Letter 5044: Gregory to Leontius, bishop, visitor of the Church of Rimini [Ariminum, on the Adriatic coast of Italy].

Gregory to Leontius, bishop, visitor of the Church of Rimini [Ariminum, on the Adriatic coast of Italy]. We have learned from the complaint of the clergy of the Church of Rimini, of which you are visitor [a bishop appointed to oversee a diocese during a vacancy], that having removed everyone else, Your Fraternity has entrusted the management of its patrimony and all other affairs to your own men. If this is so, we do not consider the complaint of that clergy to be unfounded. For this reason, we urge you by these words to arrange that everything pertaining to the aforementioned Church be governed and managed through its own people — whomever you yourself select — or through the deacon who carries this letter, so that no just occasion for murmuring against you may be left to them. If, however, there is perhaps some suspicion of dishonesty among them, then station your own men alongside theirs in the administration, so that through mutual watchfulness they may serve as checks upon one another, rendering full accounts to you in every respect. Whatever income accrues from the revenues of that Church must, according to custom, be divided into four portions: one to be given to the clergy, another to the poor. Of the remaining two parts, we wish three shares to be made: one for the maintenance of buildings, another to be sent to Castorius, the rightful bishop [the absent or incapacitated bishop of Rimini], for his support, and the remaining one to be kept by you. If anyone in the clergy of the aforementioned Church is found worthy to be ordained as priest, deacon, or to any other rank, you shall have full authority from us to promote him. Be vigilant, therefore, in winning souls. Be attentive to the proper conduct of the clergy. Do not allow the interests of the Church whose visitation you hold to be unjustly wasted or diminished through any deception, lest — God forbid — you incur both the stain of everlasting peril before God and the guilt of blame before us. We have also learned that you receive certain grain allowances from the public treasury [i.e., from the imperial fisc], and that this causes you embarrassment, making you less effective than you should be in the affairs of the Church and in the defense of the poor. Therefore, you must abstain from that which brings embarrassment, and be content with the stipends you receive from the Church. For if after our admonition you choose to do otherwise, we shall form a different opinion of you — since you are teaching those entrusted to you to serve avarice by showing them not to be content with sufficient stipends.

AD LEONTIUM EPISCOPUM. \ De visitatione Ariminensi melius procuranda. Gregorius ® Leontio episcopo, visitatori Ariminen- sis Keclesiz. : Clero Ariminensis Ecclesiz (Grat. 18, q. 2, c. 6), enjus visitator es, conquerente comperimus Þ quod remotis omnibus, frateynitas tna hominibus $uis pa- lrimonii ejus gubernationem c#terasque ulilitates commiserit peragendas. Quod $i ita est , querelam D ejusdem cleri ineptam es8e non credimus. Ea de re his te hortamur affatibus, ut omnia quz ad supraseri- ptam Ecelesiam pertinent, per proprios ejus homi- Norm., Corb. et Collect. Pauli, vet. Editi. In recent., quibus favent Reg. et quidam Vatic., obltestor ergo. Mss. omnium Vatic., Anglic., Norm., Reg., Collect. Pauli, etc. , auctoritate firmatam. Recent. habent, quia ia damnando generalitatis nomine nosirum 8Pe- cialiter. In hac Gregorii epistola, multa ex epist. 8 Pelagii I excerpia agnoscimus. | Eer-T. XLIV [ Al. 42]. — * Urbinaii scilicet episco» po, ex epist. 24 lib. 1, indict. 11. In Norm., Corb, et ali:s Mss., legi-ur tantum Leontio episcopo. a SANCTI GREGORI! MAGNI nes, qu0s ipse previderis, sive per diaconum latorem A cesse fuerit, concurratis , quatenus faltus Christia= presentium gubernari agique disponas , ut nulla eis advergum te justa murmurandi relinquatur occasio. $i vero quzdanm de eis infidelitatis est ſortasse 8uspicio, cum eis quoque homines tuos in actione conslilue, vt alterna erga 8e sollicitudine debeant csse custodes, ratioues tibi modis omnibus posituri. Quidquid vero de reditibus Ecclesiz ipsius acces- Seril, quatuor juxta consueludinem oportet fieri por- tiones : unam &cilicet quz clero przbenda sit, aliam que pauperibus. De reliquis autem duabus partibus tres fieri volumus, unam sartis tectis profuturam, aliam pro $sustentatione sua CasLorio proprio episco- po dirigendam, reliquam tibimet retinendam. Si quis igitur io $uprascripte Ecclesie clero dignus fuerit presbyler, vel diaconus, sive in gradu alio ordinari, liberam habebis ex nostra auctorilate eum promo- vendi licentiam. ; In lucrandis ergo animabus jnvigila, circa cleri re- clitudinem esto s0llicitus. Utilitates Ecclesiz, cujus visitationem geris, injuste perire vel deleriorari nulla subreptione permitllas, ne, quod absit, et apud Denm perpetui labem periculi, et apud nos reatum culpz possis incurrere. Comperimus przterea * aliquot te annonas de pu- blico consequi, et hac ex re verecundia comprimi , alque in causis Ecclesiz, vel deſensione pauperum, ut congruit, non esse efficacem. Propterea J75 ' abslinendum est ab hoc quod verecundiam incutit, et stipendiis quz de Ecclesia consequeris debes esse contentus. Nam si. aliter ſacere post nostram adhor - tationem volueris, aliam de te $timationem habe- bimus. Quippe qui commiss0s libi avaritiz militare do- ces, quos suſlicientibus stipendiis instituis non ess@ conlentos. « EPISTOLA XLY. AD ANDREAM SCHOLASTICUM. Castorium chertularium commendat. Gregorius Audrez scholastico. Qualiter de gloriz vestre debeamus sinceritale praesumere, coguilze devolionis qualitas, quam beato Pelro apostolorum principi olim exbibujstis ostendit. Cujus licet causis mente vos adesse prompltis- gima confidamus , non tamen ab re est si ea quz $ponle egistis nostra ex abundanti epistola de- poscamus. Atque ides salutanles, paternz charitatis afſectu petimus, ut quia latorem preseutium Casto- rium chartularium nosLrum pro necess3riis illic cau- sis direximus, vestra eum ope in omnibus adjuvelis, alque j11i bonitatis vestra: consilio, quocunque ne- © [n vulgalis, aliquid te annone, de publico, hoc est de fisco. Vituperat Leontium, quod, propriis sti- ndiis non contentus, ex fisce annonam acciperet. udat Severus Sulpic. episcopos Aquitanos, Gallos, et Britanaos, qui concili» Ariminensi iterluerunt, quod annonis et cellarits, hoc est hospitiis ab Au- usto $ibi oblatis uli noluerint, Sed propriis sumpti- = ali maluerint, lribus duutaxat exceptis, lib. 1 Hist. sacr:r. Eer-r, XLV [AL.15, indict. 2]. — * Hxc episiola zbesl a Mss. Anglic. et a plerisque. Legitur in San- nitatis vestr# s0latio, ad explenda quz Sibi injuncta Sunt so0lers et jidoneus possit inveniri. Sic etenim et vos quz vestra $sunt facitis, et nos pro vobis enixius orare compellitis. Oimnipotens Deus gratie Suez vos tuitiore praemuniat, et ita actus vestros in $u0 $icut desideratis propitius timore disponat, ut a malis om- nibus hic exuat, et ad gaudia vos #lerna perducat.