Letter 4060: The bond that unites the great sees of Rome and Alexandria is ancient and deep, and I feel it in both the joys and...

Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)Eulogius, of Alexandria|c. 594 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|AI-assisted
friendship

Gregory to his most holy and most dear brother Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria.

The bond that unites the great sees of Rome and Alexandria is ancient and deep, and I feel it in both the joys and the sorrows of the church in your part of the world. When I hear of difficulties in the Eastern church — and there are many — I mourn them as I would mourn difficulties in my own province. When I hear of the faith advancing, of souls converted, of the church strengthened — I rejoice as if these things had happened here.

This is what communion means: not merely agreement on doctrinal formulas, but genuine participation in each other's life. The church of Alexandria and the church of Rome are not two separate things that happen to believe the same things; they are one thing, expressed in different places.

I ask you to pray for me and for the church in the West, which faces its own extraordinary difficulties. I will continue to pray for you and for the East.

May God keep us both in his service.
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AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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 EULOGIUM EPISCOPUM.

Speciali charitatis vinculo ambos ips0s cons{ringi ob-
servat : hinc dolenti congemiscit ; ac ne illius dolo-
rem augeat, reticet mala qu a Langobard:s palitur.
Miratur quod epistole adversus Joannis Constanti-
nopolitani superbiam non respouderit. Mutua millit
munera.

Gregorius Eulogio episcopo Alexandrino.

Mater et custvs bonorum omnium charitas, que
multorum corda uniendo constringit, absentem non
#e$limat eum quem oculis mentis habet presentem.
In bujus ergo radice cum, frater charissime, tenca-
mur, nibil sibi in nobis corporalis absentia, nihil
poteril regionum vindicare longinquilas ; quippe quia
sCilicet longe a nobis non Sumus qui unum $Sumus.
Hance autem esse nobis cum cxteris ſratribus coimmu-
nem $Semper optamus. Est tamen aliquid quod nos
erga Alexandrinam Ecclesjiam quadam peculiaritale
constringit, et in cjus amore proniores existere spe-
ciali quodammodo lege compellit. Nam sicut omni-
bus liquet quod heatus evangelista * Marcus a sancto

muni filio Sabiniano. diacono responsa Ecclesiz- in
urbe regia facienti scripta nostra transmisimus, 4 que
vesire ſraternitati dirigere debuisset. Quz $i susce-
pistis, miramur cur nobis ad ea minime respondislis.
Et ideo quia cavendum est ne cujuslibet superbia
scandalum Ecclesiis introducat, necesse e:t ut, ea-
dem scripta $ublititer relegentes, 0::ni $studio et
tota intentione que ad honorem vestrum et pacem
Ecclesiz pertinent conservelis.

Omnipotens autem Deus, qui pielatis 8uz gralia
8acerdotalem vobis animum et charitalem contulit,
in $UO vos $ervitio prolegat, atque ab omni adyer-
Silate interius exteriusque custodiat, et converli ad
$e errantium animas vestra propitius pradicatione
concedal.

Latorem autem prxesentium Isidorum diaconum
communem filium cum ea qua oportuit charitale
suscepimus, * benedictionem nobis $8ancti Marci
evangelistz deferentem. Et vos quidem, bon vitz
merito resplendentes, ea quz paradiso vicina sunt
bene olentia nobis ligna transmisistis. Nos vero quia
videlicet peccatores Sumus, ab Occidente vobis ligna
iransmisimus, quz, construendis aptly navibus, no-
sIre mentis tumultum $ignantia, in marinis semper
fNluctibus agitantur : el quidem transmiltere ma;ora
voluimus, f ged hzc navis angusta non recepit
Mense Augusto, indictione 14.

EPISTULA LXI.
AD CAST'RIUM NOTARIUN.

Petro apostolo magistro suo Alexandriam sit trans- D Quod in pallii usu olim 8ervatum juraverint Raven-

missus, sic hujus nos magistri et discipuli unitate
constringimur, ut et ego sedi discipuli prasidere vi-
dear propter magisirum, et vos sedi magistri propter
discipuium.

Ad hanc aulem unitatem cordium etiam vesirze
sanclitatis meritis ligamur, quos auctoris sui salu-
briter $equi instituta cognoscimus, et Semper ad ma-

Eeist. LX. — * Hinc apos(Glica nominalur s8edes,
vt supra notavimus, epist. 37 lib. rv, nunc lib. v, 39.
GUsSANV.

4 Siznficat epistolam 45 lib. v, uhi de Joanunis
Cons'tantinop. superbia conqueritur. His 1n!tem $erj-

nales viri graves ac fideles, id Ravenne 5er-
vandum.

