Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 621

Gregory to Romanus, defensor of Sicily. It profits nothing to avenge the faults of priests, and to punish crimes committed by their deposition, if to those who are deposed with the offense proven, the loss of honor should begin to be a consolation, and their fall a gain. Our brother and fellow-bishop Trajan has therefore complained to us that Lucillus, formerly bishop of the island of Malta, terrified by the iniquity of his own disgrace, has not only carried off the goods of the Church — of which he showed himself not the ruler but rather the enemy — but has furthermore retained many things belonging to that same Church out of past times, inasmuch as he brought nothing to bear on its fabric or its repairs, but with sacrilegious mind strove to apply the whole to his own gains.

And because it is too grievous and against God that his deposition should be to him not a penalty but a profit, let your experience strictly admonish him to restore without delay whatever he has carried off, or retains with himself out of past times. But if perhaps he should wish to deny it out of his native wickedness — since it is said that he can easily be convicted — then, sitting together with our most reverend brother and fellow-bishop John of Syracuse, search out the truth of this matter by subtle inquiry, so that, the proof being had, whatever it becomes clear that he took away or suppressed, he may restore, openly confounded with shame, what he shamelessly and secretly carried off.

Let it likewise be of your zeal to admonish Peter, son of the aforesaid Lucillus, that — since he too is reported to have taken away many things from the aforesaid Church — he restore them with honorable consideration; otherwise he too is to be presented to your judgment, so that, subtle inquiry going before, the case of both may be brought to a single conclusion.

Moreover, our aforementioned brother Trajan asks of us that from his monastery, which is situated in the city of Syracuse, four or five monks ought to be given to him. This we have by no means judged should be denied for his consolation, because, setting out for an unknown place, if he should not have his own men by whose consolation he might be sustained, his mind, afflicted with sadness, less raises itself to the things that are useful, and begins to sink before it labors. In which matter, lest we should seem to diminish the prerogative of the privileges of our aforesaid most reverend brother and fellow-bishop John, know that this has been granted to him in such a way that it be nevertheless reserved in all things to the judgment of our brother and fellow-bishop John.

Since, therefore, our aforesaid brother has added to his petition that he should have license to take away the boys whom he purchased with his own money, and his own and his father's manuscripts, or other goods which he has in that same monastery, reason has not allowed us to deny this. But lest we seem to grant the requests indiscreetly, know that this observance is to be held: namely, that whatever he purchased after he was removed from the office of abbot, or acquired under any title, he shall have free power to take away.

But also that which, from the monastery in which he was converted — which it is manifest his father built in the province of Valeria upon a possession of his own right — he carried off when departing under the pressure of hostile invasion, and bore away with him, is without any doubt to be restored to him, because that escapes the right of another's acquisition which was once associated with the ownership of the monastery. If, however, he acquired anything while he still discharged there the office of abbot, let him recognize it to be not his own, but of that monastery itself. And therefore we do not suffer that to be taken away by right from that same monastery henceforth in any manner whatever.

Therefore let your experience — giving aid, and justice doing its part — cause our aforesaid brother to receive without any delay the legacy which the foundress Capitulana of the aforesaid monastery, by her last will, established that he should have each year from that same monastery. Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop of Naples. We do not think it unknown to your fraternity that Romanus, a man of most illustrious memory, by the arbitration of his last will appointed a church — which is situated in your city — to be built in a house of his own right. And since, by God's mercy, the will of the deceased is known to have been fulfilled, let your holiness go there not ungratefully;

and if it is established that no body is buried there, let it strive to consecrate that place solemnly, without public Masses, with the veneration due, in honor of the saints Hermes, Sebastian, and Cyriacus, and also Pancratius; in such a way that in that same place a baptistery may never be built, nor may you appoint a cardinal presbyter. But whenever the monks dwelling there wish Masses to be celebrated in that place, let them know that a presbyter is to be requested from your love, so that nothing of the sort be presumed by any other priest whatsoever.