Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)→Unknown|gregory great
From: Pope Gregory I
To: Romanus, Defender of Sicily
Date: ~598 AD
Context: Gregory directs the management of patrimony from several Sicilian cities
The revenues and properties belonging to the Roman church from Syracuse, Catania, Agrigento, and Messana require closer coordination than they have been receiving. I am writing to clarify the jurisdictional arrangements and ensure that the accounts from each territory are properly managed and reported. The patrimony of this church is not simply an asset — it is the means by which we carry out our obligation to the poor and the captive and the clergy who depend on us. Every solidus that is lost through negligence or dishonesty is a failure of charity. Review the current arrangements and report to me in full on anything that requires correction.
iropoaiti ' DOstri cura noB ammonet ecclesiaaticaB utilit
pcrBonis. Et ideo quoniam te Romanum defenBorem fidel
bavimus extitiBse, patrimonium Banctae Romanae cui Deo i
in partibuB SyracuaaniB, Catenenaibus', Agrigentinis tcI
a praesenti secund» indictione gubernationi tuae praevii
necesse est te illic indifferenter' accedere, ut divini c
quoque ammonitionis memor ita te* efScaciter ac Bdelitei
neglectus vel fraudis, quod absit, inveniaris sustinere peri
quatenuB de fidc et industria tua divinae possis gratiae
vero eiusdem patrimonii secundum morem praecepta dire
ad'' peragenda ea quae tibi iniuncta sunt in aliquo valeal
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From:Pope Gregory I
To:Romanus, Defender of Sicily
Date:~598 AD
Context:Gregory directs the management of patrimony from several Sicilian cities
The revenues and properties belonging to the Roman church from Syracuse, Catania, Agrigento, and Messana require closer coordination than they have been receiving. I am writing to clarify the jurisdictional arrangements and ensure that the accounts from each territory are properly managed and reported. The patrimony of this church is not simply an asset — it is the means by which we carry out our obligation to the poor and the captive and the clergy who depend on us. Every solidus that is lost through negligence or dishonesty is a failure of charity. Review the current arrangements and report to me in full on anything that requires correction.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.