Letter 6011: Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop of Naples.

To Bishop Fortunatus. He permits Gratianus, a deacon of the Church of Venafrum [Venafro], to be incardinated into the Church of Naples. He forbids that clerics be summoned to law before laymen, and that the bishop himself defer the judgment of cases. He exhorts him to pastoral vigilance. Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop of Naples. We recall that your Fraternity has asked of us that we should yield up Gratianus, a deacon of the Church of Venafrum, to be incardinated into your Church. And since he has neither a bishop whom he may obey, nor a Church of his own in which he ought to render his ministry, the enemy of course preventing it, we have judged that your petition should not be deferred: and therefore, by these present writings, we have considered that he must of necessity be granted to you, you being about to have license, our authority intervening, to constitute that deacon, God being favorable, as a cardinal [incardinated cleric] of your Church. Moreover, because it has come to us that clerics and other religious persons of your city and parish are summoned by others [...] [a passage of the letter is interrupted here in the source by editorial apparatus; the sentence resumes:] to be summoned, we forbid that this be done henceforth, and that neither your cleric, nor a monk, nor any other religious person of your city and parish be summoned [before secular judges]. But if anyone should wish to raise a question of any business whatsoever against persons of this kind, let him know that your Fraternity is to be approached. Or if perchance, as usually happens, any suspicion should in some way have arisen in their case, and they should desire the judgment of chosen men, let there be, under your supervision as well, lawful authority to choose adjudicators; so that in this manner neither may you seem to have lost your jurisdiction, nor may the plaintiff seem, by litigating before one held suspect, to suffer prejudice. For know that we have also enjoined this same thing to be observed upon the subdeacon Anthemius. It is fitting therefore that your Fraternity should diligently keep watch with pastoral care over the monasteries of the city and of its parish, and over all those subject to you, and that you be altogether solicitous concerning their life and conduct, so that, just as we are known to preserve these privileges for you, so too you may skillfully exhibit your vigilance in all things, as is proper, to the end that in no matter may you be found blameworthy through negligence. But further, if you, which we do not expect, should think it ought to be disregarded, know that the rector of the patrimony of our Church who is, or shall be, appointed there, has license that you be by all means compelled, at his insistence, to do what of your own accord you put off. But this also it behooves you to take care of, that those who have a case against any persons placed under your jurisdiction ought not to be harassed before your Fraternity by any deceitful delays, lest we seem to have preserved these privileges for you to the wearying and damage of another.

AD FORTUNATUM EPISCOPUM. Gratianum Veneſrane Ecclesice diaconum Neapolitane incardinari permiltit. Vetat ne coram laicts in jus rocentur clerici, ac ne causarum judicium ipse'difſe- rat. Horlatur ad pastoralem vigilantiam. Gregorius Fortunato episcopo Neapolitano. Fraternitatem tuam (Grat. dis!, 71, c. 5) a nobis pelisse recolimus ut Gratianum Ecclesiz * Veneſra- nz diaconum 1uz cederemus Ecclesiz cardinandum. Et quoniam nec episcopum cui obsecundare, nee propriam habet Ecclesiam, hboste sCilicet prohibente, quo syum debeat ministerium exhibere, petitionem tuam non przvidimus diſſerendam : idcirco scriptis tibi presenlibus eum necessario duximus conceden- dum, habituro licentiam diaconum illum, nostra in- terveniente auctoritate, Ecclesiz tuz Deo propitio cons$tiluere cardinalem. | Quia vero pervenit ad nos clericos aliasque civita- tis ac parochiz luz reliziosas personas Þ ab aliis con- eversa, que haud longe distabat ab urbe Regio al fretum Siculuin. Joannes episcopus Carinensis, Tov Keprowy, Subscripsit coucilio Lateranensi Sub Mar- linv 1, av. 649, Gussanv. | © Recent. Vulgati, nec loci deserti habitatio ; invilis Mss. Anglic., Vat:c., Norm., etc. Eyisr. Xl. — * Sive, ut in Mss. legitur, Bene- ſran@. | bd Scilicet coram judicibus $#cularibus translala SANCT! CREGORIT MACNT veniri, fieri hoe de extero prohibemus, et neque cle- A $tinz nos restitueret libertali, 8alubri!er agitur si ricum wwum, neque monachum vel quamlibet civitatis - aliam religiosam personam parochiz tu#z conveniri Sed si quis contra hujusmodi personas Cujuslibet ne- go!ii movere voluerit questionem , fraternitatem. tuam noverit adeundam. Aut si ſorte, vt as8olet, ali- qua jllis quolibet modo fuerit nata suspicio, et ele- ctorum desideraverint judicinm, sub tua GQO exsc- cutione eligendi fas habeant cognitores ; quatenus hoc modo nec tu amisisse jurisdictionem, nec acior apud Suspectum litigando videatur prejudicium sustinere. Hoe etenim $ervandum et Anthemio 8ubdiacono nous praxcepisse COguosce. Oporiet ergo ut ſralernitas tua erga monasteria ci- vilatis, parochizque $uz, omnesque $ubjectos pasto- rali cura diligenter invigilet, et de vita actuque - eorum sit omnino $ollicita, ut sicut nos hec libi pri- vilegia scrvare dignoscimur, ita et tu vigilantiam tuam in cunctis, ut decet, solerter exhibeas, quatenus in nulla re possis de neglectu reprehensibilis inveniri, Porro autem $i tu, quod non opinamur, dissimulan- dum putaveris, rectori patrimonii Ecclesize nostre, qui illie est, vel ſuerit constitutus, noveris esve li- centiam ut qued sponte postponis ejus facere instan- tia modis omnibus urgearis. Sed et illud studere te convenit, ut hi qui contra quoslibet jurisdictioni tne Suppositos causam habuerint nullis apud fraternitatem tuam ſrustratoriis debeant dilationibus lacessiri, ne ad fatigationem et damnum alterius hc tibi servasse privilegia videamur. (Cf. Joan. Diac. lib. uw, n. 20.)