Letter 11022

Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)Unknown|gregory great
From: Pope Gregory I
To: Paschasius, Bishop of Naples
Date: ~601 AD
Context: Gregory repeats instructions he gave Paschasius at the beginning of his episcopate

I find myself obliged to repeat what I said to you when you first took up the episcopal office, since it seems my earlier words have not borne the fruit I hoped for. The administration of your church — its property, its clergy, its poor — must be conducted with rigor and accountability. Laxity in the bishop leads to laxity everywhere. I speak plainly because plainness is called for: if you do not take a firmer hand in governance, you will find that those who depend on you have suffered needlessly, and that account will fall on your head as much as theirs. Please address the matters I raised before. Do not make me write a third time.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.