Letter 2043: Three churches in your region are currently without bishops, and their oversight needs to be assigned during the...

TO BISHOP FELIX He charges him with the visitation of three vacant churches. Gregory to Felix, bishop of Acropolis. Since the churches of Velia, Buxentum, and Blanda, which are situated near you, are reported to be without the governance of a priest, we therefore solemnly charge your Fraternity with the work of visiting them, admonishing you before all things that, wherever subdeacons of the aforesaid churches, or those of their dioceses, or deacons, or religious persons be found, you shall by all means strive that they live strictly and according to the canons. Nor let there be license for them to transgress freely in any matter whatsoever; but under your moderation and provision let them persevere blamelessly in the manner of life and habit in which they now are; knowing that, if anything be done otherwise, it shall by all means be imputed to your negligence. Presbyters also and deacons, if you shall foresee any to be ordained in any churches, search out by careful inquiry whether they be such persons as are fit; and when such are found, hasten to bring them to our knowledge, so that, learning what ought to be done, we may, with the Lord as our helper, make arrangement. LETTER XLIV. TO BISHOP LUCILLUS That he should compel his clergy, who held lands of the African Church, to pay the rent without delay. Gregory to Lucillus, bishop of Melita [Malta]. [From the same letter, continued under the index for Book II, Indiction X, Epistle XLV:] It greatly becomes the purpose of our office to urge our subjects strongly that they ought to keep faith in matters of business and in agreements; lest, while they are carried away by an inconsiderate zeal for gain, they turn a peaceful settlement into a quarrel. It has therefore come to us [a report] of your Fraternity's clergy, who hold lands of the African Church, that [...]. And if this is true, and these things have come to the knowledge of your Fraternity, then by your inactivity in this matter their fault has been nourished. For which reason we admonish you by these present writings that you permit those same clergy to use no delay and no excuse in paying the rent. But if they put off keeping faith out of regard for honesty, let them, compelled by your strictness, be forced to fulfill what is in accord with reason. For if a complaint over this matter should come back to us again, we shall begin to hold another estimation of you, and we shall take vengeance upon them, as is fitting.

AD FELICEN EPISCOPUM, Trium vacantium Ecclesiarum visi(ationem injungit, Gregorijus * Felici epigcopo ® de Acropoli. Quoniam © Yelina (Grat. 12, g. 1, c. 14), * Buxen- tina, el © Blandana Eecclesiz, quz tibi in vicino 8unt con$litulz, Sacerdotis pogcuntur vacare regimine; proplerea ſralernilati luz earum golemniter operam visilationis injungimus, illud pre omnibus commo=- nenles, ul ubi praefatarum Ecclesiarum give dicece- $e08 earum, vel diaconi, sive religiosz personz in» vente ſueripl, districte canoniceque ut vivant f mo« dis omnibus studebis. Nec passim eis in qualibet re Sit excedendi licentia, sed tuo moderamine atque pro- visione inculpabiliter in qua sunt conversatlione vel EPISTOLARUM LIB, It, — INDICT, X. — EPIST. XLY. A Officii nostri decet valde propomtum s1djectis ma- gnopere suadere ut rebus debeant QQG $ervare fi- dem © in placitis ; ne dum inconsiderate lucrandt rapiuntur studio, pacificam veriant conventionem in jurgium. Pervevit itaque ad nos ſraternitatis tua 4 clericos, terras Aſricane tenentes Ecelesie, quod nant. Quod gi verum est, et ad fraternitatis tuz hee aunt periata notitiam, tua in hoc desidia eorum cul- pa nutrita est. Ob quam rem scriptis te presentibus admonemus, quatenus ad persolvendam pensionem nulla mora nullaque excusatione eosdem clericos uti permittas. Sed si tidem honestatis eontemplaſione gervare postponunt, tua districtione compulsi, que rationi conveniunt cogantur implere. Nam 8i hujus habitu perseverent ; sciturus, si quid secus accesse- B rei ad nos denuo querela recurrerit, et de te aliam rit, two neglectui modis omnibus imputari. 8 Presby- eros quoque vel diacones, si in aliquibus kecdesiis * previderis ordinandos, si tales persone fuerint que Sint recondita, sollicita indagalione perquire; qui- bus repertis, ad pastram notionem perducere festi- nato, ut cognoscentes quid fiendum sit, adjutore Do- mino, dispPonamus. EPISTOLA XLIY. \_AÞ—LUCILLUM EPISCOPUM- Ut clericos 8u0s ferrarum Aſricgn@ Kcelegin ques tenebant, pensionem absque mora cogal persolvere. Gregorius * Lucillo episcopo Þ de Melita, #x$timationem habere incipiemus, et in illos, ut di. gnum est, vindicabimus.