Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)→Unknown|gregory great
From: Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome
To: The people of Turritan and Tauromenian districts [Sicily]
Date: ~600 AD
Context: Gregory instructs the communities to obey the visiting bishop Venerius and to choose a suitable local priest.
Gregory to the people of the Turritan and Tauromenian districts.
I have appointed the bishop Venerius to serve as your visitor during the current vacancy. Give him your obedience and cooperation as you would give it to your own bishop.
At the same time, I want you to begin the process of identifying a suitable priest from among your own people who could be ordained as your bishop. The visitor arrangement is temporary; your community needs permanent episcopal leadership, and the best bishops often come from the communities they will serve.
Look among the priests you know. Identify the man whose faith, character, and pastoral ability make him most suitable. Bring your recommendation forward and we will proceed from there.
Gregory
AD TURRITANOS ET TAURIANENSES.
Venerio episcopo visitatori obediunt, idoneuthyque ib i
eligant zacerdotem.
Gregorius * clero, ordini et plebi convistenti Tau-
rianas, Turris et Consentias.
Vestri antislitis obitum cognoscemes, ec. tt lib.
x1, episl. 59, mutalo nomine Joanni , in Vener.
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From:Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome
To:The people of Turritan and Tauromenian districts [Sicily]
Date:~600 AD
Context:Gregory instructs the communities to obey the visiting bishop Venerius and to choose a suitable local priest.
Gregory to the people of the Turritan and Tauromenian districts.
I have appointed the bishop Venerius to serve as your visitor during the current vacancy. Give him your obedience and cooperation as you would give it to your own bishop.
At the same time, I want you to begin the process of identifying a suitable priest from among your own people who could be ordained as your bishop. The visitor arrangement is temporary; your community needs permanent episcopal leadership, and the best bishops often come from the communities they will serve.
Look among the priests you know. Identify the man whose faith, character, and pastoral ability make him most suitable. Bring your recommendation forward and we will proceed from there. Gregory
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.