Letter 7038: Gregory to Donus, Bishop of Messana (Messene). The ordinances both of the sacred canons and of the laws allow the utensils of the Church to be sold for the redemption of captives. And so, seeing that Faustinus, the bearer of these presents, is proved to have contracted a debt of three hundred and thirty solidi for the purpose of redeeming his da...

Gregory to Donus, Bishop of Messana [Messina]. Both the sacred canons and civil law permit church property to be sold to ransom captives. Here is the case: Faustinus, who carries this letter, went into debt -- 330 solidi [gold coins] -- to ransom his daughters from captivity. Thirty have been repaid, but he clearly lacks the means to cover the rest. I urge your Fraternity to give him fifteen pounds from the silver holdings of the Meriensian Church, of which he is a member. Take his receipt for it, sell the silver, pay off his debt, and free him from this obligation. However, if that church has enough cash on hand, pay him from that instead. Only if it does not should you resort to the consecrated vessels. The principle is straightforward: selling church property carelessly is a serious matter, but when captives need ransoming, a struggling church must not prefer its silverware to its people, or drag its feet in bringing them home.

Book VII, Letter 38 To Donus, Bishop. Gregory to Donus, Bishop of Messana (Messene). The ordinances both of the sacred canons and of the laws allow the utensils of the Church to be sold for the redemption of captives. And so, seeing that Faustinus, the bearer of these presents, is proved to have contracted a debt of three hundred and thirty solidi for the purpose of redeeming his daughters from the yoke of captivity, and that, thirty thereof having been repaid, it is certain that he has not sufficient means for the repayment of the remaining sum, we exhort your Fraternity by this communication that you by all means give him fifteen pounds, taking his receipt for the same, out of the silver in your hands belonging to the Meriensian Church, of which he is known to be a soldier; so that, it being sold, and the debt paid, he may be freed from the bond of his obligation. But of this also your Fraternity should be careful, that in case of the aforesaid Church having so much current coin, he should receive from it the amount above-written; but otherwise you must needs supply him for the purpose in view with the sum we have stated from the consecrated vessels. For, as it is a very serious thing to sell idly ecclesiastical utensils, so on the other hand it is wrong, under pressing necessity of this kind, for an exceedingly desolated Church to prefer its property to its captives, or to loiter in redeeming them. About this page 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/360207038.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.