Letter 25

From: [Lombard court/church] To: [general — final letter in collection] Date: ~655 AD Context: The final preserved letter in the Lombard collection — reflecting on the changing condition of the church in Italy after decades of Lombard rule. To those who will read this after us. We write at a moment when the Lombard kingdom has existed for nearly a century, and when the church in Italy has adapted to circumstances that our predecessors could not have imagined. The Roman world that the Lombards entered was one where the distinction between Roman and barbarian, between Catholic and Arian, between the old senatorial families and the new military aristocracy, seemed fundamental. These distinctions have not disappeared, but they have blurred considerably. The grandchildren of Lombard warriors attend Mass in Latin. The grandchildren of Roman senators serve in Lombard courts. The theology that divided us is still formally contested in some quarters, but the pastoral life of most communities has moved past it. What we want to say to those who come after: the church's capacity to survive political upheaval — to maintain the continuity of the faith, the sacraments, the pastoral care of people — across the collapse and replacement of the empire it was born within, is not a historical accident. It is a witness to something real about the nature of the institution and the faith that animates it. Guard it. It is more precious than we know how to say. Given by those who serve the church in Lombard Italy, In the year of our Lord.