Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 258

Gregory to John, bishop of Larissa. Our brother Adrian, bishop of the city of Thebes, coming to the city of Rome, tearfully complained concerning certain articles that he had been condemned by your fraternity, as well as by John, bishop of Prima Justiniana, not lawfully nor canonically. And since for a long time we saw no person of the opposing party come hither, who ought to have responded to his objections, of necessity, with a view to learning the truth, we handed over for re-reading those things which were done in your presence.

From which we learned that John and Cosmas the deacons — the one driven from his own office for the slipperiness of the body, the other for frauds of ecclesiastical goods — laid suggestions against him before our most pious emperors concerning pecuniary and criminal articles. Who by their orders willed you to take cognizance, the strictness of law and of the canons being of course preserved, in such a way that in pecuniary matters indeed you should pronounce a firm sentence according to law, but in criminal matters, a more subtle examination being made, you should report to their clemency.

But if your fraternity had received such upright orders with upright minds as well, you would never have admitted, for the accusation of their own bishop, men removed from their own office for their excesses, and already of a hostile spirit, especially since from the suggestion laid before the most pious lords their deceit was detected, seeing that they professed themselves to have laid these things against their own pontiff with the consent of all the clergy. After these things, however, that I may briefly and concisely run through certain matters which were done before you: the first article was raised before your fraternity concerning Stephen the Theban deacon, whose most base life Adrian the bishop, as though knowing it, had not deprived him of the honor of his order.

Which article no one of the witnesses brought forward says came to the notice of Adrian the bishop, except that Stephen alone, of base life and damnable by his own profession, is said to have confessed it. A second article seems to have been proposed against him, concerning infants who by his order were prohibited from receiving holy baptism, and thus died with the filth of sin unwashed, in darkness. But no one of the witnesses brought forward professed that he knew any such thing to have come to the notice of Adrian the bishop, but they said they had learned it from the mothers of the infants, whose husbands had been removed from the Church for their faults, as is said.

But neither did they profess that death overtook them unbaptized, as the envious suggestion of the accusers contained, since it has been established that they were baptized in the city of Demetrias. And these things indeed concerning the criminal causes. But concerning the pecuniary matters, how it was judged by you, the inquiry of the men deputed by the prince attests to the most serene princes by a most pious order. For since Adrian had often suspended your sentence by appeal, as far as we have learned from the depositions of four witnesses brought forth before John, bishop of Prima Justiniana, being thrust into most close custody, he was compelled to present to your fraternity a document in which he confessed the articles objected against him.

Who indeed, in the document presented by him, is found to have consented to your sentence concerning the pecuniary matters. But the criminal charges he ran through by a certain middle and doubtful path of words, so that both your intention was frustrated by certain interposed clouds, and he himself moreover shrank utterly from confession by the obscurity of his perplexed speech. And when the appeal presented through his men, and the other things which were done before you, had been conveyed to the most pious princes, Honoratus the deacon of our see, and Sebastian the glorious antigraphus being deputed, as we have said, and all things being subtly examined, he was absolved by the most serene lords from all the orders.

But by some machinations, I know not what, sought out, again another imperial order was elicited, that John, bishop of Prima Justiniana, inquiring subtly, should judge concerning all the aforesaid articles. In whose judgment all the clergy of Adrian the bishop, and Demetrius the deacon amid the torments, professed that all this calumny against Adrian the bishop had been contrived by the machination of your fraternity. Nor was any of those very articles which had been criminally objected in your hearing against Adrian the bishop proved.

But there arose another cruel and deceitful examination, against the canons and laws, against Demetrius his deacon and other persons, in which almost nothing was found from which the oft-mentioned Adrian ought lawfully to have been condemned, but rather from which he could have been absolved. But concerning John, prelate of the city of Prima Justiniana, and concerning his most wicked and damnable judgment, we shall treat, the Lord helping, at another time. But bishop Adrian we found both to have labored under hatred contrary to priestly morals, and by no right to have been condemned in the pecuniary causes by the sentence of your fraternity.

Since therefore, having been deposed even by the aforesaid John, bishop of Prima Justiniana, against right and the canons, he could not lose the grade of his honor, we have decreed that he be reformed in his own Church, and be recalled into the order of his proper dignity. And whereas it would have been fitting that you be deprived of the communion of the Lord's Body — because, the admonition of my predecessor of holy memory being despised, by which he exempted both him and his Church from the power of your jurisdiction, you have again presumed to keep to yourself some jurisdiction over them — nevertheless we, decreeing more humanely, and preserving to you meanwhile the sacrament of communion,

we decree that your fraternity abstain from all the power of the jurisdiction which you formerly had over him and his Church, but that, according to the writings of our predecessor, if any cause whether of faith or of crime, or a pecuniary one, should be able to arise against the aforesaid Adrian our fellow priest, either it be examined — if it be a minor question — through those who are or shall be our responsals in the royal city, or, if it be a difficult one, be brought hither to the apostolic see, so that it may be decided by the sentence of our hearing.

But if against these things which we have established, at any time, on any occasion or by any subreption, you shall attempt to come, know that you are deprived of the sacred communion, nor do we decree that you receive it — except at the last time of your life — unless by the granted order of the Roman pontiff. For these things we sanction by a definition consonant with the holy Fathers, that whoever knows not how to obey the sacred canons is not worthy to administer at the sacred altars, nor to take communion. But the sacred things or the other movable and immovable goods of that Church, which he is said hitherto to retain, of which the notice laid before us we annex to these present letters, let your fraternity restore without any delay to him.

Concerning which, if any question arises between you, we wish that it be ventilated before our responsal in the royal city. (See above, epistle 6. Cf. John the Deacon, book 4, ch. 26.)