Letter 8005: Gregory to Eusebius of Thessalonica, Urbitius of Dyracchium, Constantius ofMediolanum (Milan), Andrew of Nicopolis, John of Corinth, John of Prima Justiniana, John Cretensi Scoritano, John of Larissa, Marinianus of Ravenna, Januarius of Caralis (Cagliari) in Sardinia, and all the bishops of Sicily. I have taken care to transmit to your Fraternit...

Gregory to Eusebius of Thessalonica, Urbitius of Dyrrachium, Constantius of Milan, Andrew of Nicopolis, John of Corinth, John of Prima Justiniana, John of Crete, John of Larissa, Marinianus of Ravenna, Januarius of Cagliari in Sardinia, and all the bishops of Sicily. I am forwarding to your Fraternity a law the most pious Emperor has issued: no one bound by military service or public obligations may assume the status of a cleric or become a monk as a way to escape being held accountable. I press this upon you especially: do not hastily receive into the clergy people entangled in secular obligations. When such people live as clerics no differently than they lived before, they are not truly leaving the secular world -- they are just changing its form. If any such persons seek to enter a monastery, they must first be released from their public liabilities. For those coming from military service who are eager to become monks, do not accept them rashly. Their lives must be thoroughly examined first. According to the monastic rule, they should undergo a three-year probation before taking the monastic habit, God willing. If after that trial they are found worthy and sincerely desire to do penance for their past sins, then monastic profession should not be denied them -- for the sake of their heavenly life and gain. Rest assured: the most serene and Christian Emperor is fully in agreement on this. He willingly permits monastic profession for those who are genuinely free of public obligations.

Book VIII, Letter 5 To various Metropolitans and Bishops. Gregory to Eusebius of Thessalonica, Urbitius of Dyracchium, Constantius ofMediolanum (Milan), Andrew of Nicopolis, John of Corinth, John of Prima Justiniana, John Cretensi Scoritano, John of Larissa, Marinianus of Ravenna, Januarius of Caralis (Cagliari) in Sardinia, and all the bishops of Sicily. I have taken care to transmit to your Fraternity the law which the most pious Emperor has issued, to the effect that such as are bound by engagements of military service or public liabilities, may not in any case, in order to escape risk of being called to account, assume the condition of ecclesiastics, or become monks: and this I especially press upon you, that such as are involved in secular engagements are not to be received hastily among the clergy of the Church, since, while they live in an ecclesiastical condition no otherwise than they had lived before, they are by no means trying to escape secular affairs, but to change them. But, if any such should even seek a monastery, they are by no means to be received unless they have first been absolved from their public liabilities. Further, if any from the military order are in haste to become monks, they are not to be received rashly, or until their life has been fully enquired into. And, according to the regular rule, they ought to undergo a probation of three years, and then, God granting it, assume the monastic habit. And if they have thus been proved and accepted, and are anxious, for the good of their souls, to do penance for the sins they have committed, then, with a view to their heavenly life and gain, monastic profession should not be denied them. With respect to this matter also, believe me, the most serene and most Christian Emperor is in every way pacified, and willingly allows the monastic profession of those whom he knows not to be implicated in public liabilities. The Month of December, first Indiction. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360208005.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.