Nikolaos welcomed letters sent with ambassadors from Urban II, but indicated they had expressed doubts about Byzantine attitudes to westerners, for example whether the latter were barred from churches. Such rumours were spread by deceitful men. He reassured Urban they were untrue, and westerners could and would continue to worship as freely in "Greek" churches as "Greeks" in Italian churches. He committed himself to church unity, and reminded Urban of the old custom (begun by St Paul) of a new patriarch writing to his colleagues with an account of his appointment and a statement of faith for their approval. He asked Urban to follow this custom now: he offered his own messengers, Basileios of Calabria and Romanos of Rossano to convey the letter - or Urban might prefer carriers of his own. Basileios and Romanos were travelling in part to deliver Nikolaos' letter, but in part on their own account. Baslileios needed Urban's help to establish himself in the see to which he had been canonically appointed, while Romanos would provide his own information about what was being done by Latins in his see. Nikolaos ended by praying for God's aid for Urban