Letter 9116: It is the chief good in kings to cultivate justice, and to preserve to every man his rights, and not to suffer subjects to have done to them what there is power to do, but what is equitable. Our trust that you both love and altogether aim at this invites us to indicate to your Excellency things that call for amendment, that so we may be able by ...

Gregory to Theoderic and Theodebert, Kings of the Franks. The highest good in kings is to cultivate justice and preserve every person's rights -- not to allow subjects to suffer what power makes possible, but only what is equitable. My confidence that you both love and pursue this encourages me to bring to your Excellency's attention a matter that needs correction, so that my letters may both give relief to the oppressed and earn a reward for you. I am told that our brother and fellow bishop Ursicinus, Bishop of Turin, is suffering grave injustice in his parishes that lie within your kingdom. Contrary to church law, contrary to priestly dignity, and contrary to the sacred canons -- with no fault of his requiring it -- another bishop has been ordained there without any hesitation. And as if one wrong were not enough, the property of his church has reportedly been seized as well. If this is true, it is completely intolerable that a man whom guilt has not harmed should be crushed by force. I address you first with fatherly greetings, and ask that what your Excellency might have granted on your own out of reverence for the Church and regard for justice, you would grant all the more readily at my intercession. Have the truth investigated. Order what has been unlawfully done to be corrected. Restore the property that was wrongfully taken. The fact that his church is currently held by enemies should not count against him -- rather, it should move your Christian hearts all the more to come to his aid, since he is suffering precisely because he is a captive, and deserves compassion, not further harm.

Book IX, Letter 116 To Theoderic and Theodebert, Kings of the Franks. Gregory to Theoderic, etc. It is the chief good in kings to cultivate justice, and to preserve to every man his rights, and not to suffer subjects to have done to them what there is power to do, but what is equitable. Our trust that you both love and altogether aim at this invites us to indicate to your Excellency things that call for amendment, that so we may be able by our letters both to succour the oppressed and to acquire reward for you. Now they say that our brother and fellow bishop Ursicinus, bishop of the city of Taurini (Turin), suffers very serious prejudice in his parishes that are within the limits of your kingdom, in such sort that, contrary to ecclesiastical observance, contrary to priestly gravity, and contrary to the definitions of the sacred canons, no crime of his requiring it, another has not feared to be ordained bishop there. And, it being thought not enough unless unlawfulness were added to unlawfulness, even the property of his church, as is said, has been taken away. If the truth is so, it being exceedingly intolerable that one should be oppressed by force whom guilt has not harmed, we beg of you, addressing you in the first place with a greeting of paternal charity, that what out of reverence for the Church and regard to equity your Excellency might of your own accord bestow, you would study to grant all the more kindly on our intercession, and would cause justice to be observed towards him in all respects according to the trust we have in the goodness of your equity; and that, having ascertained the truth, you would order what has been unlawfully done to be corrected, and the property that has been wrongfully taken from him to be equitably restored to him. Nor should the fact of his church being detained for the present by his enemies be at all to his disadvantage: but this ought to move more and more the disposition of your Christianity to succour him, that, being consoled by the gifts of your bounty, he may not feel the loss arising from the captivity which he has endured. For the good, then, of your soul let this our exhortation find place with you, that to your own reward you may lift up again his dejection with the outstretched hand of justice, to the end that from your observance of equity towards priests you may ever flourish through their prayers before the eyes of God. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 13. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1898.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360209116.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.