Letter 7041: The church of Locri needs a bishop.

[The source for this record is OCR-garbled and contains several concatenated letters from Gregory's Register, together with the editor's apparatus of variant readings. The legible letter-content is translated below in order.] TO CYPRIAN THE RECTOR. Let him see to it that a suitable bishop is ordained for the church of Locri. Gregory to Cyprian, our rector throughout Sicily. The inhabitants of the city of Locri have brought to us a certain presbyter who was to have been ordained their bishop. But because he was found to be by no means worthy, lest they should long be without a bishop of their own, they promised us, when admonished in the record-office, that they would diligently seek another and bring him to us to be consecrated, with God's help. And therefore, when the bearer of these present letters comes to your Charity, you are by all means to summon to you with all speed Marcian, a presbyter of the diocese of the church of Tauriana, who now dwells in the church which is established at Massa Largia [an estate], in the diocese of Catania [...the text here is corrupted; the OCR has spliced in another letter, and the sentence completes with the matter that follows]; and to inquire with all subtlety whether he is clear of the offenses which do not permit a man to attain to the episcopate. And if he answers that he is free of them, you are to send him in haste with the carrier of these present letters, so that, when a decree has been drawn up concerning him, he may come to us to be ordained, God protecting him. But if there is anything that can stand in his way, dismiss with all care and speed this man who has come to your Charity, so that, when he has returned to those places, the other may be sought out according to the instructions sent above. Given in the month of August, in the fifteenth indiction. LETTER XLII. TO BISHOP MARINIANUS. On removing the dominion of the clergy over monasteries. Gregory to Marinianus, bishop of Ravenna. Some time ago it had reached us, by the report of many, that the monasteries established in the regions of Ravenna are altogether oppressed by the dominion of your clergy; so that, under the pretext of governance, they possess them - a thing grievous to say - as though by right of ownership. Grieving over these things not a little, we sent letters to your predecessor, that he ought to amend this in every respect. But since he was too quickly overtaken by the end of his life, lest this burden should remain upon the monasteries, we recall that we wrote this same thing to your Fraternity. And because, as we have learned, the correction of this matter has hitherto been neglected, we have thought it right to direct our writings to you again on this point. We exhort you, therefore, that, with all delay and every excuse set aside, you so strive to relieve these monasteries from oppression of this kind, that henceforth the clergy, or those who are established in holy orders, may have no license of access within them for any other reason than solely for the sake of prayer, or if perchance they should be invited to celebrate the sacred mysteries of the masses. But lest the monasteries should perhaps bear some burden through the promotion of any monk or abbot, you must take care that, if any of the abbots or monks from any monastery whatsoever should attain to the office of the clergy or to holy orders, he should have there no further power, as we have said, lest the monasteries be compelled, under the veil of this occasion, to bear the burdens which we forbid. Therefore let your Holiness, now warned a second time, not delay to amend all these things with watchful care; lest, if after this we should perceive you to be negligent - which we do not believe - we be compelled to provide otherwise for the peace of the monasteries. For let it be known to you that we do not suffer the congregation of the servants of God to lie subject to so great a necessity any longer. But that no excuse may arise to you concerning the monks, let your Fraternity send here whatever person you shall have foreseen to be useful by his work, and we will assign to him monks who can come with him to you; whom, when you have made provision for them, you ought to ordain in the monasteries, provided that the places are such that there may be a means by which they can subsist there. LETTER XLII [duplicate heading in the source]. TO BISHOP MARINIANUS. Since the canons do not allow a fallen bishop to be restored to his place, nor a church to remain vacant beyond three months, let him ordain a bishop for the people of Cornelii. Gregory to Marinianus, bishop of Ravenna. When your Fraternity's letter announced it, we learned that the sons of the church of Cornelii were asking of you, with constant supplication, a bishop to be consecrated for them in the place of their bishop who had formerly fallen, and that you were in doubt as to what ought to be done in this matter, and were awaiting our clear command. Since, therefore, no reason permits one who has departed criminally to be recalled to the place from which he has fallen, and the statutes of the sacred canons do not permit a church to remain vacant of its bishop beyond three months, lest, when the shepherd has fallen, the ancient enemy - which God forbid - by his lying in wait should tear apart the Lord's flock, your Fraternity ought to consent to their entreaty, and to ordain a bishop in the place of the fallen one. For while you ought even before this to have admonished them with your exhortations to this end, even though they were not asking, it behooves you to put off by no excuse those who are now asking, since the church of God ought not long to remain widowed of its own bishop. [Editorial apparatus from the source:] Letter XLI [alias 38]. - In Vatican B: "to Cyriacus, our notary, throughout Sicily." In the Rheims manuscript: "to Cyprian." In the Royal manuscript: "to the deacon governing throughout Sicily." [On Locri:] Gracia, by the Ionian Sea. From its ruins grew Hieracium, an episcopal city of Further Calabria, commonly Gerace, in the Kingdom of Naples (Goussainville). In Vatican A, B, D: "of the city of Locri." [On the place-name:] Vatican A and D: "in Massa Larga." Vatican B: "in Mas-[...]."

