Letter 6020

From: Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome To: Cyprianus, deacon [in Sicily] Date: ~596 AD Context: Gregory instructs Cyprianus to persuade the bishop Leo of Catania to cooperate with Bishop John of Syracuse. Gregory to Cyprianus, deacon. The bishop Leo of Catania and the bishop John of Syracuse need to cooperate more effectively than they have been doing. The tensions between them are creating problems that affect both their churches. I direct you to speak with Leo and to persuade him — with whatever combination of encouragement and firm direction is appropriate — to work constructively with John on the matters they share. Two bishops in the same region who are at odds with each other serve their people poorly. Gregory

AD CYPRIANUM DIACONUM. Persuadeat Leoni Catanensiepiscopo ut Joanni episcopo Syracusano quemdam presbyterum cedat. Gregorius Cypriano diacono. Sicut dilectio tua studiose laboravit pro persona ſratris et coepiscopi nostri Joannis, ut jy Syracusana Keclesia, auctore Deo, debuisset. ordinari, ita nunc necesse est ut per dilectionis tuz studia ei quoque regiminis solatia ministrentur. * Quemdam enim presbyterum proprium habuisse se perhibet, qui ta- men a ſfraire et coepiscopo nostro Leone in Catanensi Ecclesiadicitur ordinatus. Et quia in novam Ecelesiam vadit, et $uos illic proprios homines habere necesse est, ut cum causarum tumultibus premitur, in secreto 8u0 inveniat ubi requiescat, predicto fratri et coepi- $cop0 nostro Leoni blande et dulciter persuadere debes ut ei preſatum presbyterum ceiere debeat, ne quem tam benignus ad ordinandum cessit, ordinatum destituere ſortasse videatur. Sed sicut idem ſrater et « Gemet. ac nonnulli, perducamus. ErisT. XX. * Epist. 49, lib. iv, nunc lib. v, epist. 47, de cessione Joannis a Leone oblinenda monuerat Sanctus Gregorius ; post cessionem Joannes ordina- tus Suum presbyterum in Catanensi Ecclesia ordi- D natum Tepelil, quod Sanctus Gregorius blaude ac le- niter Leoni persuaderi precipit. Vides' praxim istius szculi de propriis clericis. GUssSAxv. Eeisr, XXI. — * Hydruntum $eu Hydrus, vulgo Otranto, urbs Calabrorum olim episcopalis, uunc ar- chiepiscopalis in regao Neapol. Gussaxv. Regno Neap. Calabrorum quondam primaria fuit; nunc est in provincia Hydruntina, in ora maris Adria- lici contra Tarentum- GUsSANY. | © Luppizz Ptolomzo, Antonino Lipia; Mela vocat L npias, aitque oppidum esse Calabriz haud procul a mente didici, ejus $e esse archidiaconum nec ob episcopatum $usceptum obliviscitur, ila eum $2pe fatus ſrater et. coepiscopus noster Leo 8uam pro- prium debet attendere, et non solum de unius persona presbyteri, sed in quacunque re ejus $0latio indiguerit, $ua ei ministrare auxilia. Þ Mense Novembri, indictione 14. (Cf. Joan. Diac. l. m, n. 20.) |