Letter 29

From: The Austrasian Court To: [Regional church official] Date: ~567 AD Context: Austrasian letter 29; royal correspondence with a regional bishop on the question of ecclesiastical reform and the enforcement of church discipline. To our beloved bishop and faithful servant of God, Your letter on the situation in the parishes under your care has reached us, and we want to respond both on the specific question you raised and on the broader issue it illustrates. The specific question — the priest who has been cohabiting with a woman after having been warned on two occasions and who continues to deny any wrongdoing despite credible witnesses — is one that requires decisive action. We support your authority to suspend him from ministry and to impose the penance you described. If he challenges your authority and appeals to us, we will support the decision you have made. The broader issue: we are aware that enforcement of clerical discipline is more difficult when the priest has the support of a powerful local family. We have seen this pattern often enough that we want to address it directly. Our position is that the personal connections of a priest do not exempt him from the requirements of his ministry, and that a bishop who fails to enforce those requirements because of pressure from powerful laypeople is not serving the church or the king. If you encounter resistance from the family in question, write to us and we will make our position clear to them directly. By order of the king