Gregorius Castorio notario.
Vir magnificus, domnus Andreas, crebro mihi
imminet de usu pallii secundum antiquam consuetu-

| dinem in Ravennati Ecclesia restituendo. Et ci

quia Joannes episcopus mihi seripserit quod in lita-
niis Solemnibus consuetudo ſuit ejusdem Eccle:-i?

ptis non responderat Eulogius, vel quia vocem cecu-
menici benignius interpretabatur, vel quia tutius
arbitrabatur ab illis contentionibns abstinere.

{ Ita cum omnibus Vatic., Norm., etc. veteres Ed.,
ubi recent. habent navis angustia,

844.

844.
$alutig
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quau-

come
3ie In
1quz
SUSCE-
dietis.
perbia
it, ea.
dio et
acem

gralia
ntulit,
adver-
ri ad
atione

;0nuUm
\rilale
Marci

Raven-

- Wiki
Suelu-

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tutus

iv,

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ball

TEC WE TTY

=>

epis20P0s uti pallio. Hujus Ecclesiz diaconus Adeo- A

datus, cum me pro eadem causa foriiter rogaret,
jurejurando $atisfecit quia quater in anno uti in lita-
niis pallio ejusdem loci episcopi solebant. Pra dicius
autem domnus Andreas in epistolis $snis dicit quia,
prter Qnadragesimam , omni tempore Ravennas
episcopus in litaniis pallio utebatur. Et ipsas asser it
litanias 8olemnes, quas non erubescit dicere quoti-
dianas. Unde omnino miratus $um. Sed tuna expe-
rientia nullius personam, nullins verba consideret ;
$0lum Dei timorem et rectitudinem ante oculos h1-

beat et $enjores personas, ct ejusdem Ecclesiz ar-

chidiaconum, quem non 8uspicor pro alierius ho-
nore perjurare, et alios antiquiores, qui in $Acris
ordinibus ante Joannis episcopi tempora ſuerant,
requirat, vel $i qui maturiores 8unt extra $acros
ordines; et veniant ante corpus sancti Apollinaris,
et lacto ejus sepulcro -jurent que consuetudo ante
Joannis episcopi tempora ſnerit, quia, 8icut . scis,
idem vir multum presumptor exslitit, et multa 8ibi
per superbiam conabatur arrogare. YZ8g Et quid-
quid a ſidelibus viris et gravibus juratum ſuerit, $e-
cundum indicutum qui subler'annexus est hoe volu-
mus in eadem Ecelesia conservari. Sed vide ne
negligenter agas, ne quis fidem tuam aut devotio-
nem tuam in hac causa corrumpat, zelum eaim
tunmn $cio. Age sollicite, ita tamen ut praedicta Ec-
clesia contra justitiam non gravetur, $ed usvs qui

ante Joannis episcopi tempora exstitil ej conservVe- -

tur, Personas autem non duas, vel tres ad salisſa-
ciendum tibi, sed quantas antiquiores et graviores
inveneris require, ut neque quod usus ſuit antiquior
eidem Ecclesia: denegemus, neque quod novo ausu
appetitum est concedamus. Sed omnia age blande el
dulciter, ut ct actio tua districta sit, et lingua mills.
Spatam quz illic dimissa es, sicut jam pridem 8cri-
psimus, tecum revoca, ct hoc quod tibi filius noster
Boniſacius diaconus, et vir magvilicus Maurentius
chartwlarius scripsitl, sollicite altende.

Juro ego per Pairem, et Filium, et Spirilum $an-
ctum, inseparabilem divine pulenlize Trinitatem, et
hoc corpus beati Apollinaris martyris, me pro nul-
lius favore personZ#, neque commodo aliquo inter-
veniente leslaii., Sed hoc <cio, et per memetipsum
cognovi, quia ante lempora Joannis quondam epi-
Scopi Ravennas episcopus , Prazsenie apocrisiario
sedis aposlolice illo atque ilio, iis atque illis diebus,
consuetudinem utendi pallio babuit, et non cognovi
quia hoc latenler, vel absente apocrisiario usurpasset.
(Cf..-Joan., Diac. |. 1v, n. 6.)

Eersr, LXIL | AF. 75, ind. 4]. — © In Norm., Col-
bert. et tribus Vatic. A, D, E, sancti Leucii, In Vlic.
B, 8@ncit Laurentii, |

© [1 {fine juxtla alias Eilit. legitur "data mense A!-
gui, indiclone 4. Quod unicus tantum Cud. e Va-
lic. exiihel, quatuvr ali:s lacentibus, imo omnihiis,
quibus usi Sumus, Si unus excipiatur Colbert., in

fo

$46

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