Letter 87: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

Considering that the church of your brotherhood had formerly been joined to the apostolic see with a special bond of charity before the evils of the past discord, we believed that you would be the author of the peace recently restored from above: but because you even delay in following those whom you should have preceded, we groan not lightly over the tardiness of your delayed correction, out of our brotherly concern for you. For you write that our ears have been disturbed by the atrocity of a certain crime: would that so detestable a report had reached only as far as us and had not announced throughout the whole world to Christian minds a deed as lamentable as it is execrable, so that those who do not know your innocence might believe that you have simultaneously strayed from the path of Christianity! For in what part of the world does the opprobrium of this enormity not both sadden catholic churches and gladden the perverse wishes of heretics? We desire that these things be shown to be foreign to the conscience of your affection, as you indicate in your letter: for what is more consonant with our wishes than that bishops willing to return to catholic peace should always be proven innocent of cruelty and crimes? We therefore wait, if the supports of the truth known to God are not lacking to your brotherhood, for you both to repel from yourself the opprobrium of so great a crime and at last, in the reconciliation of the faith, to follow the example of those who have returned.

HORMisDA DOROTHEo EPiscopo THEssALONicENsi. Considcrantes tuae fraternitatis ecclesiam ante praetereuntis mala discordiae olim cum sede apostolica praecipua fuisse caritate coniunctam te nuper pacis desuper redditae esse credebamus auctorem: sed quia, quos praeuenire debueras, sequi etiam remoraris, non leuiter pro fraternitate tua dilatae correctionis ingemiscimus • 2 tarditatem. scribis enim aures nostras cuiusdam sceleris atrocitate turbatas: utinam usque ad nos tantum tam dete- stabilis fama percurreret ac non toto orbe Christianis mentibus tam dolendum quam execrabile facinus nuntiaret, ut qui te innocentem nesciunt, a christianitatis simul credant tramite deuiasse! in qua enim mundi parte immauitatis huius inuidia non et catholicas contristat ecclesias et haereticorum praua 3 uota laetificat? quae nos a dilectionis tuae conscientia, sicut litteris intimas, ostendi cupimus aliena: quid enim uotis nostris magis conuenit, nisi ut redire ad pacem catholicam 9 per uenerabiles F, corr. Thiel 209. Bata (simul cum ep, 201) a. 520 die 29 Oct, per Eulogium; respondet epistulae 208. Edd. Car. P 546; Bar. ad a. 520, 63; BTA I 445; Thiel 956. 18 redite V 28 loetificat V EpiBt. ccvm 4 — CCXI 1. 669 uolentes episcopos a crudelitate et criminibus contingat semper innoxios comprobariV expectamus igitur, si non desunt frater- nitati tuae ueritatis deo notae praesidia, ut et tanti sceleris a te repellas inuidiam et in reconciliatione fidei tandem eorum, 5 qui reuersi sunt, sequaris exempla. Data IIII. Eal. Nouemb. Busticio u. c. cons.