Letter 3025: I have heard reports about your conduct toward your bishop during his illness, and those reports are not good.
Gregory to the citizens of Rimini.
I have heard reports about your conduct toward your bishop during his illness, and those reports are not good. Whatever you have done that has made his situation worse rather than better — I direct you to stop immediately.
A sick bishop is still your bishop. He deserves your prayers, your support, and your charitable concern. He does not deserve additional burdens placed on him by the very people he has given his life to serve.
In the meantime, I have directed Bishop Leontius to govern your church during this period. I expect you to give him your full cooperation and obedience in all matters pertaining to church governance. Obey him in everything as you would obey your own bishop.
Your behavior going forward should be such that when Castorius recovers, he will have reason to be grateful for how his people conducted themselves in his absence.
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AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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 ARIMINENSES CIVES.
Illos de episcopi $i infirmitate accusal, ut Leontio in
omnibus obediant jubel.
Grego1 us universis habitatoribus Arimini.
Si culpam vestram, filii dilectissimi, intentius ve-
litis attendere, assidua vos apud Deum debetis ora-
tione purgare, quod episcopum vesirum non devota
mente nec ut filij svscepistis : quem inquietudo et
tribulatio a vobis illata ad hoe usque perduxit, ut
molestiam corporalem in«urrerit, quamvis in eo nibil
de his qua? nobis 8unt scripla cognovimus, sed solam
inesse vebilitatem vidimus, pro qua eum hic retinere
euravimus. Et quia illvc modo ad prasens non valet
reme-re, Ecciesiz ve>tre necessario * providimus
G42 Leont-um fratrem et coepiscupum nostrum Vi-
Silatwwrem per omnia deputare, Cui cliam nostris SCTi-
ptis injunximus ut omnia que ad curam ulilitatem-
que Ecclesix pertinent, tanquam proprius episcopus
debeat ordinare Vos ergo ita ei in omnibus obedite,
quatenus operam $ibi visitationis injunctam Þ®, vestra
jutus $alubriter in omnibus devotione, possil com-
plere. (Cf. Joan. Diac. l. i, c. 52.)
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