Letter 12

From: [Visigothic court] To: [Visigothic official or church leader] Date: ~601 AD Context: Epistulae Wisigothicae letter 12; court correspondence on matters of royal governance and the relationship between church and crown in the reign of Reccared's successors. From the royal court to our faithful servant, The matter you have brought to our attention regarding the see of [the vacant diocese] requires a decision, and we have considered it carefully. The procedure for the election of a bishop established by the councils requires the participation of the clergy and people of the diocese and the confirmation of the metropolitan. The crown's role is to confirm the election and to invest the bishop-elect with the temporal aspects of his office. This is a procedure we are committed to following. In the present case, the complication you describe — the existence of two candidates, each with significant support and neither obviously more qualified than the other — is not unusual and the canonical tradition provides guidance for it. The matter must go to the metropolitan for resolution; it cannot be decided by the crown alone without undermining the very canonical procedure that gives episcopal authority its legitimacy. We ask you to convey to the parties involved that we expect the matter to be referred to the metropolitan promptly and that we will accept whatever determination he makes through the proper process. By order of the royal court