Letter 5041: Knowing how my most serene Lady thinks about the heavenly country and the life of her soul, I consider that I should be greatly in fault were I to keep silence on matters that ought to be represented to her for the fear of God. Having ascertained that there are many of the natives in the island of Sardinia who still, after the evil custom of the...
Pope Gregory the Great→Constantina Augusta|c. 594 AD|gregory great
Gregory to the Empress Constantina.
Knowing how my most serene Lady thinks about the heavenly country and the welfare of her soul, I believe I would be greatly at fault if I kept silent about matters that ought to be brought to her attention for the fear of God.
I learned that there are many natives on the island of Sardinia who still follow the wicked custom of their forebears and offer sacrifices to idols, and that the priests there have been negligent in preaching our Redeemer. So I sent one of the bishops from Italy, who, with the Lord's help, has brought many of the natives to the faith. But he reported a shocking abuse to me: those on the island who sacrifice to idols pay a bribe to the judge for permission to do so. And even after some of them were baptized and ceased their idol worship, the same judge continued to exact from them -- even after their baptism -- the same payment they had previously made for leave to sacrifice. When the bishop I sent confronted the judge about this, he replied that his appointment had cost him such a large payment that he could not recoup it except through income from cases like these.
Meanwhile, the island of Corsica is crushed by so many tax collectors and so heavy a burden of taxation that its people can barely meet the demands unless they sell their children. As a result, the landowners of the island are deserting the Roman government and fleeing for refuge to the Lombards -- that most hostile nation. For what could they suffer from barbarians that is harder or crueler than being squeezed until they are forced to sell their own children?
Furthermore, on the island of Sicily, a certain Stephen, an imperial secretary for the coastal regions, is said to commit such illegalities and oppressions -- invading various people's properties and, without any legal process, posting title claims on their houses and estates -- that if I tried to list all his offenses that have reached my ears, I could not fit them into a large volume.
Let my most serene Lady look wisely into all these matters and relieve the groans of the oppressed. I suspect these reports have not yet reached your most pious ears, for if they had, they would surely not have continued until now. But they should be presented at a suitable time to our most pious lord, so that he may lift such a great weight of sin from his own soul, from the empire, and from his sons.
I know he will say that whatever is collected from these islands is sent to us for the expenses of defending Italy. But I would reply: even if less were spent on Italy, he should still free his empire from the tears of the oppressed. Perhaps the large expenditures here profit less than they should precisely because the money is collected through sin. Let our most serene Lords therefore give orders that nothing be collected by sinful means. And I am confident that even if less is given for the republic's defense, the republic will be better served thereby. Even if it is somewhat less aided by smaller expenditures, it is better that we should not survive in this world than that you should find any obstacle in the way of eternal life.
Consider what parents must feel, what state of heart they must be in, when they hand over their children to avoid being tortured. How one ought to feel for the children of others is well understood by those who have children of their own.
Let it suffice that I have briefly presented these matters, so that if your Piety did not know what is happening in these regions, I would not have to answer for my silence before the strict Judge.
Book V, Letter 41
To Constantina Augusta.
Gregory to Constantina, etc.
Knowing how my most serene Lady thinks about the heavenly country and the life of her soul, I consider that I should be greatly in fault were I to keep silence on matters that ought to be represented to her for the fear of God.
Having ascertained that there are many of the natives in the island of Sardinia who still, after the evil custom of their race, practise sacrifices to idols, and that the priests of the same island are sluggish in preaching our Redeemer, I sent there one of the bishops of Italy, who with the co-operation of the Lord has brought many of the natives to the faith. But he has reported to me a sacrilegious proceeding, namely, that those in the island who sacrifice to idols pay a bribe to the judge for license to do this. And, when some of them had been baptized and had ceased sacrificing to idols, the same payment had been exacted by this same judge of the island, even after their baptism, which they had been previously accustomed to make for leave to sacrifice to idols. And, when the aforesaid bishop found fault with him, he replied that he had promised so large a suffragium that he could not make it up except by aid from cases of this kind. But the island of Corsica is oppressed by such an excessive number of exactors and such a burden of exactions, that those who are in it are hardly able to make up what is exacted except by selling their children. Hence it ensues that the proprietors of this island, deserting the pious republic, are forced to take refuge with that most wicked nation of the Lombards. For what can they suffer from barbarians harder or more cruel than being so straitened and squeezed as to be compelled to sell their children? Moreover, in the island of Sicily one Stephen, chartularius of the maritime parts, is said to practise such illegalities and such oppressions, invading places that belong to various persons, and without any legal process putting up titles on properties and houses, that, if I wished to tell every one of his doings that have come to my ears, I could not accomplish the task in a large volume.
