教牧守則·對話錄與書信 第 323 章

Gregory to Clementius, bishop and primate of Byzacena. Although the text of the petition submitted to you sets forth the complaint of Adeodatus, the bearer of these presents, who says that he has been improperly expelled from his place of the presbyterate, nevertheless we have judged it should be unfolded somewhat more openly. For he asserts that by Quintianus, our brother and fellow bishop, he was released from his place for the sake of arranging certain affairs of his own, and that by reason of illness he was absent from his Church for the space of two months; and that our aforesaid brother, seizing the occasion of this matter, ordained another presbyter there in his place. We therefore exhort your Fraternity to investigate his case carefully and strictly.

And if you find that, as is said, by reason of manifest illness he was absent from his Church, permit no prejudice to be created for him from the ordination of the other presbyter, but have him restored to his place without any doubt. But if the matter is said to be otherwise than the report submitted by him appears to contain, investigate his case canonically and lawfully, and whatever shall seem right to you according to God, strive so to decree, with the Lord's help, that no question concerning this matter may return to us any further. But we especially admonish your Charity of this (Gratian,

same place): that if his report be true, and he be restored to his order, you ought to be carefully and strictly solicitous concerning the presbyter who was ordained in his place. And if indeed he came to that order without any payment, so that he could not have fallen into the simoniacal heresy, we wish him to be ordained in any other vacant Church whatever. But if anything of the kind — which the Lord avert — be found in him, let him also be deprived of the very order of the presbyterate, which he is proved to have received not by reason of supplying the Church's need, but by ambition alone.