Letter 5044: Gregory to Leontius, bishop, visitor of the Church of Rimini [Ariminum, on the Adriatic coast of Italy].

To Bishop Leontius. On better managing the visitation of Rimini. Gregory to Bishop Leontius, visitor of the Church of Rimini. We have learned, from a complaint made by the clergy of the Church of Rimini, of which you are visitor, that, having removed everyone else, your Fraternity has entrusted the administration of its patrimony and its other revenues to be conducted by your own men. And if this is so, we do not believe the complaint of that same clergy to be groundless. On this matter we exhort you with these words, that you arrange to have all things which pertain to the above-written Church governed and managed through its own men, whom you yourself shall have selected, or through the deacon who bears these present letters, so that no just occasion of murmuring against you may be left to them. But if perhaps there is some suspicion of unfaithfulness concerning them, then appoint your own men together with them in the conduct of affairs, so that, by a mutual solicitude toward one another, they may be obliged to act as guardians, ready in every way to render accounts to you. But whatever shall come in from the revenues of that same Church ought, according to custom, to be made into four portions: one, namely, which is to be supplied to the clergy; another, to the poor. As for the remaining two portions, we wish three to be made: one to go toward the repair of roofs and structures; another to be directed to Castorius, its own bishop, for his own sustenance; the remaining one to be retained by yourself. If therefore anyone among the clergy of the above-written Church shall be worthy to be ordained a presbyter, or a deacon, or in any other grade, you shall have free license, by our authority, to promote him. Be watchful, then, in the winning of souls; be solicitous concerning the uprightness of the clergy. Permit not the interests of the Church, whose visitation you carry out, to perish unjustly or to be diminished by any underhanded means, lest, which God forbid, you incur both before God the stain of perpetual peril, and before us the guilt of fault. We have learned, moreover, that you obtain a certain amount of grain-allowance from the public revenue [the fisc], and that for this reason you are restrained by shame, and are not, as is fitting, effective in the causes of the Church or in the defense of the poor. Therefore you must abstain from this which brings on shame, and you ought to be content with the stipends which you obtain from the Church. For if you should wish to do otherwise after our admonition, we shall hold a different estimation of you. Indeed you who teach those entrusted to you to serve avarice, whom, though you have established them with sufficient stipends, you make not content. Letter XLV. To Andreas the Advocate. He commends Castorius the chartulary. Gregory to Andreas the advocate [scholasticus]. With what sincerity we ought to presume upon your Glory, the quality of your acknowledged devotion, which you formerly showed to blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, makes clear. Although we trust that you are most readily present in mind to his causes, yet it is not out of place if we should also request from our abundance, by letter, those things which you have done of your own accord. And therefore, greeting you, we ask with the affection of paternal charity that, since we have directed the bearer of these present letters, Castorius our chartulary, thither for necessary causes, you assist him with your help in all things, and that by the counsel of your goodness, and the comfort of your kindness, wherever it shall be necessary, you concur with him, so that, by the support of your soundness [of judgment], he may be able to be found skillful and fit for accomplishing the things which have been enjoined upon him. For thus both you do the things which are your own, and you compel us to pray the more earnestly for you. May Almighty God fortify you with the protection of His grace, and so dispose your acts, in His fear, as you desire, propitiously, that He may strip you here from all evils, and lead you to eternal joys.

