Letter 6026: Gregory to his most beloved sons, the clergy and nobles dwelling at Salona. It has come to my ears, that certain men of perverse disposition, in order to poison your minds, beloved, have tried to insinuate to you that I am moved by some grudge against Maximus, and that I am desiring to carry out not so much what is canonical as what anger dictat...

Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Cagliari. The bearer of this letter, Felix, has complained that although he turned from Judaism to the Christian faith and was baptized, he has been harassed by certain Jews who try to draw him back to their former error. I direct your Brotherhood to protect him and to restrain anyone who presumes to trouble a convert. For those who have come to the faith of Christ must be defended and supported, not left exposed to the harassment of those they have left behind.

Book VI, Letter 26 To the Salonitans. Gregory to his most beloved sons, the clergy and nobles dwelling at Salona. It has come to my ears, that certain men of perverse disposition, in order to poison your minds, beloved, have tried to insinuate to you that I am moved by some grudge against Maximus, and that I am desiring to carry out not so much what is canonical as what anger dictates. But far, far be it from the priestly mind to be moved in any cause by private feeling. It is on the contrary as taking thought for you, beloved, and as fearing the judgment of Almighty God on my own soul, that I desire the case of this same Maximus to be thoroughly investigated, as to whether he is burdened by no such crimes as are a bar to ordination, and makes no attempt to attain to the priestly office through simoniacal heresy; that is by giving bribes to some of his electors. He will then be a free intercessor for you before the Lord, if he shall come to the place of intercession bound by no sins of his own. And yet his sin of pride is already manifestly shown, in that, having been summoned to come to us, he resists under various excuses, shuns coming, is afraid to come. What then is he afraid of, if his conscience does not accuse him with respect to the things he is charged with? Lo, beloved, you have now been long without a pastor, and may Almighty God make known to you how earnestly and from the bottom of my heart I sympathize with you in your destitution. For I hear what ravages are being made in the Lord's flock. But, when there is no shepherd, who may watch against the wolves? Wherefore urge the aforesaid Maximus to come here to us, to the end that we may confirm him if we are able to find him innocent; but, if the things that are said of him should turn out to be true, that you, beloved, may be no longer left destitute through the interposition of his person. For as to me, be assured that I am not moved against him by any grudge or any animosity of private feeling; but whatever may be canonical and just with the help of God I will determine. But I have been greatly astonished that among so many clergy and people of the Church of Salona hardly two in sacred orders have been found — to wit our brother and fellow bishop Paulinus and my most beloved son Honoratus, archdeacon of the same Church — who refused to communicate with Maximus when he seized the priesthood, and who remembered that they were Christians. For you ought, most dear sons, to have considered your own orders, and recognized as rejected him whom the Apostolical See rejected, that he might first be purged, if he could be, from the charges brought against him, and that then your Love might communicate with him without being partakers in his liability. We however are bound to your Charity in the bowels of loving-kindness; and, since we have learned that some of you were pressed by force to accept him and communicate with him, we implore Almighty God to absolve you from all guilt of your own sins and from all implication in the liability of others, and to give you the grace of His protection in the present life, and grant to us to rejoice for you in the eternal country.

SALONITANOS. Se non privato odio contra Maximum moveri;; mirari aulem ze quod ex illis viz pauci a Maximi commu- nione abslinuerint. Gregorivs * dilectissimis filiis, clero, et nobilibus Salon:e consislentibus, Pervenit ad me quod quidam pervers#e mentis ho- mines, ut dilectionis vesire animos vulnerarent, vobis insinuare conati sunt quia ego contra Maxi- mum quodam odio mov-ar, el yon magis qua cano- nica, sed ea quz furoris sunl, exsequi concupiscam. Sed Þ absit hoc, absit a sacerdolali animo, ut in qualibet causa privato zelo movealur. Ego autem et vestr;e dilectioni providens (Grat. 1, q. 6, can. 2), et me avime omnipotentis Dei judicium pertime- 8cens, ecjusdem Maximi causas Subliliter exquirig] Z desidero, si nullis crimipibus pressus quz Sacro or- dini contradicunt, si non per Simoniacam he7esim, id est premia quibusdam se eligentibus prazbendo, ad sacerdolale pertingere officium conaltur., Tunc li- ber pro vobis apud Dominum inlercessor erit, si non obligatus de suis -ad locum intercessionis ve- nerit. Cujus tamen jam culpa superbiz in aperto mon- f line liquet Honoratum ordini s1o restitntum, unde eum deturbaverat Natalis, illum subd-le ad presbyteratum promovendo. Vide Ep. 19 lib. 1, etc, GussAvv. Eeisr, XXVI. — * la inscribitur epistola hc in quinque Anglic., omnibus Norm., Corb., Rhem., et in Vatic. D : Gregorius presbyteris, diaconibus, clero, nobilibus, populo Jaderie consistentibus. In Reg. le- giiur, presbyteris, diac. et clero, nobilibus ac populo eonsi>lenti et mil':tibus Aliorum tamen Editorun le- clivni standum putavimus, tum quod in tribus Valic. habeaiur, tum quod alia Sit epistola ad Jadertinos scr:pta et eodem fere argumento. Quis autem Sibi persuadeit duplicem ad clerum et populum Jaderie Sen Jailer:e miss»m eodem fere sensu epist»nlam ; et ad Salomlanos quorum Ecclesiam invaserat Maximus, vuilain? Preterea in episiole contextu legitur : mi- —_ versis excugalionibus renititur, refugit, metuit. Unde ergo trepidat, si eum de his quibus inclamatus est conscientia non accusat ? Ecce jam diu dilectio ve- Stra Sine pastore es, et sicut vobis omnipotens Deus innotescat, vehementer destitutioni vestre et medul- litus ex toto corde compatior. Audio enim quz in grege Domini dilani»tiones fiunt. Sed cum pastor deest, qui contra lupos invigilet? Ideoque pradicium Maximum ut huc ad nos veniat © urgete, quatenus si hunc innocentem invenire possimus conlirmemus. Sin vero ea quz de eo dicta sunt vera patuerint, non jam tandiu dil-ctio vestra per interpositionem per- SON ejus deslituta Sit. De me enim certum tenete quia nec odio, nec pri- B vali sludii zelo, contra eum movear; sed quidquid canonicum justumque ſuerit , auctore Deo, decerno. Miratus autem valde sum (Grat. dist. 93, c. 2) quia in lanto Salonitane Ecclesi.c clero vel populo vix duo ex sacris ordinibus inventi ssunt, ſrater scilicet et coepiscopus noster Panlinus , et dilectissimus filius | m-us Honoratus archidiaconus ejusdem Ecclesiz, qui communicare Maximo sacerdotium rapienti mi- nime consentirent, et se Christi>nos esse COgnosce- rent, Debui-tis enim , filii charissimi, pensare ordi- nes vestros, et quem sedes aposiolica repellebat repulsum cognoscere , ut prius , si possct ab illatis criminibus mundaretur; et tune ei vestra dilectio communicaret, ne partic: ps obligationis ejus exisle- ret. Nos tamen erga Charitatem vestram visceribus C pietatis asiringimur ; et quia quosdam vesirum vio- lenter press0s ad consentiendum ei et ad communi- candum cognovimus , omnipotentem Dominum de- precaimur, ut vos ab omni reatu peccatorum vestro- rum atque ab omnibus vinculis aliene obligtionis absolvat, vobisque et in presenti vita suz protectio- nis gratiam tribuat, et nos de vobis in aterna palria gaudere concedat. 4 Mense Martio, indictione 14.