Letter 13027: Gregory to Anthemius, Subdeacon of Campania. As often as we hear things of our brethren and fellow bishops that show them to be to blame and cause us sadness, necessity compels us in no slight degree to take thought for their amendment. Seeing, then, that it has been reported to us that the bishops of Campania are so negligent that, unmindful of...

Gregory to Anthemius, Subdeacon of Campania. Whenever we hear things about our brother bishops that show them at fault and cause us sadness, we are compelled to act for their correction. I have been told that the bishops of Campania are so negligent that, unmindful of the dignity and character of their office, they show neither pastoral care toward their churches, nor fatherly concern for their people, nor attention to monasteries, nor protection for the oppressed and the poor. I therefore direct you and give you authority to call them together and admonish them strictly, on my authority, that they must no longer be idle. They must show priestly zeal, exercise proper vigilance, and fulfill their duties as justice and God require -- so that no further complaints about them reach me and provoke my anger. If, after this warning, you find any of them still negligent, send them to me without allowing any excuse. Through the proper exercise of discipline, they will be made to understand how serious a matter it is to refuse correction in things that are reprehensible and utterly inexcusable.

Book XIII, Letter 27 To Anthemius, Subdeacon. Gregory to Anthemius, Subdeacon of Campania. As often as we hear things of our brethren and fellow bishops that show them to be to blame and cause us sadness, necessity compels us in no slight degree to take thought for their amendment. Seeing, then, that it has been reported to us that the bishops of Campania are so negligent that, unmindful of the dignity and character of their office, neither towards their Churches nor towards their sons do they show the care of paternal vigilance, nor concern themselves about monasteries, nor bestow their protection on the oppressed and the poor, we therefore enjoin you and hereby give you authority to call them together, and strictly admonish them in virtue of our mandate, that they be not any longer idle, but so evince their priestly zeal and solicitude, and be so vigilant in what it becomes them justly and according unto God to do, that no murmur concerning them may exasperate us any more. If, however, you should find any one of them to be negligent after this being done, send him to us without allowing any excuse, that by regular exercise of discipline they may be made to feel how serious a matter it is to refuse to be corrected in things that are reprehensible and exceedingly to be condemned.