Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 333

Gregory to the nobles and landholders residing in the island of Sardinia. From the report of my brother and fellow-bishop Felix and of my son Cyriacus the servant, I have learned that you keep almost all your peasants on your estates given over to idolatry; and I am greatly grieved by this. For I know that the fault of subjects weighs down the life of their overseers, and when sin is not corrected in the subject, the sentence recoils upon those who are set over them. Wherefore, magnificent sons, I exhort you that with all care and all solicitude you ought to have zeal for your own souls, and that you consider what account you will render to almighty God concerning those subject to you.

For to this end they have been committed to you, that they may serve your interest in earthly matters, and that you, through your providence, may look to what is eternal for their souls. If therefore they render you what they owe, why do you not pay them what you owe? That is, that your greatness should continually admonish them and restrain them from the error of idolatry, so that, being led thereby to the faith, it may make the almighty Lord favourable toward you. For behold, you see how near the end presses upon this world; you see that now the human sword rages against us, now the divine; and yet you, worshippers of the true God, behold stones being adored by those committed to you, and are you silent?

What, I ask, will you say at the fearful judgment, when you have received God's enemies under your power, and yet disdain to subject them to God and to recall them to Him? Wherefore, paying the due address of greeting, I beg that your greatness may vigilantly attend to zeal for God, and hasten to indicate to me by your letters who has brought how many to Christ. What therefore you yourselves are perhaps for some reason unable to do, enjoin upon our aforesaid brother and fellow-bishop Felix or my son Cyriacus, and afford them help for the work of God, so that in the recompense of life you may be partakers to the same degree that you now afford help to the good work. Gregory to Januarius, bishop of Cagliari.

From the report of our brother and fellow-bishop Felix and of Cyriacus the abbot we have learned that in the island of Sardinia priests are oppressed by lay judges, and that their own subordinates despise your Fraternity; and while by you only simplicity is pursued, so far as it appears, discipline is neglected. Wherefore I exhort you that, laying aside every excuse, you govern the church which you have received, with God as its author, and that you be zealous to hold discipline over the clergy and to fear no one's words. But your archdeacon, as I hear, you forbade to dwell with women, and up to now you are disregarded in that prohibition. If he does not obey your command, we wish him to be deprived of his sacred order.

But another thing has occurred which is greatly to be lamented, namely that the very serfs whom your Church possesses have up to now, through the negligence of your Fraternity, been allowed to remain in unbelief. And why do I admonish you to lead strangers to God, when you neglect to correct your own from unbelief? Wherefore it is necessary for you to be vigilant in every way for their conversion. For if I am able to find a pagan peasant belonging to any bishop in the island of Sardinia, I will punish that bishop severely.

But if a peasant be found of such great perfidy and obstinacy that he in no way consents to come to the Lord God, he is to be burdened with so heavy a weight of tribute that by the very penalty of his exaction he may be compelled to hasten toward rectitude. It has also come to us that certain men fallen from the sacred orders, whether after penance or before, are recalled to the office of their ministry, which we have wholly forbidden, and in this matter the most sacred canons also forbid it. Whoever therefore, after receiving the sacred order, has fallen into sin of the flesh, let him so lose his sacred order that he may no longer approach the ministry of the altar.

But lest ever those who have been ordained should perish, provision must be made as to what sort of men are ordained, so that it be first observed whether their life was continent over many years, whether they had zeal for reading, whether they had love of almsgiving. It must also be inquired whether perhaps he was twice-married. Care must also be taken lest a man without learning, or one bound to the municipal council, be compelled after the sacred order to return to public office. Let your Fraternity therefore diligently inquire into all these things, so that, while whoever is ordained is diligently examined, he may not quickly after ordination be deposed. But make known those things which we have written to your Fraternity to all the bishops under you, for I did not wish to write to them, lest I should seem to encroach upon your honour.

It has also come to us that some have been scandalized because we forbade priests to touch with chrism those who are to be baptized. And we indeed acted according to the ancient usage of our Church; but if any are at all grieved by this matter, then, where bishops are lacking, we grant that priests also ought to touch with chrism upon the foreheads those who are to be baptized.