Letter 13017: I want to commend to your collective attention Hadrian, who serves as rector of the Sicilian patrimony.

Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)Unknown|c. 602 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|AI-assisted
property economics

I want to commend to your collective attention Hadrian, who serves as rector of the Sicilian patrimony. He is a man of integrity and diligence, and I ask you to give him your cooperation in the management of the church's estates in your region.

On a pastoral matter: I need to clarify the distinction between the water-baptism that priests may administer to infants and the confirmation that is reserved for the bishop. These are different sacramental acts with different ministers, and they must not be confused or conflated. The practice of episcopal confirmation is to be maintained correctly, and I ask you to ensure that your clergy understand and follow this correctly.

AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.

Latin / Greek Original

AD QUOSDAMN SICILLE EPISCOPOS

Adrianum patrimonii rectorem commendal!. Episcopos
admonet ne, cum ad infanies consignandos egrediun-
tur, subjectos 8108 ultra modum gravent.

Gregorius Leoni, Secundino, Joanni, Dono, Lu-
eido, Trajano, episcopis Siciliz. |

Sicut nos nobis invicem * gpiritalia per apostolo-
rum orationem admonemur impertirisuffragia, }2Z1]
ila in bis quz necessitate injuncti regiminis pro dis-
pensatione rerum pauperum Deo per nos ſuerint au-
ctore disposita sacerdotalia dignum est 8olatia non
deesse. Latorem siquidem prxsentium Adrianum,
chartularium nostrum, ad regendum Ecclesiz nosire
patrimonium, Syracusanarum videlicet partium, di-
rigentes , ſraternitati vestraz necessario duximus
commendandum, ut, in quo usus exegerit, Þ vestra
ei solatia conſeratis, quatenvs dumget ad agendum
per vos corporalibus, et ad facilitatem explendi que
ceperit spiritalibus orationum fuerit fultus auxiliis,

prospere ea quz a nobis ei injuncta sunt Deo quoque -

raleat cooperante perſicere. Vosmetipsos aulem ita
ante cohspectum omnipotentis Dei in bonis operibus

debetis exhibere, ut inveniri in vestra actione ne-

queat quod vel Deo judice perculi, vel quolibet ho-
mine insidiante valeat accusari. Nam eidem prafato
chartulario nostro injunxzimus ut si qua de reveren-
dissimis ſratribus nostris episcopis inordinale acta
cognoverit, prius quidem secreta ac modesta ailhor-
latione ipse corripiat : quz $i ita emendala non ſue-
rint, nobis celeriter innotescat.

Przterea relatum egst nobis (Grat., caus. 10, g. 5,
c, 9), sanclz memorize decessoris mei temporibus
per Servumdei diaconum, qui jam tunc ecclesia-
Sci patrimonii curam gessit, ſuisse dispositum © ut
mcerdotes per diversas vestras diceceses conslituti,
quoties ad consignandos infantes egrediminj, ultra
modum gravari minime debuissent. Summa enim
prefixa ſuerat, vobis, ut audio, consentientibus, que
ab. eisdem sacerdolibus pro labore clericorum dari
dehuisset. Atque hoc quod tune placuit, nune, sicut
dicitur, minime custoditur. Unde fraternitalem ve-
Sram admoneo ut subj=clis vestris graves non $stu-
deatis existere, sed si qua sunt gravamina temperetis,

Eeisr, XVII [Al. 22]. — * Excusi, reluctaniibus D

Ks. Anglic., Norm., Vatic., specialia.

Adriani solius hbic fit mentio.

© Vulgati, per universas. Ceterum nomine $acer-
dotum hoc loco presbyteros intelligit sive parochos
per diceceses constitutos. Non enim vox illa tam ſuit
epixcoporum propria, ut presbyteris non fuerit ali-
quando tributa, quod criticis nonnullis placuit. In-
noe. 1], epist. ad Victricium, c. 6 et 9, sacerdolis
nomine comprehendit presbyteros. Idem videre est in
gusdem epist. ad Exuperium, cap. 1. Sic in epist. ad

ntium Eugub. dixerat: Nam presbylteri licet sint

iacerdotes, elc. Sic ad Himerium Siricius. Vide in
epist. 15 lib. m._

Eersr. XIX (Al. 23]. — * Jta omnes Norm., Va-
te., Colbert., Reg. et plerique Mss, ac potiores. Io

—_— =_

debuistis. Etenim in futura et in praesenti vobis
vita prospicilis, si eos qui yobis commigsi sunt siue
gravamine conservalis. $

Revision history

  1. 2026-03-20v2.1.0-import

    Initial corpus import from Unreviewed source import.

    Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_1849_77

Related Letters

Pope Gregory the GreatJanuariusc. 593 · gregory great #4026

Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari). We have ascertained from the report of our fellow bishop Felix and the abbot Cyriacus that in the island of Sardinia priests are oppressed by lay judges, and that your ministers despise your Fraternity; and that, so far as appears, while you aim only at simplicity, discipline is neglected. Wher...

Pope Gregory the GreatDivers Bishops of Gaulc. 601 · gregory great #11058

Gregory to Mennas of Telona (Toulon), Serenus of Massilia (Marseilles), Lupus of Cabillonum (Châlons-sur-Saône), Aigulfus of Mettæ (Metz), Simplicius of Parisii (Paris), Melantius of Rotonius (Rouen), and Licinius , bishops of the Franks. A paribus. Though the care of the office you have undertaken reminds your Fraternity how you ought to assist...

Pope Gregory the GreatDonusc. 598 · gregory great #8003

The most eloquent man, our son Faustinus, has come to us and complained that his late father Peltrasius left some things which were not his own to your Church for his burial. And indeed he knows himself, and we have heard, what the secular law is in such a case; namely, that the heir is bound to pay if his father has bequeathed what was not his ...

Pope Gregory the GreatVirgilc. 599 · gregory great #9111

Inasmuch as the desire of a pious purpose and the bent of a laudable devotion ought always to be aided by the earnest endeavours of priests, anxious care should be taken that neither remissness, neglect nor presumption disturb whatever has been ordained for the quiet of monks and of religious conversation. But, as it was right that what reason r...

Venantius FortunatusCount Sigoaldus, Who Fed the Poor for the Kingc. 599 · venantius fortunatus #10017

Ad Sigoaldum comitem, quod pauperes pro rege paverit