Letter 7

From: Nicetius of Trier, bishop To: The Austrasian Court Date: ~555 AD Context: Nicetius writes to the Frankish court on matters of church discipline, addressing problems of clerical conduct that were undermining the church's authority in the Rhineland. To my lords and brothers at the court of Austrasia, from Bishop Nicetius of Trier, I address you collectively because the matter I raise concerns the court as a whole and because the support of the king and his counselors is necessary for any effective response. The situation among the lower clergy in several of our Rhenish [Rhine valley] communities has deteriorated to the point where I can no longer handle it through episcopal action alone. I have suspended two priests, warned three more, and written to the bishops responsible for their original formation asking how such men came to be ordained. The pattern I see is one that requires attention at a level above the individual bishop. Specifically: men are being ordained who have not completed the appropriate period of formation, who do not know the liturgy properly, and who have personal histories that should have disqualified them. This is happening because there is pressure on bishops to fill vacancies quickly, because some of those exerting that pressure are powerful laymen whose preferences the bishops feel unable to resist, and because there is no mechanism for enforcing minimum standards consistently across all the sees. What I ask of the court is support for a clearer standard — established through a council, with the backing of royal authority — for what is required before ordination. The bishops alone cannot hold this line without secular backing. I am available to discuss this at any time. Nicetius, bishop of Trier