Letter 13012: Those who with pure intent desire to bring to the true faith aliens from the Christian religion should study kindness, and not asperity; lest such as reason rendered with smoothness might have appealed to should be driven far off by opposition. For whosoever act otherwise, and under cover of such intention would suspend people from their accusto...

Gregory to Paschasius, Bishop of Naples. Those who sincerely wish to bring people of other religions to the true faith should rely on kindness, not harshness. Otherwise, those whom a smooth and reasonable approach might have won over will be driven far away by hostility. Whoever acts otherwise, using the pretense of evangelism to disrupt people's accustomed worship, is pursuing his own agenda rather than God's. The Jews living in Naples have complained to us, asserting that certain people are trying to bar them from observing the customary celebrations of their festivals -- rites that they and their ancestors have been lawfully keeping since time immemorial. If this is true, these people are wasting their effort. What is the use of such prohibition when it does nothing to advance their faith or conversion? Why should we impose rules on the Jews about their own ceremonies when we cannot win them over by doing so? We should act in a way that appeals to them through reason and kindness, so that they wish to follow us rather than flee from us. By showing them from their own Scriptures what we preach, we may, with God's help, bring them into the embrace of Mother Church. Therefore, let your Fraternity, as far as possible with God's help, encourage their conversion -- but do not allow them to be harassed any further regarding their festivals. Let them have full freedom to observe and celebrate all their holidays, just as they and their ancestors have long kept them.

Book XIII, Letter 12 To Paschasius, Bishop of Neapolis (Naples). Gregory to Paschasius, etc. Those who with pure intent desire to bring to the true faith aliens from the Christian religion should study kindness, and not asperity; lest such as reason rendered with smoothness might have appealed to should be driven far off by opposition. For whosoever act otherwise, and under cover of such intention would suspend people from their accustomed observance of their own rites, are proved to be intent on their own cause rather than on God's. To wit, the Jews dwelling in Naples have complained to us, asserting that certain persons are endeavouring unreasonably to drive them from certain solemnities of their holidays, so that it may not be lawful for them to observe the solemnities of their festivals, as up to this time since long ago it has been lawful for them and their forefathers to keep and observe them. Now, if this is true, these people appear to be taking trouble to no purpose. For what is the use, when even such long unaccustomed prohibition is of no avail for their faith and conversion? Or why should we lay down rules for the Jews as to how they should observe their ceremonies, if we cannot thereby win them? We should therefore so act that, being rather appealed to by reason and kindness they may wish to follow us, and not to fly from us; and that proving to them from their own Scriptures what we tell them, we may be able, with God's help, to convert them to the bosom of Mother Church. Wherefore let your Fraternity, so far as may be possible, with the help of God, kindle them to conversion, and not allow them any more to be disquieted with respect to their solemnities; but let them have free licence to observe and celebrate all their festivals and holidays, even as hitherto both they and their forefathers for a long time back have kept and held them. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 13. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1898.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360213012.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.