Letter 33: Because some persons are not ashamed to disturb ecclesiastical order through illicit ambition and to infringe the...

Of Pope Gelasius to the bishops of Dardania. (AD 495.) [Heading 9.] That, according to ancient custom, bishops should take care to be appointed by their own metropolitan, and the metropolitan by his own bishops. Gelasius to all who are established throughout Dardania. Since, through unlawful ambitions, certain men are not ashamed to throw into confusion the rights of the churches, and with rash presumption to usurp the privileges which antiquity has decreed for the metropolitans or for the provincials [the bishops of the provinces], on account of which they even desire to maintain a separation from apostolic communion, in order, namely, that, being divided from its authority, they may carry out their own usurpations as though unpunished, not considering that they will have to render an account to the eternal Judge, not without the destruction of everlasting damnation, both for the injury done to catholic sincerity and for the prejudices done to the traditions of the fathers, if they persist in this obstinacy: we have judged that your charity must be instructed, so that all of you, brothers in common, whether established throughout Dardania or throughout any neighboring province, you who remember that you are under your metropolitans, and who [remember] that those departing [from this life] are replaced by those same [metropolitans], as ancient custom demands, may with one accord appoint your bishops; and in turn, if the metropolitan should perhaps depart by the lot of the human condition, you should resolve that he be consecrated in every way by the bishops of the same province, as the established form has handed down; and you should not allow anyone to claim for himself what was granted to you by ancient arrangement: so that, even amid the very storms of opposing wills, you may in no way cease to keep the ancient rules, just as in the times of the various persecutions it is not to be doubted that our fathers steadfastly did.

Gelasii papae ad episcopos Dardaniae. (a.495.) \9. U^ secundum veierem consuetudinem staiui episcopos a suo metropolilano et ' metropoiiianum a suis episcopis curent. * Gelasius uuiversisper Dardaniam constitutis. Quia per ambitiones illicitas non ])udet quosdam ecclesiaruui jura turbare^), ac privilegia, quae metropolitanis vel provincialibus M) Ita D« D^ D» F«* F"» N« O^ d' d*; O' c^ seqq. omittimt quid; e» quod. *») Ita N* D* F<* F*" 0* 0* c;' c^ seqq. d^, nisi quod c^ seqq. per infectos, O* Antiocheno Petro* Deinde d* se doceainr eo recepio a communione ipse damnasse. «•^) .c'^ seqq. cecidere. Moxque D' F* F™ N^ 0* teneantur ... possint {possini etuun c^ seqq.). *»^) 0' 0* c* inniti, moxque c* seqq. non verentur (loco nituntur). ») His verbia maxirae notantur Constantinopolitani antistiteB, seu, ut loqui- tnr Gelasius epist. 26 n. 15, qui videniur ecclesiis Orienialibus nunc praeesse, qui- que propterea Christianam reparnri legiiima curatione refugiunt umtatem, quia occa- sionem dissensionis hujus aids ambitionibus suffragantem deponere jam recusanty quia 28* . (a. 495.) episcopis decrevit antiquitas, temeraria praesuinptione pervadere, propter quod etiani communionis apostolicae desiderant discidium^ tenere, quo scilicet ab ejus auctoritate divisi, velut impunes pro- prias usurpationes exerceant, non respicientes, quia aetemo Judici rationem tam de catholicae sinceritatis injuria^); quam de tradiiio- num praejudiciis paternarum non sine perpetuae sint danmatioi&is interitu reddituri, si in hac obstinatione permanserint: caritatem ve- stram duximus instruendom, ut vos omnes in commune fratres, ri^e per Dardaniam sive per quamque contiguam provinciam constitoiti, qui vos sub metropolitanis vestris esse meministis , et ab eisdoB^ substitui decedentes ^), sicut vetus consuetudo deposcit, unanimi^tiCt statuatis antistites; et vicissim si metropolitanus humanae condit:A<>' nis forte decesserit, a comprovincialibus episcopis, sicut forma misit^), sacrari modis omnibus censeatis; iiec quemquam sibi, qu( vobis antiqua dispositioiie concessum est, patiamini vindicare: q*»^^ teifus et inter ipsas adversantium voluntatum procellas vetei ■• ^^ regulas nullatenus custodire cessetis, sicut persecutionum temp^^ diversarum patres nostros constanter fecisse non dubiuim est.