Letter 3

From: Pope Gregory the Great To: Theudelinda, Queen of the Lombards Date: ~595 AD Context: Gregory sends relics and gifts to Theudelinda, using the relationship to advance both religious and diplomatic goals. Gregory, servant of God, to our most excellent daughter Theudelinda. I am sending you relics from the body of the blessed Apostle John, and from other saints whose intercession I ask for you and for your household. These are not ornamental — they are a genuine connection to the communion of saints, who pray for those who honor their memory. Receive them with the reverence they deserve, and place them in a church worthy of them. I am also sending certain gifts for the palace, which I ask you to receive as tokens of the affection of the Roman church for its Lombard daughter. The relationship between Rome and the Lombard court has not always been what it should be. I want it to be better, and I believe you share that desire. What I most want to ask of you: continue your work of quietly, patiently drawing the Lombard nobility toward Catholic faith. I do not ask you to do this aggressively — that would be counterproductive. The Lombards will not convert at the point of a theological argument; they will convert when they see, over time, that the faith of their queen and her household is genuine, and that it produces genuine goodness. Show them that. Your letters tell me that you are doing exactly this. I ask only that you continue. With all affection in Christ, Gregory