Resultados25 letters/passages
gregory_great · c. 597 · score 0.02
Your appointment to oversee the poor table and the administration of the diaconia is now confirmed. This is a charge of the highest spiritual seriousness — the hungry who come to that table are the Lord Christ himself in disguise, and every loaf distributed in his name is an act of worship. I have granted you the neces …
gregory_great · c. 595 · score 0.02
Gregory to Maurentius, military commander. The matter I am writing to you about requires the cooperation of civil and military authority with the church. I have found in you a man who understands that such cooperation serves both parties; I therefore bring this matter to you with confidence. The specific situation — de …
gregory_great · c. 600 · score 0.02
Brothers and sisters, I have appointed Gaudiosus, bishop of Iguvium, as visitor to your community, and I write to ask — indeed to require — that you give him your full cooperation and obedience. A visitor arrives with the authority of this see, and resistance to his ministry is, in effect, resistance to this see itself …
gregory_great · c. 591 · score 0.02
I have received troubling reports about abuses of the defensorship in Sicily — men who have arrogated to themselves the title and authority of defender without proper appointment from this see. This must stop. The office of defender exists to protect the poor and the Church's interests, not to be usurped as a tool of p …
gregory_great · c. 597 · score 0.02
Gregory to Hilarius, notary. A ship has been sent carrying supplies for the support of a monastery. I direct you to ensure that this ship is protected in all respects for the purpose for which it was sent. Monastic communities depend on reliable supply chains. When something is sent for their support, it must reach the …
gregory_great · c. 592 · score 0.02
The bearer of this letter is Gregorius, formerly prefect, now seeking the service of God. He was commended to my care by those who know him well, and I now commend him to yours. I ask you to assist him in whatever way lies within your authority and to treat him with the dignity that both his past service and his presen …
gregory_great · c. 597 · score 0.01
I am sending you to Genoa on a matter of some importance. Deusdedit is to be consecrated bishop there, and I need a reliable man present to ensure the ceremony proceeds according to canonical requirements and in good order. You know what I expect: the election must have been properly conducted, no simony must have tain …
gregory_great · c. 597 · score 0.01
Gregory to John, military tribune at Siponto. The bearer of this letter is in need of assistance that requires the cooperation of both military and ecclesiastical authority. I ask you to work together with Bishop Vitalianus to secure the freedom or protection he needs. This kind of cooperation — between those who repre …
gregory_great · c. 601 · score 0.01
Gregory to Theuderic, king of the Franks. We received with joy the eloquent words of your writings, which signified your well-being. From these we have recognized that your wisdom so transcends that of your station that it plainly appears that the governance of the royal power of the Frankish people has been committed …
gregory_great · c. 599 · score 0.01
Gregory to the estate managers [*conductores massarum*] throughout Gaul. Although you find yourselves placed amid the turmoil of foreign peoples, reason itself compels us to believe that you stand far apart from others in good conduct. For just as the name of Saint Peter, prince of the apostles, makes the household of …
gregory_great · c. 601 · score 0.01
Donatus, the bearer of this letter, reports that he is oppressed by various troubles there, and has asked to be supported by ecclesiastical protection. Therefore we command your experience by authority that you defend the same Donatus with equity preserved, and do not permit him to be subjected to any burdens or damage …
gregory_great · c. 601 · score 0.01
I am very glad to hear that you have returned safely from Ravenna with the ordination properly received from the exarch. This is an important step, and I congratulate you on it. The journey is not always easy, and the process not always quick, but the result — a man properly appointed to serve his community — is worth …
gregory_great · c. 596 · score 0.01
I am directing you to send, via Vitulus who carries this letter, the item or items intended for Adeodatus the abbess. She has been waiting, and further delay serves no purpose. Make sure Vitulus understands exactly what he is carrying and to whom it is to be delivered, and ensure he receives it in good order. Report to …
gregory_great · c. 602 · score 0.01
Theodorus, the bearer of this letter, brings a matter to your attention alongside Defensus. I commend them to you and ask that you give their case a fair hearing and render whatever assistance justice requires. As you know, those who serve the Church in these capacities deserve the support of their bishops, not obstruc …
gregory_great · c. 604 · score 0.01
Marcellinus, a man of excellent standing who bears this letter, is traveling to your city and has need of such assistance as your position allows you to provide. I commend him to you with confidence in your goodwill. His business concerns Maximus of Salona, whose reconciliation with this see is ongoing, and your knowle …
gregory_great · c. 600 · score 0.01
Gregory to Andreas. You have written to me about the dignities and offices of this world — about whether they are worth pursuing and what they are worth. I will tell you what I think. They are not nothing. Power exercised wisely can do real good. Position can give access that makes service possible. I am not one of tho …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
The bearer of this letter, Severus — a man of distinction and good standing — is known to us personally and is deserving of every assistance. I commend him warmly to Your Fraternity, asking that you receive him with the kindness his character warrants, and provide him whatever support his needs require. When we commend …
gregory_great · c. 591 · score 0.01
Gregory to the clergy, order, and people of Crotone [a city in Calabria]. Your church has been without settled episcopal leadership, and I have appointed the bishop John to serve as your visitor [a bishop delegated to oversee a church during a vacancy]. I direct you to obey him in the exercise of this function. At the …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
The letter of your humility testifies to the holiness of your life, for which we give great thanks to almighty God, because we know that there are still those who can pray for our sins. For we, under the guise of ecclesiastical governance, are tossed by the waves of this world, which frequently overwhelm us; but by the …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
The church of Populonia has been left destitute of priestly ministry — there is no one there to give penance to the dying, no one to baptize the newly born. This state of affairs must be remedied immediately. I am therefore directing you to visit Populonia, assess the condition of the community, and ordain whatever pri …
gregory_great · c. 602 · score 0.01
Most serene Queen, the bearer of this letter is Hilarius, whom I send to you with confidence in your continued goodwill toward this see and toward the work of the Church in Frankia. He carries our message and our hope, and I ask you to receive him with the gracious welcome that I have come to expect from a queen who ha …
gregory_great · c. 595 · score 0.01
Gregory to Libertinus, ex-prefect. Romano has just arrived in Sicily to manage the church's patrimony in the Syracuse area. He is a capable man, but new to the region and without the network of relationships that makes this kind of administrative work possible. You have exactly the network he needs. I ask you to share …
gregory_great · c. 603 · score 0.01
The authorization you requested to dedicate the church is granted. Proceed with the ceremony at your discretion and ensure that all is in proper order before you do so. Church dedications are occasions of real significance for local congregations — they bind communities to their place of worship in ways that matter for …
gregory_great · c. 595 · score 0.01
Gregory to Anthemius, subdeacon. Maurus, the bearer of this letter, asserts that he received certain merchandise from the magnificent Felix for four hundred solidi, and promised to pay six siliquae per solidus as profit on the price. When the profit was reckoned together, he says he issued two bonds — one for four hund …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Gregory to the most excellent lords Theoderic and Theodebert. I have sent my servant Augustine [later the first Archbishop of Canterbury] on a mission to the English people [the Anglo-Saxons], and his path lies through your kingdoms. I ask you to extend to him your protection and support as he travels. I have also auth …