Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 520

Gregory to Januarius, bishop of Cagliari. The Jews coming here from your city have complained to us that their synagogue, which is situated at Cagliari, Peter—who from their superstition has, by God's will, been led to the worship of the Christian faith—together with certain undisciplined men whom he took to himself, on the day following his baptism, that is, on the Lord's Day, on that very Paschal festival, with grave scandal occupied without your consent, and set up there an image of the Mother of God and of our Lord, and the venerable cross, and the white robe with which he had come up from the font, having been clothed.

Concerning this matter, letters attesting these same things ran to us from our sons Eupaterius, the glorious master of soldiers, and the magnificent president, pious in the Lord, and other nobles of your city. They also added that this had been foreseen by you, and that the said Peter had been forbidden to dare this. On learning which, we altogether commended it, because, as was truly fitting a bishop, you wished nothing to be done from which there might be just reprehension. But since by this—that you in no way mingled yourselves in those things which were wrongly done—you showed that what has been done displeases you;

considering therefore your intent of will in this matter—or rather your judgment—we exhort you with these words, that, the image and the cross being thence removed with such veneration as is fitting, you ought to restore what was violently taken away;

for just as the legal ordinance does not suffer the Jews to erect new synagogues, so also it permits them to keep the old ones without disturbance. Lest, therefore, the aforesaid Peter, or others who lent him aid or consent in this perversity of indiscipline, should answer that they did this out of zeal for the faith, as if thereby a necessity of converting were being laid upon them, they are to be admonished, and ought to know, that in dealing with them this moderation is rather to be used, so that the will not to resist may be drawn from them, not that they be led unwilling; for it is written: 'I will freely sacrifice to Thee' (Psalm 54[53]:8); and: 'Of my own will I will confess to Him' (Psalm 28[27]:7).

Let your Holiness therefore, with the aid of your sons—to whom, together with you, these things are displeasing—strive by priestly exhortation, as befits it, to make grace among the inhabitants of its city; for at this time especially, when there is dread of the enemy, you do not choose to have a divided people. But since we bear no less solicitude concerning you than concerning ourselves, we have taken care that this also be signified alike, namely, that, this peace being concluded, Agilulf, king of the Lombards, will not make peace.

Wherefore it is necessary that your Fraternity, while it is permitted, should provide to fortify its city and other places more strongly, and urge that supplies be procured abundantly in them, so that when the enemy, God being angry with him, shall have come thither, he may find nothing to harm, but may depart confounded. But we too think about you as much as we can, and we press upon those whom it concerns, that they ought, with God as author, to prepare themselves to resist; for just as you regard our tribulations as your own, so also we in like manner reckon your afflictions as our own.