Are you aware that this book is on the Index of Forbidden Books?
The Index was suppressed by Paul VI. I could see why. A strong argument against a powerful party is oft silenced.
I believe in the Roman primacy, but I find the monarchical model of the papacy not in keeping with patristic Tradition.
Simply put, the Popes, although possessing great prestige and acting as St. Peter's Vicar were not viewed as absolute monarchs of the Catholic Church.
An acknowledgment of the Pope's right to hear appeals from the Eastern patriarchates does not necessarily mean that he was recognized as having unilateral authority.
Primacy, in a primitive context, should be understood within the exposition of the 34th Apostolic Canon:
CANON 34
It behoves the Bishops of every nation to know the one among them who is the premier or chief, and to recognize him as their head, and to refrain from doing anything superfluous without his advice and approval: but, instead, each of them should do only whatever is necessitated by his own parish and by the territories under him. But let not even such a one do anything without the advice and consent and approval of all. For thus will there be concord, and God will be glorified through the Lord in Holy Spirit -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I think the traditional Ultramontane view of the papacy unneccesarily appears to remove the Pope from the college of bishops and make the Pope the ecclesia ad personam.
Let me ask you this, if the Easterners believed Rome's primacy was divinely inspired would they have ratified the 28th Canon of the Council of Chalcedon, which grants Constantinople equal privileges with the Pope of Rome?
Not to mention Canon 6 of the First Council of Nicaea:
CANON 6
Let the ancient customs prevail which were in vogue in Egypt and Libya and Pentapolis, to allow the bishop of Alexandria to have authority over all these parts, since this is also the treatment usually accorded to the bishop of Rome. Likewise with reference to Antioch, and in other provinces, let the seniority be preserved to the Churches. In general it is obvious that in the case in which anyone has been made a bishop without the Metropolitan’s approval. the great Council has prescribed that such a person must not be a Bishop. If, however, to the common vote of all, though reasonable and in accordance with an ecclesiastical Canon, two or three men object on account of a private quarrel, let the vote of the majority prevail.
The pyramidal model of the Church was a medieval innovation , I think largely motivated as a reaction to the lay investiture controversies and secular efforts to control the Western Church.