教牧守則·對話錄與書信 第 562 章

Gregory to Martinus the Scholastic. Since a controversy arisen from civil affairs needs, as is known to your Magnitude, greater investigation, let your wisdom consider with how much care and how much vigilance the cases of bishops ought to be examined. But in that letter which you sent by the bearer of the present, you have indicated only on the surface the cases on account of which you were sent to us by our brother and fellow bishop Crementius, and you have wholly kept silent about their root. If the origin or quality of these had been more inwardly manifest to us, we would surely have strengthened the mind of our aforesaid brother with a plain and fitting response as to what ought to be determined concerning them.

Yet this altogether displeased us, that you signify that some of the bishops, without the letters of their primate, have set out to the court, or celebrate unlawful assemblies. But because, as we have said before, the origin or quality of the cases is wholly unknown to us, we cannot pronounce anything definitively, lest — which is exceedingly reprehensible — we should seem to deliver a sentence on matters not well known. Whence it had been very necessary, if for our fullest information your Magnitude, about to answer our questions, had proceeded hither at the time when it was delayed in Sicily. But nevertheless, after you saw our brother and fellow bishop John, we believe that in him we too have seen you.

And therefore, because he too took care to write to us concerning those same cases, we have written back to him the things that have seemed good to us. Since he is a priest of mature and provident counsel, if you are willing to treat with him the cases for which you were sent, we are certain that in him you will find both what is useful and what has reason. (See Book XII, Letter 32.)