Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 320

Gregory to all the bishops throughout Dalmatia. It would indeed have been fitting for your Fraternity, out of regard for the divine judgment, with the eyes of the flesh closed, to omit nothing that pertains to God and to a right intention of mind, and not to set any man's countenance before the rectitude of justice. But since your ways have been so drawn aside into secular affairs that, forgetting every path of priestly honor in you and every regard for the fear from on high, you strive to fulfill not what pleases God but what pleases yourselves, we have found it necessary to send you these more stringent writings especially, by which, from the authority of the blessed Peter, chief of the apostles,

we command that, so far as concerns the ordination of a bishop, none of you presume at all, without our consent and permission, to lay hands upon anyone in the city of Salona, nor to ordain anyone in that city otherwise than we have said. But if, either of your own accord or compelled by anyone, you presume or attempt to act contrary to these things, we shall decree that you are deprived of participation in the Lord's Body and Blood, so that by that very meddling of yours, or by your will to transgress our command, you may be estranged from the heavenly mysteries, and that he whom you ordain may not be held to be a bishop. For we by no means wish anyone whose life can be reproached to be rashly ordained.

But if the deacon Honoratus is shown to be unworthy, we wish that the life and character of whoever is chosen be reported to us, so that whatever must be done in this matter we may permit to be fulfilled soundly with our consent. For we trust in the almighty Lord that, so far as concerns our intention, we never allow anything to be done that could burden our soul, and never anything that could burden your Church.

But if in any person the willing consent of all so comes about that, by God's authorship, he is worthy, and there is no one who would dissent from his ordination, we wish this man to be consecrated by you in that same Church of Salona by the license granted through this present letter of ours — with the sole exception of the person of Maximus, concerning whom many evil things have been reported to us; and if he does not cease from his appetite for the higher office, it remains, as I judge, that once the matter has been carefully examined he should also lose the very office he now holds.