AD CYPRIANUM RECTOREM. Kecelesiea Locrensi idoneum episcopum ordinari procu- ret. Gregoriug * Cypriano rectori nostro per Siciliam. Habitatores Þ Locrensis civitatis quemdam ad nos presbyterum adduxerunt, qui eis debuisset episcopus ordinari. Sed quia minime dignus inventus esl, ne - diu sine proprio possint consislere sacerdote, a nobis admoniti © in $crinio promiserunt alium Sludiose $e quzrere, etad uos consecrandum Deo adjutore per- ducere. Et ideo ad dilectionem tuam latore prasen- tium veniente, Marcianum presbyterum diceceseos Taurianensis Ecclesiz, qui nunc habitat in Ecclesia quz est 4 in Massalargia conslitula, diacesis Cata- EPISTOLA XLIE. AD MARINIANUME EPISCOPUM. De submovendo clericorum dominio m monasteriis. Gregorius Mariniano episcopo Ravenne. Dudum (Grat. 18, q. 2, c. 27) ad nos multorum relatione pervenerat monaSteria in Ravennatibus partibus eonstituta omnino elericorum vestrorum dominio preaegravari; ita ut occagione quasi regimi- uis ea, quod dici grave est, velut in proprietale pos- Sideant. Quibus non modicum condolentes, deces- $Ori veslro epigtolas misimus, nt boe emendare per omnia debuisset. Sed quoniam vitze -est lermino citius occupatus, ne hoc onus monasleriis remaneret, ſraternitali ves|re hac eadern- nos SCripsisse recouli- mus. Et quia, ut comperimus, in hujus rei hactenus nensis Ecclesiz, ad te ſacilo modis ompibus evocari; B correctione cessatum est, hac ad vos iterum preevie atque eum $tudij ui sit de criminibus, guz ad epis- copatum accedere non Permittunt cum omni $ubti- litate requirere. Et si eorum se experiem esSe Fes- ponderit, cum presentium portitore eum festina * dirigere, ut facto in eum decreto, ad nos veniat Deo protegente ordinandus. Si vero est aliquid quod. ei possit obsistere, hunc qui ad dilectionem tuai venit, cum omni cura et celeritate dimilte, ut, eo ad loca £14 .remeante, aller secundum ea que praemissa. 82nt requiratur. * Datum mense Augueti, indi- ctione 15. EPISTOLA XLIE AD MARINIANUM EPISCOPUM. Cum neque lapsum eprscopum 10co 810 relitui, neque ultra tres menses Keelesiam vacare permillant cano- nes, Cornelii ordinet episcopum. Gregorius Mariniano episcopo Ravennz. Fraternitatis veslre epistola nuntiaute, comperi- mus * Corneliensis Ecclesiz filios assidua BYQ sup- plicatione Þ in loco lapsi quondam episcopi $sui consecrandum $ibi a vobis poscere $acerdotem, at- que vos quid de ea re fieri debeat dubitare, et no- Strum evidens exspectare mandatum. Pcstquam ergo (Grat. dist. 50, c. 11) quemquam criminaliter absce- deniem in locum de quo lapsus cst nulla permittit ratio revocari, et ultra tres menses Ecclesiam vaca- re ponlilice Slatula SACTorum CANONUMm Non Permil- lunt, ne, cadente pasiore, dominicum gregem anti- ' quus, quod absit, bostis insidiando dilaniet, ſraterni- las veslra deprecationi eorum consentire, et loco lapsi debet episcopum ordinare. Nam dum non D petentes eos etiam ante vestris ad hoc dehueratis adhortationibus admonere, postulantes nulla vos oportet excusatione differre, quia Ecclesia Dei diu viduata proprio episcopo remanere non debet. Eersr. XLI [AL. 38]. — * In Yatic. B, Cyriaco no- lario nostro per Siciliam. In Rhem., Cypriano. In Reg., diac. regente per Siciliam. Gracia ad mare lonium. Ex ipsius ruinis crevit llieracium, urbs episcopalis Calabriez uiterioris, vul- go Girace, in Regno Neapolit. Gussanv. In Vatic, A, B, D, Lutrens:s civilatis. « Yalic. A et D, in Masza Largia. Vatic. B, in Mas- _ dimus scripta dirigere. Hortamur ergo ut omni mora, omnique excusalione Submota, ita mona-leria ipsa ab bujusmodi $studealis gravamine relevare ; quate- nus nullam deinceps in eis clerici, vel hi qui ig 8a- | cro sSunt ordine conslituti, ob aliad habeant, nisi orandt tantummodo causa, accedendi licentiam , aut si forte ad peragenda sacra misgarum ſuerint invitati mysteria. Sed ne vel per cujuslibet monachi ((:rat. 16, q. t, c. 37) aut abbalis promotionem aliquod onus mgnasleria fortasse sustineant, sStudendum vyo- bis est nt $i qnispiam abbatum aut monachorum ex quocunque monasterio ad clericatus officium vel or- _ dinem $sacrum accesserit, non illic aliquam habeat ' ulterius, ut diximus, polestatem , ne monasteria hu- jus occasionis velamine, que prohibemus, sustinere onera compellantur. Hzc itaque omnia BgY1 vigi- laati cura cemendare jam $ecundo commoenila gancti- tas vestra non differat; ne si posl haze negligentes vos esse, quod non credimus, senserimus, aliter mo- nasleriorum quieti prospicere compellamur. Nam vobis notumn sit quia tant neecessitati servorum Dei congregationem amplius $ubjacere non patimur. Ne vero aliqua vobis excusatio de monachis oriatur, personam huc quam previderit wiilem ex opere ſra- ternitas vestra twansmillat, et. ei nos qui cum eo ad vos venire possint monachos deputabimns; quos ut prospexeritis, debeatis in monasteriis ordinare, si lamen talia loca sunt ut sit unde ibi subsislere va- leant.