 12: 6). From these words we can conclude that from the time she began to be in poverty, the Lord chose and loved her; and therefore, due to these disasters, one should not discredit her. So, soon after the venerable Pope Vigilius condemned Theodora, the queen, and the Acephalites, enemies attacked Rome and captured him; but could the Acephalites claim that they were wrongly condemned, because after the condemnation such disasters befell their city? Not at all! It is unusual for you to judge this way, nor for anyone who is only familiar with the sacraments of the Orthodox faith. Therefore, leave these judgments. To reassure you regarding the three essays, I decided it would be better to send you an essay about them of my predecessor, Pope Pelagius, of blessed memory. If you, abandoning the effort to defend yourself, read this work with a pure and sober heart; then I am sure that you will join us; but if, even after reading it, you do not want to leave the opinion in which you now stand; then you will prove only your stubbornness, and not your intelligence. But since the condemnation of the above-mentioned three works did not in the least damage the purity of the faith, then, while I sympathize with you, I beg you, dear brethren, to put aside your pride of mind and immediately turn to your mother - the Church, which daily expects and invites you. (Book 2. Scripture 51).