Letter 8

From: Theudelinda, Queen of the Lombards To: Pope Honorius I Date: ~625 AD Context: Theudelinda (still alive in extreme old age) writes to Honorius about the Three Chapters controversy that divided the Italian church. Theudelinda to the most holy Bishop Honorius. I write as one who knew Gregory, your predecessor's predecessor, and who carries in my memory the long conversation he and I had about the unity of the church. He urged me always toward that unity. I am writing now because I am troubled by something that seems to threaten it. The Three Chapters controversy [the dispute about whether to condemn certain theologians condemned posthumously by Emperor Justinian] has divided the north Italian church in ways I do not fully understand theologically but understand very well pastorally. The bishops who refuse to accept the condemnation of the Three Chapters, and the bishops who have accepted it, will not celebrate the liturgy together. This division is felt in every Christian community in Lombard Italy. I am not in a position to resolve the theological question. What I am asking is whether it can be resolved — whether there is a formula that would allow reconciliation without requiring either side to feel that it has simply capitulated. Gregory told me once that the unity of the church is worth a great deal of patience. I believe this. I ask you to exercise that patience in finding a path through this dispute. Your daughter in Christ, Theudelinda