Editing Pope Damasus I (section)

===Relations with the Eastern Church===

The Eastern Church, in the person of [[Basil of Caesarea]], earnestly sought the aid and encouragement of Damasus against an apparently triumphant [[Arianism]]. Damasus, however, harbored some degree of suspicion against the great [[Cappadocia]]n [[Doctor of the Church]]. In the matter of the [[Meletius of Antioch|Meletian Schism]] at Antioch, Damasus – together with [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], and his successor, [[Peter II of Alexandria]] – sympathized with the party of [[Paulinus, Bishop of Antioch|Paulinus]] as more sincerely representative of Nicene orthodoxy. On the death of [[Meletius of Antioch|Meletius]] he sought to secure the succession for Paulinus and to exclude [[Flavian I of Antioch|Flavian]].<ref>[[Socrates of Constantinople|Socrates]], ''Historia Ecclesiastica'' 5.15</ref> During his papacy, Peter II of Alexandria sought refuge in [[Rome]] from the persecuting Arians. He was received by Damasus, who supported him against the Arians.<ref name="ce"/>

Damasus supported the appeal of the Christian senators to Emperor [[Gratian]] for the removal of the altar of Victory from the Senate House,<ref>Ambrose, ''Epistles'' xvii, n. 10</ref> and lived to welcome the famous edict of [[Theodosius I]], "De fide Catholica" (27 February 380),<ref>''[[Codex Theodosianus]]'' XVI, 1, 2</ref> which proclaimed as the religion of the Roman State that doctrine which [[Saint Peter|Peter]] had preached to the Romans.<ref name="ce">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04613a.htm Shahan, Thomas. "Pope St. Damasus I." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 29 Sept. 2017</ref>
[[File:Epigramme Damase Agnès.jpg|thumb|Facsimile of a Damasan inscription by the late 4th-century lapicide Philocalus in the [[Catacombs of Saint Agnes]] beneath the Constantinian basilica of [[Sant'Agnese fuori le mura|Sant'Agnese ''fuori le Mura'']]]]