Letter 108: Leo, the bishop, to Theodore, bishop of Forum Julii. I. Theodorus should not have approached him except through his metropolitan.

Leo, Bishop of Rome, to Theodore, Bishop of Forum Julii. I. He should have consulted his metropolitan first Your first course of action, when troubled by this question, should have been to consult your metropolitan. If he too was unable to assist you, beloved, then both of you should have sought instruction from us together. For in matters that concern all the Lord's priests as a body, no inquiry should be made without the primates. But so that your doubts may in any case be resolved, I will not withhold the Church's rules concerning the state of penitents. II. The grace of penitence is available to those who fall after baptism The manifold mercy of God so assists those who fall that not only through the grace of baptism but also through the remedy of penitence the hope of eternal life may be restored. Those who have violated the gifts of their second birth may, by condemning themselves through their own judgment, attain the remission of their sins. The provisions of divine goodness have been so arranged that God's pardon cannot be obtained without the prayers of priests. For the Mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5), transmitted this authority to those set over the Church: that they should both prescribe a course of penance to those who confess and, when they have been cleansed by salutary correction, admit them through the door of reconciliation to communion in the sacraments. In this work the Savior Himself takes an unceasing part, never absent from those things whose execution He has committed to His ministers, saying: "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Whatever is accomplished through our ministry in due order and with good results, we do not doubt has been granted through the Holy Spirit. III. Penitence is certain only in this life But if anyone among those for whom we intercede with God is prevented by some obstacle and loses the benefit of immediate repentance, being overtaken by death before reaching the appointed remedy, he cannot receive what was not given to him while he was still living. It is not for us to measure what God alone may weigh and judge. The Lord knows the hearts of all and will deal with each case according to His own inscrutable justice. But this we can say: no one should presume upon God's mercy to the point of delaying repentance, for what is certain in this life becomes uncertain at the moment of death. It is a grave risk to defer the soul's healing to a time that may never come. IV. Practical guidance on the administration of penance The duration and form of penance must be determined by the bishop, who shall consider both the gravity of the sin and the sincerity of the penitent's contrition. The ancient practice of the Church prescribes that reconciliation be granted on Holy Thursday -- that is, the Thursday before Easter -- except in cases of urgent danger of death, when the remedy must be provided at whatever time the need arises. No one who truly repents is to be denied mercy, for God "does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live" (Ezekiel 33:11). But neither should reconciliation be granted carelessly or hastily, lest the discipline of the Church be undermined and others be encouraged to sin by the ease of forgiveness. These rules, which have been handed down by our fathers and confirmed by the authority of the Apostolic See, we commend to your careful observance.

Leo, the bishop, to Theodore, bishop of Forum Julii. I. Theodorus should not have approached him except through his metropolitan. Your first proceeding, when anxious, should have been to have consulted your metropolitan on the point which seemed to need inquiry, and if he too was unable to help you, beloved, you should both have asked to be instructed (by us); for in matters, which concern all the Lord's priests as a whole, no inquiry ought to be made without the primates. But in order that the consulter's doubts may in any case be set at rest, I will not keep back the Church's rules about the state of penitents. 2. The grace of penitence is for those who fall after baptism. The manifold mercy of God so assists men when they fall, that not only by the grace of baptism but also by the remedy of penitence is the hope of eternal life revived, in order that they who have violated the gifts of the second birth, condemning themselves by their own judgment, may attain to remission of their crimes, the provisions of the Divine Goodness having so ordained that God's indulgence cannot be obtained without the supplications of priests. For the Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, has transmitted this power to those that are set over the Church that they should both grant a course of penitence to those who confess, and, when they are cleansed by wholesome correction admit them through the door of reconciliation to communion in the sacraments. In which work assuredly the Saviour Himself unceasingly takes part and is never absent from those things, the carrying out of which He has committed to His ministers, saying: Lo, I am with you all the days even to the completion of the age Matthew 28:20: so that whatever is accomplished through our service in due order and with satisfactory results we doubt not to have been vouchsafed through the Holy Spirit. III. Penitence is sure only in this life. But if any one of those for whom we entreat God be hindered by some obstacle and lose the benefit of immediate absolution, and before he attain to the remedies appointed, end his days in the course of nature, he will not be able when stripped of the flesh to gain that which when yet in the body he did not receive. And there will be no need for us to weigh the merits and acts of those who have thus died, seeing that the Lord our God, whose judgments cannot be found out, has reserved for His own decision that which our priestly ministry could not complete: for He wishes His power to be so feared that this fear may benefit all, and every one may dread that which happens to the lukewarm or careless. For it is most expedient and essential that the guilt of sins should be loosed by priestly supplication before the last day of life. IV. And yet penitence and reconciliation must not be refused to men in extremis. But to those who in time of need and in urgent danger implore the aid first of penitence, then of reconciliation, must neither means of amendment nor reconciliation be forbidden: because we cannot place limits to God's mercy nor fix times for Him with whom true conversion suffers no delay of forgiveness, as says God's Spirit by the prophet, when you have turned and lamented, then shall you be saved ; and elsewhere, Declare your iniquities beforehand, that you may be justified ; and again, For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And so in dispensing God's gifts we must not be hard, nor neglect the tears and groans of self-accusers, seeing that we believe the very feeling of penitence springs from the inspiration of God, as says the Apostle, lest perchance God will give them repentance that they may recover themselves from the snares of the devil, by whom they are held captive at his will 2 Timothy 2:25-26 . V. Hazardous as deathbed repentance is, the grace of absolution must not be refused even when it can be asked for only by signs. Hence it behooves each individual Christian to listen to the judgment of his own conscience, lest he put off the turning to God from day to day and fix the time of his amendment at the end of his life; for it is most perilous for human frailty and ignorance to confine itself to such conditions as to be reduced to the uncertainty of a few hours, and instead of winning indulgence by fuller amendment, to choose the narrow limits of that time when space is scarcely found even for the penitent's confession or the priest's absolution. But, as I have said, even such men's needs must be so assisted that the free action of penitence and the grace of communion be not denied them, if they demand it even when their voice is gone, by the signs of a still clear intellect. And if they be so overcome by the stress of their malady that they cannot signify in the priest's presence what just before they were asking for, the testimony of believers standing by must prevail for them, that they may obtain the benefit of penitence and reconciliation simultaneously, so long as the regulations of the Father.' canons be observed in reference to those persons who have sinned against God by forsaking the Faith. VI. He is to bring this letter to the notice of the metropolitan. These answers, brother, which I have given to your questions in order that nothing different be done under the excuse of ignorance, you shall bring to the notice of your metropolitan; that if there chance to be any of the brethren who before now have thought there was any doubt about these points, they may be instructed by him concerning what I have written to you. Dated June 11th in the consulship of the illustrious Herculanus (452). About this page Source. Translated by Charles Lett Feltoe. 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/3604108.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.