AD LEONTIUM EPISCOPUM. \ De visitatione Ariminensi melius procuranda. Gregorius ® Leontio episcopo, visitatori Ariminen- sis Keclesiz. : Clero Ariminensis Ecclesiz (Grat. 18, q. 2, c. 6), enjus visitator es, conquerente comperimus Þ quod remotis omnibus, frateynitas tna hominibus $uis pa- lrimonii ejus gubernationem c#terasque ulilitates commiserit peragendas. Quod $i ita est , querelam D ejusdem cleri ineptam es8e non credimus. Ea de re his te hortamur affatibus, ut omnia quz ad supraseri- ptam Ecelesiam pertinent, per proprios ejus homi- Norm., Corb. et Collect. Pauli, vet. Editi. In recent., quibus favent Reg. et quidam Vatic., obltestor ergo. Mss. omnium Vatic., Anglic., Norm., Reg., Collect. Pauli, etc. , auctoritate firmatam. Recent. habent, quia ia damnando generalitatis nomine nosirum 8Pe- cialiter. In hac Gregorii epistola, multa ex epist. 8 Pelagii I excerpia agnoscimus. | Eer-T. XLIV [ Al. 42]. — * Urbinaii scilicet episco» po, ex epist. 24 lib. 1, indict. 11. In Norm., Corb, et ali:s Mss., legi-ur tantum Leontio episcopo. a SANCTI GREGORI! MAGNI nes, qu0s ipse previderis, sive per diaconum latorem A cesse fuerit, concurratis , quatenus faltus Christia= presentium gubernari agique disponas , ut nulla eis advergum te justa murmurandi relinquatur occasio. $i vero quzdanm de eis infidelitatis est ſortasse 8uspicio, cum eis quoque homines tuos in actione conslilue, vt alterna erga 8e sollicitudine debeant csse custodes, ratioues tibi modis omnibus posituri. Quidquid vero de reditibus Ecclesiz ipsius acces- Seril, quatuor juxta consueludinem oportet fieri por- tiones : unam &cilicet quz clero przbenda sit, aliam que pauperibus. De reliquis autem duabus partibus tres fieri volumus, unam sartis tectis profuturam, aliam pro $sustentatione sua CasLorio proprio episco- po dirigendam, reliquam tibimet retinendam. Si quis igitur io $uprascripte Ecclesie clero dignus fuerit presbyler, vel diaconus, sive in gradu alio ordinari, liberam habebis ex nostra auctorilate eum promo- vendi licentiam. ; In lucrandis ergo animabus jnvigila, circa cleri re- clitudinem esto s0llicitus. Utilitates Ecclesiz, cujus visitationem geris, injuste perire vel deleriorari nulla subreptione permitllas, ne, quod absit, et apud Denm perpetui labem periculi, et apud nos reatum culpz possis incurrere. Comperimus przterea * aliquot te annonas de pu- blico consequi, et hac ex re verecundia comprimi , alque in causis Ecclesiz, vel deſensione pauperum, ut congruit, non esse efficacem. Propterea J75 ' abslinendum est ab hoc quod verecundiam incutit, et stipendiis quz de Ecclesia consequeris debes esse contentus. Nam si. aliter ſacere post nostram adhor - tationem volueris, aliam de te $timationem habe- bimus. Quippe qui commiss0s libi avaritiz militare do- ces, quos suſlicientibus stipendiis instituis non ess@ conlentos. « EPISTOLA XLY. AD ANDREAM SCHOLASTICUM. Castorium chertularium commendat. Gregorius Audrez scholastico. Qualiter de gloriz vestre debeamus sinceritale praesumere, coguilze devolionis qualitas, quam beato Pelro apostolorum principi olim exbibujstis ostendit. Cujus licet causis mente vos adesse prompltis- gima confidamus , non tamen ab re est si ea quz $ponle egistis nostra ex abundanti epistola de- poscamus. Atque ides salutanles, paternz charitatis afſectu petimus, ut quia latorem preseutium Casto- rium chartularium nosLrum pro necess3riis illic cau- sis direximus, vestra eum ope in omnibus adjuvelis, alque j11i bonitatis vestra: consilio, quocunque ne- © [n vulgalis, aliquid te annone, de publico, hoc est de fisco. Vituperat Leontium, quod, propriis sti- ndiis non contentus, ex fisce annonam acciperet. udat Severus Sulpic. episcopos Aquitanos, Gallos, et Britanaos, qui concili» Ariminensi iterluerunt, quod annonis et cellarits, hoc est hospitiis ab Au- usto $ibi oblatis uli noluerint, Sed propriis sumpti- = ali maluerint, lribus duutaxat exceptis, lib. 1 Hist. sacr:r. Eer-r, XLV [AL.15, indict. 2]. — * Hxc episiola zbesl a Mss. Anglic. et a plerisque. Legitur in San- nitatis vestr# s0latio, ad explenda quz Sibi injuncta Sunt so0lers et jidoneus possit inveniri. Sic etenim et vos quz vestra $sunt facitis, et nos pro vobis enixius orare compellitis. Oimnipotens Deus gratie Suez vos tuitiore praemuniat, et ita actus vestros in $u0 $icut desideratis propitius timore disponat, ut a malis om- nibus hic exuat, et ad gaudia vos #lerna perducat.