Letter 18

From: Braulio of Zaragoza, bishop To: Eutropius of Valencia, bishop Date: ~638 AD Context: Braulio writes to his fellow Iberian bishop Eutropius on ecclesiastical affairs, including matters of church governance and their shared concerns about the state of the clergy. To the most holy Lord Eutropius, bishop of Valencia, greetings in Christ, The business that brings me to my pen today is in part the ordinary business of bishops who share a common concern for the health of the church in this peninsula, and in part something more specific. I have received complaints from clergy in the region between our two dioceses — complaints about the behavior of a priest whose name I will not commit to a letter but whom you will certainly know. The complaints are serious enough that I could not simply file them away. I have written to ask what you know and what, if anything, has been done. More broadly: I think we need to discuss, at the next council [the periodic councils of bishops that governed the Visigothic church], the question of minimum standards for ordination. It has become clear to me over the years that different bishops in this kingdom are applying very different standards, with the result that the quality of the clergy varies enormously from diocese to diocese. A man who would not be ordained in Seville or Zaragoza can apparently obtain orders elsewhere without difficulty. This creates problems that accumulate over time. I would value your thoughts before the council meets. And I would value any information you have on the matter I mentioned first. Your brother in Christ and colleague in the episcopate, Braulio