Letter 77: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

The greatest cause of congratulation is afforded to us whenever the time has arisen to write to your apostolate. Now therefore, with the most blessed bishop Germanus returning, together with the most reverend men who were dispatched by you for the purpose of uniting the holy churches, we have deemed it necessary to greet your holiness with due veneration, reporting that the aforesaid men indeed had the zeal that the full effect might follow your will; but because the whole body was sick, in the meantime the head, which is judged to be the first necessity, has been healed by the application of your remedy, and the dissension which existed between the venerable churches of Rome and Constantinople has been buried with the intervention of unity, and other not inconsiderable members have been purged and joined by a like grace of the divinity. We all also hold this hope: that the grace of God, which has always remained and remains with your see, may provide you with inspiration of this kind of goodness, so that by your gentleness and dispensation the remaining body which is still held to be infirm may, as we have said above, be joined through unity restored by your remedy. We especially beseech your pontificate to command that you pray for us with the benevolent spirit of a father.

CELER. Maxima nobis gi'atulationis causa praestatur, quotiens 5 ad apostolatum uestrum scribendi tempus emerserit. nunc 2 igiturremeantebeatissimo Germano episcopo uel reuerentissimis uiris, qui a uobis pro coniungendis sanctis ecclesiis fuerunt destiuati. necessarium duximus sanctitatem uestram debite uenerari, indicantes ante dictos habuisse quidem studium, ut 10 uoluntatem uestram plenus sequeretur effectus ; sed quia totum corpus erat infirmum, interim caput, quod prius necessarium iudicatur, adhibito medicamine uestro sanatum est et dissensio, quae erat inter uenerabiles ecclesias Bomanam et Constantinopolitanam, unitate interueniente sepulta est et alia non parua membra simili sunt diuinitatis gratia purgata atque coniuncta. hanc etiam spem gerimus uniuersi, quod 3 gratia dei, quae semper sedi uestrae permansit et per- manet, huiusmodi uobis inspirationem bonitatis praebeat, ut mansnetudine et dispensatione uestra reliquum adhuc corpus, «0 quod habetur infirmum, sicut superius a nobis dictum est, uestro medicamine unitate recepta iungatur. specialiter autem 4 deprecamur pontificium uestrum, ut pro nobis benigno patris animo orare iubeatis.