Let my most serene Lady look to all these things wisely, and assuage the groans of the oppressed. For I suspect that these things have not come to your most pious ears. For if they could have reached them, they would by no means have continued until now. But they should be represented now at a suitable time to our most pious lord, that he may remove such and so great a burden of sin from his own soul, from the empire, and from his sons. I know he will say that whatever is collected from the aforesaid islands is transmitted to us for the expenses of Italy. But in reply to this I suggest that, even though less expenditure were bestowed on Italy, he should still rid his empire of the tears of the oppressed. For perhaps, too, such great expenditure in this land profits less than it might do because the money for it is collected with some admixture of sin. Let therefore our most serene Lords give orders that nothing be collected with sin. And I know that, though less is given for the advantage of the republic, the republic is thereby much aided. And though perhaps it may be less aided by a less expenditure, yet it is better that we should not live temporally, than that you should find any hindrance in the way of eternal life. For consider what must be the feelings, what the state of heart of parents, when they part with their children lest they should be tormented. But how one ought to feel for the children of others is well known to those who have children of their own. Let it then suffice for me to have briefly represented these things, lest, if your Piety were not to know what is being done in these parts, I should suffer for the guilt of my silence before the strict judge.
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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/360205041.htm>.
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Gregory to the Empress Constantina.
Knowing how my most serene Lady thinks about the heavenly country and the welfare of her soul, I believe I would be greatly at fault if I kept silent about matters that ought to be brought to her attention for the fear of God.
I learned that there are many natives on the island of Sardinia who still follow the wicked custom of their forebears and offer sacrifices to idols, and that the priests there have been negligent in preaching our Redeemer. So I sent one of the bishops from Italy, who, with the Lord's help, has brought many of the natives to the faith. But he reported a shocking abuse to me: those on the island who sacrifice to idols pay a bribe to the judge for permission to do so. And even after some of them were baptized and ceased their idol worship, the same judge continued to exact from them -- even after their baptism -- the same payment they had previously made for leave to sacrifice. When the bishop I sent confronted the judge about this, he replied that his appointment had cost him such a large payment that he could not recoup it except through income from cases like these.
Meanwhile, the island of Corsica is crushed by so many tax collectors and so heavy a burden of taxation that its people can barely meet the demands unless they sell their children. As a result, the landowners of the island are deserting the Roman government and fleeing for refuge to the Lombards -- that most hostile nation. For what could they suffer from barbarians that is harder or crueler than being squeezed until they are forced to sell their own children?
Furthermore, on the island of Sicily, a certain Stephen, an imperial secretary for the coastal regions, is said to commit such illegalities and oppressions -- invading various people's properties and, without any legal process, posting title claims on their houses and estates -- that if I tried to list all his offenses that have reached my ears, I could not fit them into a large volume.
Let my most serene Lady look wisely into all these matters and relieve the groans of the oppressed. I suspect these reports have not yet reached your most pious ears, for if they had, they would surely not have continued until now. But they should be presented at a suitable time to our most pious lord, so that he may lift such a great weight of sin from his own soul, from the empire, and from his sons.
I know he will say that whatever is collected from these islands is sent to us for the expenses of defending Italy. But I would reply: even if less were spent on Italy, he should still free his empire from the tears of the oppressed. Perhaps the large expenditures here profit less than they should precisely because the money is collected through sin. Let our most serene Lords therefore give orders that nothing be collected by sinful means. And I am confident that even if less is given for the republic's defense, the republic will be better served thereby. Even if it is somewhat less aided by smaller expenditures, it is better that we should not survive in this world than that you should find any obstacle in the way of eternal life.
Consider what parents must feel, what state of heart they must be in, when they hand over their children to avoid being tortured. How one ought to feel for the children of others is well understood by those who have children of their own.
Let it suffice that I have briefly presented these matters, so that if your Piety did not know what is happening in these regions, I would not have to answer for my silence before the strict Judge.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.