Resultados25 letters/passages
gregory_great · c. 598 · score 0.02
Gregory to Quertinus, ex-prefect. I have been asked to intervene on behalf of Bonitus in his effort to obtain a prefecture. I must be honest with you about why I cannot do this. The apostolic see does not seek to place particular individuals in positions of civil power through papal influence. This would be an inapprop …
gregory_great · c. 592 · score 0.02
I am asking you to convey a firm message to Leontius, the former consul: he is not to make any unilateral decisions or dispositions concerning the islands without prior consultation with this see. The islands in question fall within the patrimony and pastoral jurisdiction of the Roman church, and no secular authority — …
gregory_great · c. 599 · score 0.02
I am writing to you with a warning that I intend to follow through on if necessary: if you do not comply with the legitimate authority of the primate of Prima Justiniana in the matters he has brought to your attention, you will face formal correction from this see. The primate's authority is real and binding in matters …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.02
Gregory to the Empress Constantina. Almighty God, who holds your devout heart in His right hand, both protects us through you and stores up for you eternal rewards in return for your earthly deeds. I have learned from the letters of my representative, the deacon Sabinianus, how justly Your Serenity has taken up the cau …
gregory_great · c. 592 · score 0.02
Book III, Letter 30 To John, Subdeacon [Gregory's representative]. Gregory to John. Since it is clear that the Apostolic See [the papacy], by God's ordering, is set over all churches, there is among our many responsibilities none we take more seriously than ensuring the proper governance of the churches that look to us …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.02
Gregory to the Emperor Mauricius. Our most devout and God-appointed sovereign, among his many pressing cares, also watches over the preservation of peace among the clergy with genuine spiritual concern -- rightly and wisely recognizing that no one can govern earthly affairs well unless he knows how to handle the things …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Gregory to all the bishops of Gaul who are under the kingdom of Childebert. The divine plan has ordained that there should be different degrees and distinct orders, so that while those of lesser rank show respect to the more powerful and the more powerful bestow love on their inferiors, a single fabric of concord may b …
gregory_great · c. 603 · score 0.01
… urdens of long duration have been lifted from our necks, and the gentle yoke of imperial authority has returned, one that subjects are glad to bear. Let glory be given to the Creator of all by the choirs of angels on high. Let thanksgiving be offered by men on earth. For the whole republic, which has endured so many wo …
gregory_great · c. 603 · score 0.01
… e yoke of sorrow has been lifted and we have come to times of freedom under the imperial authority of Your Benign Piety. That Your Serenity has not found a deacon of the Apostolic See resident at the court according to ancient custom is not due to any negligence on my part, but to the most pressing necessity. While all …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
… e that he alone is a bishop and all the rest are nothing. I ask, then, that the imperial power prohibit this presumption, so that I may not be compelled to take measures that would sadden both me and the Church. Let the matter be resolved through Your Piety's wisdom, so that the peace of the clergy -- and through it, t …
gregory_great · c. 593 · score 0.01
I write to you concerning Victor, bishop of Fatianus, whose situation has been brought to my attention. His diocese has, it seems, been subjected to interference — from whose hand I need not specify here, since you will know better than I. What I ask is simple: let the bishop exercise his proper jurisdiction without en …
gregory_great · c. 593 · score 0.01
Gregory to All the Bishops throughout Dalmatia. Your Fraternity should have closed its eyes to worldly considerations out of reverence for divine judgment, neglecting nothing that pertains to God and to the integrity of your calling. You should never have preferred any man's favor to the demands of justice. But now tha …
gregory_great · c. 603 · score 0.01
My beloved brother, I am pleased to grant you the use of the pallium, as has been the ancient custom for bishops of your see in their relationship with Rome. This is not merely a ceremonial honor — it is a sign of the bonds of communion and shared responsibility that link us across the distance between Rome and Vienna. …
gregory_great · c. 593 · score 0.01
I am entrusting you with the visitation of the church of Capua, which is in need of the kind of pastoral oversight that this assignment allows you to provide. Exercise your authority with pastoral care and canonical rigor in equal measure. Assess the condition of the clergy, the faithful, and the material administratio …
gregory_great · c. 600 · score 0.01
Gregory to Romanus, our defender in Sicily. It has been reported to us that our most reverend brother Bishop Basilius is entangling himself in lawsuits as if he were a common layman, wasting his time attending the civil courts. Since this conduct both demeans the man himself and undermines the reverence owed to priests …
gregory_great · c. 595 · score 0.01
The estate property belonging to the Roman church that has been designated for the management of guardianships [tutelas] needs a reliable administrator. I am directing you to assign Peter the defender to oversee this property and the responsibilities that come with it. The management of guardianships is a serious legal …
gregory_great · c. 602 · score 0.01
And I do not attribute this to my sins — that at the time when I, a sinner, was ordained there [in Rome] by your predecessor, all my priests and deacons who accompanied me in attendance upon the lord pope made use of them. And because our provident God has placed all things in your hand and in your most pure conscience …
gregory_great · c. 599 · score 0.01
Gregory to Romanus, exarch of Italy. The audacity of wrongdoers ought to find the sting of correction from your excellency rather than the comfort of your defense. For it is grave indeed if those who act wickedly should find refuge in the very quarter from which the censure of discipline ought to proceed. It has come t …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Gregory to Vincomalus, Guardian. For the benefit of the Church, it is our will and decision that -- provided you are not bound by any obligation of public service, have not been a cleric of any other city, and face no canonical objection -- you shall assume the office of Guardian of the Church. In this role you are to …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
I should also inform you that I have received a letter from the most devout Emperor asking me to be at peace with my brother and fellow bishop John of Constantinople. I wish to be at peace with everyone -- and I am. But when John, in his arrogance, assumes the new and unprecedented title of Universal Bishop, effectivel …
gregory_great · c. 591 · score 0.01
Book II, Letter 23 To John, Bishop of Prima Justiniana [a major city in Illyricum/the Balkans, designated by Emperor Justinian as a metropolitan see] in Illyricum. Gregory to John, Bishop of Prima Justiniana. It is clearly a powerful testament to goodness when everyone's agreement converges on one person. Since the rep …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
I need your help in compelling Stephen, who holds episcopal office, to submit himself to the judgment he has been evading. A bishop who flees from canonical examination is not only failing in his own duty — he is making a mockery of the system of ecclesiastical accountability that exists to protect the faithful. Use wh …
gregory_great · c. 591 · score 0.01
Book II, Letter 7 To Maximianus, Bishop of Syracuse [Gregory's close friend and trusted deputy in Sicily]. Gregory to Maximianus. We carry out our heavenly commission more effectively when we share our burdens with our fellow bishops. For this reason, we appoint you, our most reverend brother, to administer all the chu …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Was it not the case -- as you well know -- that the prelates of this Apostolic See, which by God's providence I now serve, were offered the title of "universal" by the venerable Council of Chalcedon? Yet not one of them ever accepted it or claimed this ill-advised name, lest by seizing the glory of singularity by virtu …
gregory_great · c. 591 · score 0.01
Gregory to Importunus, bishop of Atella. We believe your fraternity willingly embraces things that are wisely arranged. And since we have learned that the church of Holy Mary at Campiso, situated in your diocese, is without a priest, we have appointed the bearer of this letter, the presbyter Dominicus, to preside over …