Letter 4

Symmachus (Pope)Unknown|pope symmachus
From: Pope Symmachus and the Roman Synod
To: [General]
Date: ~501 AD
Context: The fourth Roman synod dealing with the Laurentian schism — formal synodal acts addressing the validity of Symmachus's election and condemning his detractors.

The holy Roman synod, assembled under the presidency of Symmachus, bishop, to all the faithful.

The synod has examined the charges that have been brought against Symmachus, bishop of Rome, and finds them without merit. The charges were brought by parties with clear interest in the outcome and were not supported by credible evidence. The synod finds and declares:

First: the election of Symmachus as bishop of Rome was canonical and valid. The subsequent assembly that elected Laurentius was a schismatic act, not a legitimate second election.

Second: the principle that the bishop of Rome cannot be judged by any human tribunal is reaffirmed. Those who brought charges against Symmachus on the basis that he should submit to their judgment have exceeded their authority. This does not mean that no bishop of Rome can ever be wrong or can never be corrected by legitimate means; it means that the process for such correction, if it exists, does not include the kind of civil and ecclesiastical pressure that has been brought against Symmachus.

Third: the synod calls on all parties to the current disorder in Rome to recognize the legitimate bishop and to cease actions that are causing harm to the faithful.

The peace of God to all who seek it.
The assembled bishops of the Roman synod.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.