Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)→Unknown|gregory great
From: Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome
To: Peter, bishop
Date: ~593 AD
Context: Gregory writes to a bishop Peter on an ecclesiastical matter.
Gregory to Peter, bishop.
The matter you have raised requires careful consideration, and I have given it my attention. The canonical principles involved are clear enough, but their application to the specific circumstances you describe requires judgment.
My direction is as follows: proceed according to the established canons while taking full account of the particular circumstances. Where the canons leave room for discretion, exercise that discretion in the direction most likely to serve the genuine spiritual good of the people involved. Where the canons are clear and leave no room for discretion, follow them.
If after following this guidance you remain uncertain about a specific point, write to me again with the particular question clearly stated and I will give you a more specific answer.
Gregory
Context:Gregory writes to a bishop Peter on an ecclesiastical matter.
Gregory to Peter, bishop.
The matter you have raised requires careful consideration, and I have given it my attention. The canonical principles involved are clear enough, but their application to the specific circumstances you describe requires judgment.
My direction is as follows: proceed according to the established canons while taking full account of the particular circumstances. Where the canons leave room for discretion, exercise that discretion in the direction most likely to serve the genuine spiritual good of the people involved. Where the canons are clear and leave no room for discretion, follow them.
If after following this guidance you remain uncertain about a specific point, write to me again with the particular question clearly stated and I will give you a more specific answer.
Gregory
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.