Manuel II of Constantinople

Manuel II of Constantinople was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from c. 1243 to 1254. Because of the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204–1261), Manuel II resided at the temporary Byzantine capital in Nicaea. He worked in close collaboration with Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes, particularly in negotiations concerning possible union with the Latin Church. In 1249, Manuel II was likely involved with the delegation from Pope Innocent IV and led by the Franciscan friar John of Parma, which arrived at the temporary Patriarchal seat in Nymphaeum in 1249 and until 1250, there to debate the Filioque against the Orthodox spokesman Nikephoros Blemmydes. The delegation from the Pope returned to him with a note from the Patriarch which exhorted unity under Christ as the only head of the Church, avoiding the term "Schism" and referring only to the "separation" of the Churches. In 1253, the Emperor and Manuel II sent envoys to Pope Innocent IV to more formally discuss ecclesiastical union, renewing these negotiations. These were conducted in Perugia, and appear to have achieved some entente, with Innocent acknowledging the sincerity of the Orthodox Church's desire for union. Despite continued disagreement about the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed, negotiations continued, which resulted in an initial offer of formal recognition of the Greek Patriarchate. No further progress was made after 1254, however, as the architects of the entente – Pope Innocent IV, Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes, and the Patriarch Manuel II – all died within a few months of each other, and the impetus was lost.