The commemoration of the secular authorities in the liturgical practices of the Orthodox Church has two principal purposes: first, to invoke the mercy and protection of God on the powers that be, and secondly, to legitimize them in the minds of the faithful. This booklet focuses on the second purpose, discussing several points in Church history during which the legitimacy or otherwise of the authorities became a matter of primary importance. This question - whether to commemorate the secular authorities at the Divine Liturgy or not - has become increasingly difficult to answer in recent times. Or rather, some would say, increasingly easy insofar as the authorities have become increasingly evil. In any case, it is necessary to study the question on the basis, as always, of Holy Scripture and Tradition and the history of the Orthodox Church…