Letter 10034: A deacon named John from Bagnorea [a hill town in northern Latium] has been elected bishop there.
Gregory to Ecclesius, bishop of Chiusi.
A deacon named John from Bagnorea [a hill town in northern Latium] has been elected bishop there. His election requires examination to ensure it was properly conducted and that the candidate is suitable.
I direct you to look into this matter. Examine John carefully — his faith, his character, his fitness for episcopal office. If he is suitable and the election was properly done, bring the matter forward for ordination. If there are problems with either the election or the candidate, identify them specifically.
Report your findings to me.
Gregory
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
AD ECCLESIUM CLUSINUM EPISCOPUM.
De Joanne Diacono a Balneoregiensibus in episcopum
electo 80llicite inquirat,
Gregorius © Ecclesio episcopo Þ Clusino.
Gloriosus filius noster Aufridus ad nos scripta
transmisit, indicans quod in castr0 © Balneo-Regis,
1064 una cum habitatoribus loci ipsius sibi 4 Joan-
C nem Diaconum elegerit episcopum ordinandum, de
cujus omnino vita bona teslatus est. Sed quia qua
Sint canonica nesciunt, et nos inexpertis vel jinco-
gnitis manus temere non audemus imponere, frater-
nitas vestra cum omni Sollicitudine ac vigilantia
diversis quibus potuerit modis de vita aclibusque
ipsius requirere studeat. Et si nihil est quod ei ca-
nonice possit obsislere, requirendum quoque est si
in opere Dei $tudium habuit, vel * psalmos novit.
Et $i talis ſuerit, eum ad nos cum teslificationis
SUP epistola dirigat. Si vero aliter ſuerit, vestris
nobis similiter epistolis indicate, et habitatores loci
D episcopalis sub archiepiscopo Senensi. Gussanv.
Etruriz, et agri Urbevelani, vulgo Orvietan, in di-
tione ponliſicis, adbuc episcopalis, Romano pontilici
immediale $ubdita, Gussavv.
Morinus de sacris ordinat., part. 1tt, exercitl. 3, C.
2. Dissentit Thomass., part. 1, lib. 1, c. 3b, bum.
11 et s8eqq. :
ipsius adhortamini ut $i is{e aptus non fuerit, sicut A lalia requirenies monachi yenerunt, meque $:w!uit
et suprascripto Auſrido filio nostro scripsimus, alium
Sibi cligant gui ad. hoc officium cum gratia Dei aptus
yaleat juyeniri \.
Related Letters
Gregory to Theodoric and Theodebert, brethren, Kings of the Franks. A paribus. Since Almighty God has adorned your kingdom with rectitude of faith, and has made it conspicuous among other nations by the purity of its Christian religion, we have conceived great expectations of you, that you will by all means desire that your subjects should be co...
A young man has received the monastic habit at Misenum [a town near Naples] after being brought there from Sicily.
To our faithful bishops assembled in the Frankish church,
An episcopal letter from the Visigothic church addressed to Visigothic clergy and laity on the subject of Arianism...
Gregory to John, Bishop of Prima Justiniana in Illyricum. It is clearly a manifest evidence of goodness that the consent of all should concur in the election of one person. Since, then, the account which we have received from our brethren and fellow bishops declared that you are summoned to the position of priesthood by the unanimous consent of ...