Letter 35
To my brother bishop,
The question of the relationship between the Spanish church and Rome is one on which I want to be careful and precise, because it is easy to be misunderstood in both directions.
I hold that the bishop of Rome has a primacy of honor in the Church that is well founded in tradition and scripture. Peter's confession was the rock on which the church was built; his successors at Rome carry the weight of that tradition. When Rome speaks with full authority on a matter of doctrine, that carries great weight.
What I do not hold — and what I think the evidence of church history does not support — is that Rome's administrative authority extends automatically and without limit into every church in every province. The councils of the Spanish church have governed the Spanish church for generations, and they have done so well. The episcopal structure of this kingdom, which includes regular national councils at Toledo, is not an inferior form of church government that needs to be corrected by Roman intervention; it is a mature and effective structure suited to our circumstances.
When Rome and Toledo agree, which is most of the time, the question does not arise. When they diverge on administrative matters, as they occasionally do, I think we are entitled to maintain our own established practice while remaining fully orthodox in faith.
I write this in full awareness that it is not how Rome would characterize the situation. I think it is nonetheless accurate.
Your brother,
Braulio
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.