Letter 4041: Brothers and sisters of Hortona, I write in the spirit of the pastoral care this see owes to every community under...

Gregory to the clergy, order, and people resident at Hortona. Learning of the death of your bishop, it was our care to solemnly delegate the visitation of your bereaved church to our brother and fellow bishop Barbarus. To him we have given instructions that he should not allow anything from the revenues, furnishings, or church equipment to be seized by anyone. It is fitting that you obey his constant exhortations. Know this, however, that we have given him permission to ordain presbyters and deacons if it should be necessary, provided he can find persons worthy of this office. Meanwhile, let a priest be sought from the ecclesiastical order who is at variance with the venerable canons in no respect, and who may be found worthy of so great a ministry. When he has been chosen, let him come to us for ordination with a solemn decree confirmed by the subscriptions of all, accompanied by a letter from the visitator. Above all, take care not to presume to elect a lay person. Not only will such a person by no means be advanced to the height of the episcopate, but you should also know that you yourselves cannot obtain pardon through any intercessions. Indeed know for certain that all among you who are found to aspire to the office as lay persons shall be excluded from both office and communion.

AD CLERUM, ORDINEM ET PLEBEM HORTONE., Barbarum visilatorem delegat. Ante omnia monet ne laicam personam in episcopum eligant, Gregorius clero, ordini et plebi consistenti * Flor= l0nTz. | Vestri ® antislitis obilum cognoscentes, cure nobis ſuit destitulze Ecelesize visitationem fratri et coepi- SCOPO nostro © Barbaro solemniter delegare. Cui de- dimus in mandatis 4 ut vilil de reditu, ornatu, mi- nisteriigque a quoquam usurpari patiatur, Cujus vos asSiduis adhortationibus convenit obedire. Hoc ta- men 8citote, quia ei ordinandi presbytcros ac dia- conos, $i necesse ſuerit, quos dignos ad hoe officium invenire polverit, dedimus licentiam, * quatenus int Samnii in ora maris Adriatici, distans a Teate x11 mi'l. in ortum. Nunc Aprutil citerioris in regno Nea- potitano, adhuc episcopalis 8ub archiepiscopo Tea- tino. Gussaxv. In Rhemensi et uno e Valic. legitur, Cotronw@. | Hortonensis, ut observavimus in fine note c ad cam- dem epist. © Erat Benevenlanus episcopus, vir industrius, et $3nclo Gregorio valde probatus, quippe cui etiam post mortem Victoris, Pagormitane Ecclesiz visita- * tionem commisit ex epist, 16 libri xi, nunc 13lib. xi. Ve eo quoque mentionem facit ejusdem 1'þ. epi-t. 19, nunc 14. Putat tamen Ughe!lus, tomo VI ltalie $a- cr:r, hanc Barbarum, quem et Barbatum dieit ap- pellari, [uisse tertium episcopum Teatinum, cui ut- pote viciniori Ecclesiam Urto:enzem visitandam commendavit. Gus$axv. In Rhemensi pro Barbaro le« gitur Joanni. Nia eliam in Vatic, D. In al. Vat c., Tu- ron., Reg., nonien episcopi tacetur. In: aliis M>s.- nostris desideratur hec epist, Exstal in Colb. 4d Rhem., ut nihil de provcctionibus clericorum, re- ditu, etc. ” 7 PVErAPP IT nuns —_— —_ CE —— —— —— - —— - ww - EE 747 EPISTOLARUM LIB. IV. — INDICT. XW. — EPIST. XLY. 718 ecclesia$tico Ja obsequio sacerdos exquiratur, A commodo zternze $alutis as$umere, ut bt yds de qui a venerandis canonibus nulla discrepet Tatione, et lanto ministerio dignus valeat reperiri. Qui dum ſrerit postnlatus, cum s0Jemnitate decreti omnium $ulscriptionibus roborati, et visitatoris pagina pro=- $cquente, ad nos vemat ordinandus, provi-ori ante omnia ne cujuslibet vitze vel meriti laicam personam przesumatlis eligere, Et non solum ille ad episcopatus apicem nulla ratione * provehetur, verum eltiam vos nullis intercessionibus veniam promereri posse C0- gnoscite. Sed omnes quos ex vobis de lJaica persona a$pirare consliterit, ab oſlicio et 3a communione alie- nos ſaciendos procul dubio noveritis, | EPISTOLA XLII. AD VALENTINUM ABBATEM. Ne monachi ſeminas in monaslerium inducant , aut eas 8ib1 commatres ſaciant. Gregorius * Valentino abbati. Pervenit ad nos (Grat. 18, g. 21, c. 20), quod in monasterio tno passim Þ mulieres ascendant, et, quod adhuc est gravius, monachos tuos mulieres $ibi commatres facere, et ex hoc incautam cum eis com- munionem habere. Ne ergo hac occasione humaii generis inimicus $ua eos, quod absit, calliditate de- cipiat, ideo hujus le precepti serie commonem1s, ul neque mulieres in monasl[erio tuo deinceys qual:het occasione permiltas ascendere, neque monachos tuos eas commatres Sihi ſacere. Nain si hoc denuo ad aures nostras quocunque modo pervenerit, sic te severissima* noveris ultioni «ubdendum, ut emenda- tionis tuz qualitate cxteri sine dubio corrigantur. (Videl. nu, ep. 25.)