教牧守則·對話錄與書信 第 227 章

Gregory to Benenatus the bishop. Since Liberius, formerly prelate of the Church of Cumae, is known to have departed from this light, we therefore solemnly delegate to your Fraternity the care of the visitation of the bereaved Church, which it befits you so to discharge that nothing concerning the promotions of clerics, revenue, adornment, or ministries, or whatever it may be, be presumed upon by anyone against the Church.

And therefore let your Charity make haste to go to the aforesaid Church, and we desire you by constant exhortations to admonish the clergy and people of that Church, so that, all partisanship being set aside, with one and the same accord they may seek for themselves such a priest to be set over them as may prove worthy of so great a ministry and may in no way be rejected by the venerable canons. And when he has been requested, let him present himself to us for consecration, with the solemnity of a decree confirmed by the subscriptions of all, and with the testimony of a letter from your Excellency.

We also admonish your Fraternity that you permit no one to be chosen from another Church, unless perchance among the clerics of that very city in which you exercise the office of visitation none can be found worthy of the episcopate (which we do not believe will happen). Providing above all that no lay persons, of whatever manner of life or merit, presume to aspire to this, and that you (which God forbid) incur the peril of your order.