Letter 39

From: The Austrasian Court To: [Church official] Date: ~580 AD Context: Austrasian letter 39; royal communication to church officials on matters of pastoral care and the church's responsibility to the poor and sick in Frankish territories. To our beloved bishops and clergy, We write on a matter that is at the heart of the church's mission and that we believe requires renewed attention. The care of the poor, the sick, and the stranger — the three populations that the Lord named explicitly as the measure of the last judgment — is the responsibility of the church in ways that no other institution can fulfill. The royal court can provide material resources; we cannot provide the pastoral presence, the sacramental ministry, and the human solidarity that only the church can offer. We are therefore asking each bishop to report to us on the current state of charitable provision in his diocese: how many hospitals and hospices are operating, how they are funded, what their capacity is relative to the need, and what additional resources would be required to close the gap between what exists and what is needed. We make this request not to create a bureaucratic exercise but because we genuinely want to know where the need is greatest and where royal resources can make the most difference. We also want to say publicly what we believe privately: the bishops and clergy who operate these institutions, who sit with the sick and feed the hungry, are doing work that is as important as anything that happens in our palace. They deserve recognition and support. By order of the king