Letter 4079

From: Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome To: Fortunatus, bishop Date: ~594 AD Context: Gregory tells Fortunatus: if a Jewish or pagan slave wishes to convert to Christianity, the owner who wants to prevent the conversion should not be allowed to do so. Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop. The matter of slaves who wish to convert to Christianity is one where the church's position must be unambiguous: a slave's desire to receive baptism and enter the Christian faith cannot be blocked by a Jewish or pagan master who opposes the conversion. This is not primarily a matter of law, though the law increasingly supports this position. It is a matter of the basic principle that access to the faith is not something that can be rightfully withheld by human authority. The soul has a freedom that slavery cannot reach. When cases of this kind arise in your diocese, support the converts. Ensure that the sacraments are available to them. And make clear to any master who attempts to prevent conversion that this is not within his authority. Gregory

Ab FORTUNATUM EPISCOPUM. & Judaicum aut paganum mancipium ad Christianam ſidem converti desiderat, in libertatem vindicetur. Gregorius Forlunato episcopo Neapolitano. Fraternitati vestre ante hoc tempus scripsimus, ul hos qui de Judaica $uperslitivne ad Christianam ſidem Deo aspiranle venire desiderant, dominis eo- rum nulla esset licentia venundandi; sed ex eo quo voluntatis suze desiderium prodidissent, defendi in libertatem per omnia debuissent. Sed quia, quantum cognovimns , nec voluntatem nostram, nec !egum Stlatuta sublili scientes discretione pengare, in paga- nis servis hac se non arbiſrantur conditione cons1rin- gi, fraternitatem vestram (Grat. dis. 54, c. 15) opor- © Vulgati recent., i tanti mali conscius etiam pro- D us, © Ita in Turon. S. Gat. et in Vatic. - Eeisr, XXXIIL | Al. 31]. — * Recent., et sf de Ju- deorum, ſorie _ explicationis gratia , nam in Mss. non legitur. mancipiis Judzorum plura ad epist. 9, |. iv. Vide Nov. Valentiniani tertiam, an, 425, quam Sirmondus in primum tomum Conc. Gal- liz conjecit; et in Cod. de Judais, lib. xvit, et lit. £eq., ne Christianum mancipium. mal, non solum Judzus, $ed etiam quisquam paganormm ſieri voluerit Christianus , poslquam volunlas ejus ſuerit pateſacta, nec hunc Þ sub quolibet ingenio vel argumento cuipiam Judzxorum . venundandi facultas Sit, 8ed is qui ad Christianam converli fidem deside- rat deſensione vestra in libertatem modis omnibus vindicetur. Ii vero quos hnjuscemodi oportet servos amillere, ne forsilan utilitates 81as jrrationabiliter estliment impediri, sollicita vos hc convenit consi- deratione servare; ut si Paganos , quos mercimonii causa de externis finibus emerint, intra 1 es menses dum emptor © cui vendi debeant invenitovr, fugere ad Ecclesiam ſorte conligerit , et velle $e fieri dixe- rint Christ anos, vel etiam extra Feclesiam hanc ta- B lem voluntatem prodiderint, pretium eorum a Chri- Stiano $cilicet emptore percipiant. Si autem post przefinitos tres menses quisquam hnjusmodi servo- rum velle suum cdixerit, et fieri voJuerit Christia- nus, nec aliquis eum pos|{modum emere, nec dJomi- nus qualibet occaSionis spercie andeat venundare , 8d ad libertatis procul dubio premia perducatur, quia hunc non ad vendendum, sed ad serviendum sibi intelligitur 4 reservasse. Hac igitur omnia fraterni las vesira ita \igilanter observet, quateius ei nec Supplicatio quorumdam valeat, nec persora Subripe- re. (Cf. Joan. Diac. |. i, n. 46.)