Letter 2060

From: Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome To: Italica, patrician lady Date: ~592 AD Context: Gregory writes to the noblewoman Italica choosing not to intervene in disputes involving the poor, even in cases where he might speak. Gregory to Italica, patrician. In the disputes that have come to my attention involving poor people, I have chosen silence. This may seem strange — you might think that if anyone's voice could help the poor in their disputes, it would be the pope's. But I have thought carefully about this and I believe that inserting myself into every legal dispute involving poor people would, over time, create more problems than it solves. The legal process, imperfect as it is, has its own integrity. My constant intervention would replace the normal workings of justice with something more personal and less predictable. What I can do is ensure that the church's charitable resources reach those who need them, and that when genuine injustice cries out for a response, I respond. What I should not do is insert myself into every case simply because the poor party would benefit from having a powerful advocate. I am content to be silent in those cases, and to trust that God sees what I cannot address. Gregory

AD ITALICAM PATRICIAM. In ipsis pauperum causis, ne litigiis immisceatur, 8i- lentium eligit. Cypriano poteslatem ſacit ut cum Ita- lica, 81 id ipsa velit, salvo pauperum jure, causam absque lite finiat. Gregorius * lialicz patriciz. Suscepimus plenas dulcedine litteras vestras, atque incolumitatis excellentiz veslre nos letificavit audi- ws, Circa quas tanla «8: nostre mentis sinceritas, ul nihil in earum tranquillitate simultatis recondi- tum, paternus nos $uspicari permillat affectus. Sed omnipotens Devs faciat , ut sicut de vobis nos bona Sentimus, ita mens vestra nobis bona respondeal, et dulcedinem, quam verbis impendilis, exhibeatis ope= ribus. Nihbil enim prodest gloriosissima $anilas et toris corpus invadunt creditores, et sepeliri vetant;, viventem carceri tradunt. Sanctus Joannes Chrys0- $tomus, hom. 62, in Matth. xvin, adversus creditores immisericordes anim-se invehitur, eos polissimum 16 $ibi obnoxios agricolas durius exagitant. Sanctus ngustinus , serm. Domini in monte, lib. n, Christi intrinsecus. Atque illa magis cavenda est digscordia, cui $ateſlitium pax prebet Þ exterior. lilud vero quod in epistolis prediclis revocare in memoriam nostram excellentia vestra $tudiose conlendit , sciat gcriptum yobis, nilil cam scantdalo , nihil cum forali strepitu vobiseum nos velle de causis pauperum definire. Hoc nos el scripsis8e meminimus ; et scimus nosmetips0s, juvante Domino, a causarum litigiis ecclesiaslica moderatione compescere, atque secundum 3postoli- cum illum $ensum, rapinam bonorum nostrorum cum gaudio sustinere. Sed illud scire vos credimus, taci- turnitatem atque G72 patientiam nostram futuris post me pontificibus in rebas pauperum prejudiciuu non ſacturam, Unde et nos explentes supra memo- B ratam promissionem nostram, jam de causis ipsis przevidimus reticendum ; nec in his in quibus minus agi benigne Sentimus, desideramus nos per nosmet- ipsos immiscere negoliis. Sed ne forte ex his conji- ciatis, gloriosa filia, ea quz ad concordiam pertinent adhuc nos omnino renuere, filio nostro Cypriano diacono venienti ad Siciliz partes indiximus, ut si quid de his salubriter et sine peccato anime vestre ordinare disponilis, ex nostra auctoritale vobiscum deſiniat, et nos non amplius illis vexemur negoliis, quorum cum mansuetudine © est dispensalus effectus. Deus autem omnipotens, qui ea que omnino impos- - $Sibilia sunt ad pos8ibilitatem bene novit inflectere, - ille vobis aspiret, et causas vestras cum pacis inten- tione disponere, et pro mercede anime vestrz, de C rebus eis competentibus hbujus Ecclesiz consulere | uprribus. Ales EPISTOLA LXI. AD FORTUNATUM EPISCOPUM. Quomodo in Ecclesia sua conversari debeat. Gregorius Fortunato episcopo Neapolitano. Scripla tuz charitatis accepimns , quibus nobis indicasti, Deo propitio, te bene a filiis tuis Neapoli- lanis civibus esse Susceptum. De quibus omnipotenti Deo gratias retulimus. Oportet ergo afectui eorum le luis moribus compensare , malos coercere, bonis ce Defossi erant intra terram baptisterii ſontes, non, ut nostri, supra pavimentum eminebant. Id suppo- nunt Chrysostomus, hom. 40, in cap. xv epis!. | ad Cor. ; Ambros. hom. 16, in ps. cxvim. Gregorius ipse, in lib. Sacrament., de Sabbato Pentecostes. Isidorus Hispal., 1. n de divinis Offic., c. 24, ubi in doctrinam explicans de debitis dimittendis, vult qui- D ipsum bapiisierii fontem tribus gradibus fuise descen- dem a4moneri debitores de $uo officiv, negat com- ellendos inclementer ; docet relaxanda potius esse ebit1. ALGET. Eeisr. LIX | AL. 57]. — * Id omittitur in omnibus Vatie., Norm., Colbert., Corb., etc. Secundinum ta- men ſuisse Tauromenitanum episcopunn, constal ex multis ad eum <criptis epistolis. — d Quod nenpe monachis id molestum esset atque insolitum. Kadem ratione bapti>terium in monas!e- riis prohibetur , qua ibidem probibentur miss:x pu- blicz, ne in servorum Dei recessibus popularis conventus detur occasio. Vide $up., lib. n, epist. 41, Gratianus hune locum reſerens pro , in8olen'ias, habet mole- $043, . $um aperte innuitur. Dispositionis illius vestigium plerisque in locis superest. De baptisterio Lteran. Onuphrius : In medio habe! ſontem in terra excavatum ad quinque ulnas... tribus gradibus in id descenszus est. Ulnam hic intellige cum Suetonio cubitam, non cum Servio spatium in quanium ulraque extendittir manus. | Eersr. LX [Al. 58]. — * Ntalicam Venantii, de quo epist. 54 lib. 1, uxorem fuisse conjicamus ex epist. 123 lib. 1x, ad utramque scripta, ubi meminit Bar= barz et Antonine, quas Venantii Gilias fuisse con- $Lat. x eos meliores partes ſrequentius admonere, quatenus et ill; paternos in te mores invenisse se gaudrant, et tu creditam tibi regiminis causam, cooperaule Do- mino, Studiosius exSequaris.