Letter 4026: Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari). We have ascertained from the report of our fellow bishop Felix and the abbot Cyriacus that in the island of Sardinia priests are oppressed by lay judges, and that your ministers despise your Fraternity; and that, so far as appears, while you aim only at simplicity, discipline is neglected. Wher...

Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Cagliari. We have learned from the report of our fellow bishop Felix and the abbot Cyriacus that in the island of Sardinia, priests are being harassed by secular judges and that your own staff openly disregards your authority. From what we can see, while you content yourself with mere simplicity, discipline has collapsed. I therefore urge you: put aside all excuses and take charge of governing the Church committed to your care. Maintain discipline among the clergy and do not fear anyone's criticism. I am told you ordered your archdeacon to stop living with women, and that to this day he has defied your prohibition. Unless he obeys your command, it is our will that he be stripped of his sacred office. There is another deeply troubling matter: your Fraternity's negligence has allowed the peasants belonging to the Church to remain in unbelief to this day. What is the use of my urging you to bring outsiders to God when you neglect to convert your own people? You must be vigilant in every way for their conversion. I give you fair warning: should I discover a single pagan peasant belonging to any bishop in Sardinia, I will deal severely with that bishop. Moreover, if any peasant proves so stubborn and obstinate as to refuse to come to the Lord God, he must be burdened with such heavy payments that the very pain of the exaction drives him toward the right path. We have also learned that some men in sacred orders who committed offenses are being reinstated to ministry either during or after their penance. This we have absolutely forbidden, and the most sacred canons prohibit it as well. Anyone who, after receiving sacred orders, lapses into sins of the flesh must forfeit his office permanently.

Book IV, Letter 26 To Januarius, Bishop. Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari). We have ascertained from the report of our fellow bishop Felix and the abbot Cyriacus that in the island of Sardinia priests are oppressed by lay judges, and that your ministers despise your Fraternity; and that, so far as appears, while you aim only at simplicity, discipline is neglected. Wherefore I exhort you that, putting aside all excuses, thou take pains to rule the Church of which you have received the charge, to keep up discipline among the clergy, and fear no one's words. But, as I hear, you have forbidden your Archdeacon to live with women, and up to this time art set at naught with regard to this your prohibition. Unless he obey your command, our will is that he be deprived of his sacred order. There is another thing also which is much to be deplored; namely, that the negligence of your Fraternity has allowed the peasants (rusticos) belonging to holy Church to remain up to the present time in infidelity. And what is the use of my admonishing you to bring such as do not belong to you to God, if you neglect to recover your own from infidelity? Hence you must needs be in all ways vigilant for their conversion. For, should I succeed in finding a pagan peasant belonging to any bishop whatever in the island of Sardinia, I will visit it severely on that bishop. But now, if any peasant should be found so perfidious and obstinate as to refuse to come to the Lord God, he must be weighted with so great a burden of payment as to be compelled by the very pain of the exaction to hasten to the right way. It has also come to our knowledge that some in sacred orders who have lapsed, either after doing penance or before, are recalled to the office of their ministry; which is a thing that we have altogether forbidden and the most sacred canons also declare against it. Whoever, then, after having received any sacred order, shall have lapsed into sin of the flesh, let him so forfeit his sacred order as not to approach any more the ministry of the altar. But, lest those who have been ordained should ever perish, previous care should be taken as to what kind of people are ordained, so that it be first seen to whether they have been continent in life for many years, and whether they have had a care for reading and a love of almsgiving. It should be enquired also whether a man has perchance been twice married. It should also be seen to that he be not illiterate, or under liability to the state, so as to be compelled after assuming a sacred order to return to public employment. All these things therefore let your Fraternity diligently enquire into, that, every one having been ordained after diligent examination, none may be easily liable to be deposed after ordination. These things which we have written to your Fraternity do you make known to all the bishops under you, since I myself have been unwilling to write to them, lest I might seem to lessen your dignity. It has also come to our ears that some have been offended by our having forbidden presbyters to touch with chrism those who are to be baptized. And we indeed acted according to the ancient use of our Church: but, if any are in fact hereby distressed, we allow that, where there is a lack of bishops, presbyters may touch with chrism, even on their foreheads, those who are to be baptized. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360204026.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.