From: Pope Hilary, bishop of Rome
To: Leontius, Bishop of Arles
Date: ~463 AD (October)
Context: Pope Hilary's letter 9; addressing the case of Bishop Mamertus of Vienne, who had consecrated a bishop in a see outside his provincial authority.
Hilary, bishop of Rome, to Leontius of Arles, greetings.
We write on the matter of Mamertus, bishop of Vienne, who has been reported to have consecrated a bishop for the diocese of Die in Dauphiné — a diocese that belongs to the metropolitan province of Arles, not Vienne.
If this report is accurate, it represents a serious violation of the canonical boundaries that govern the authority of metropolitan bishops. The bishop of Vienne does not have authority to perform episcopal consecrations in the province of Arles; such consecrations are the exclusive prerogative of the metropolitan of Arles acting with the appropriate participation of the provincial bishops.
We ask you to conduct a synodal inquiry into this matter without delay. If the facts are as reported, the appropriate canonical consequence must follow, and we ask you to apply it. The precedent of allowing metropolitan boundaries to be violated without consequence is one that would cause serious harm to the whole system of ecclesiastical governance.
Report to us when the inquiry has been completed.
Hilary, bishop of Rome
lo^Oct Hilari papae ad Leontium Arelatensem.
Ui in synodoli conocnlu fic aiisu Mamerti episcopi Viennensis inquiral, qm inmii» p. I
Dcensibus episcopum consccrasse nuntiatus fuerat.
Dilectissimo fratri Leontio Hilarus.
1. Quahter contra sedis apostoUcae veniens constituta, sacerdo-
'*) Ita cc («') L^; alii a praedecessore. Ac sane probabiliuB videtur, invito
Hilario opiscopo ct Leonis iudignatioui obnoxio paroecias illas distractas, qoam
Bpontc translatns in alios (L* h in aliis) fuisBO.
^®) a parata, L'' spreta, h scripta.
*^ Haec a synodo Bellovacensi apud Ivonem p. III c. 232 citata. Confenui-
tur etiam Leonis opist. 17 et Gelasii epist. 16, fragm. 24.
EPISTOLAE 8. 9. 147
talem modestiam Mamertus^) episcopus Vieimeusis exccsserit, dile-a. 403.
ctionis tuae debuimus relatione cognoscere, ut ausibus^) talibus ma-
turum et juxta ecclesiasticarum ordinem regularum congruimi judi-
cium proferremus. Quantum enira filii nostri viri illustris magistri
militum Gunduici^) sermone est indicatum, praedictus episcopus in-
vitis Deensibus, et qui ad ecclesiarum ejus numerum, quas^) ei
apostolicae sedis deputavit auctoritas, sicut in scriniis nostris legi-
mus, minime pertinebant, hostili more ut dicitiu* occupans civitatem,
episcopum consecrare praesumpsit.
2. In quo, frater carissime, si ita est, quam multiplex culpa
sit, pronuntiare possemns^), nisi judicii, ut diximus, et moderatio
nobis esset et ordo servandus. Atque ideo menior sollicitudinis,
quam dilectioni tuae scis esse commissam, quidquid nunc ad noti-
tiam nostram brevi insinuatione delatum est, in conventu synodali,
qui secundum statuta nostra annis singulis te sibi praesidente est
congregandus, discutere quae sunt acta debebis, et praedictam*^) ra-
tionem facti sui sub imiverso coetu fraternitatis exigere, ac deinde
omuium litteris^) nostrae intimare notitiae: ut quod sancto Spiritu
dictante est faciendum, ad comprimendos conatus illicitos ordinemus.
Deus te incolumem custodiat^ frater carissime! Data »VI Idus Octo-
bris, Basilio viro clarissimo consule.
Sidomos Apollinaris (epistol. VII, 1) et s. Avitus (orat. de rogationib. in Sirmoudi
Opp. II, 89 88., Mignc Patr. lat. LIX, 289 ss.) scripserunt. StrenuiHsimum siqui-
dem ac piissimum pastorem cum exhibent dignumquc praedicant, per quem
Dcus magna et mirabilia pro ecclesiarum aedificationo operatus sit (c*').
') a^ ce* ausis taUhus ... ecclesiasticum ordinem regularem.
^ L^ Ounduicii, alii Gundiud, Bex Burgundioniun is erat, qui Rheno circ.
ann. 406 transmisso multa cum Bomanis in Gallia et vario eventu proelia com-
misit, ac demum pactis conditionibus magistri militum honorem adeptus cst.
Quod ab Hilaro /?/iii« nominetur, signum est, eum fidei catholicae cultorem fuisse.
Qua non multo post abdicata Burgimdiones ad Arianos defedsse satis notum cst
•) Ita «•; similitcr a' praedictum rationem; a* L* praedictum ratione^ Editi
a praedicto sdl. Mamerto.
^ L' b Ktteras,
10
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From:Pope Hilary, bishop of Rome
To:Leontius, Bishop of Arles
Date:~463 AD (October)
Context:Pope Hilary's letter 9; addressing the case of Bishop Mamertus of Vienne, who had consecrated a bishop in a see outside his provincial authority.
Hilary, bishop of Rome, to Leontius of Arles, greetings.
We write on the matter of Mamertus, bishop of Vienne, who has been reported to have consecrated a bishop for the diocese of Die in Dauphiné — a diocese that belongs to the metropolitan province of Arles, not Vienne.
If this report is accurate, it represents a serious violation of the canonical boundaries that govern the authority of metropolitan bishops. The bishop of Vienne does not have authority to perform episcopal consecrations in the province of Arles; such consecrations are the exclusive prerogative of the metropolitan of Arles acting with the appropriate participation of the provincial bishops.
We ask you to conduct a synodal inquiry into this matter without delay. If the facts are as reported, the appropriate canonical consequence must follow, and we ask you to apply it. The precedent of allowing metropolitan boundaries to be violated without consequence is one that would cause serious harm to the whole system of ecclesiastical governance.
Report to us when the inquiry has been completed.
Hilary, bishop of Rome
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.