Letter 6045: **From:** Gregory I, Bishop of Rome

To Bishop Leontius. [Summary heading:] He grants the faculty of dedicating a church. He confirms the donations of its founders. Gregory to Leontius, bishop of Ariminum [Rimini]. The basilica of the blessed martyr Stephen, which your Fraternity [...] would by no means have reached. We, however [...] that it was destroyed by fire in your [...] burned, which [...] as we have learned from the one who wrote, we wrote to him at once, admonishing him both to receive your offerings as before, and not only to permit masses to be celebrated in your house, but, if you should so wish, even to perform them himself, and that he ought to pursue his cause with charity preserved. And because we wish no persons either to become or to remain at discord, we have judged that this same exhortation ought to be repeated. Hence it is necessary, dearest sons, that you both render to him the priestly reverence, as befits sons, that you owe, and that you do not provoke his spirits to wrath. For with whom will you be likely to have faithful favor, if, which God forbid, there should be discord between you and the priest? Therefore, with the swelling of spirits laid aside, strive so to conduct the cases you have against one another, that both charity may remain undefiled among you, and the mutual advantage of each may be secured. (Cf. John the Deacon, book 3, no. 48.) Letter XLIV. To Bishop John. [Summary heading:] He exhorts him to show Venantius his former good will. Gregory to John, bishop of Syracuse. Although there was a cause which not undeservedly provoked the spirits of your Fraternity to wrath, so that you were unwilling either to receive the offerings of the lord Venantius, or to allow the sacred solemnities of masses to be celebrated in his house, nevertheless, because earthly advantage ought to be so conducted that no quarrel may avail to separate us from the bond of charity, we therefore exhort your Holiness, as we wrote some time ago, to the end that you ought both to receive in all respects the offerings of the aforesaid man in sweetness and with a sincerity pleasing to God, and that you permit the mysteries of the masses to be performed in his house; so that, as we wrote, if perhaps he should so wish, you ought, through yourselves [...] [Editorial apparatus in the source: See the Council of Gangra, canons 5, 6, 7, 8; and the Council of Cologne, in the year 1549, canon 20; the Fourth Council of Milan, the section on parochial churches, which is the last of part 2 of the constitutions, etc. Gussanville: Consult the preface of our John Mabillon to part 1 of century 11 of the Benedictine [Acts]. Letter XLV. — Restored from four Vatican manuscripts and others. Letter XLVI. — Concerning Pisaurum, above, book 5, letter 28.] [Continuation of the letter to Bishop Leontius:] ...and he records that it has even recently been restored, we grant the faculty of dedicating it, in which we also wish the sanctuary-shrines of the relics of the same blessed martyr Stephen to be placed. And therefore, dearest brother, it is necessary that you go to the aforesaid church, and solemnly perform the dedication both of the church and also of the newly constructed altar, so that the devotion of those who are awaiting that consecration may, with the Lord's help, be fulfilled. Whatever besides was once granted to that same place by its founders, we wish to remain in that will and firmness in which it was bestowed.

AD LEONTIUM EPISCOPUM. Facultatem tribuit Ecclesiam dedicandi. Fundatorum illius donationes confirmat. Gregorius Leontio episcopo Ariminensi. Basilicam beati Stephani martyris, quam ſraternitas eas B25 nullatenus pervenisset. Nos tamen, ut ho. B ves[ra incendio asseri; concrematam, YG quam ed scribente comperimus, i!lico ei scripsimus, adino- nentes ut et » oblationes vestras Sicut ante suscipe- ret, et missas in domo vesfra non solum celebrari permitteret, sed si velitis, etiam ipse perageret, cau- Samque suam Servata charitale exsequi debuisset. Et quia nullos discordes vel fieri volumus vel ma- nere, eamdem adhortationem iterandam esse prospe- ximus. Unde neces+e est, charissime filj, ut et vos sacerdotalem illi reverentiam exhibere, sicut decet ſilios, debealis, nec ejus ad iracundiam animos pro- vocetis. Nam cum quo fidam eslis gratiam habiuri, si vobis, quod absit, cum sacerdolte ſuerit discor- dia? Ntaque animorum tumore deposity, sic agere causas quas habelis invicem studete, ut el charitas inter vos intemerata permaneal, et alterutra man- 8vete procuretur ulilitas. ( Cf. Joan. Diac. |. 3, n. 48.) : EPISTOLA XLIY. AD JOANNEM EPISCOPUN. Hortatur ut Venaniio pristinam ostendat benevolen- Gregorius Joanni episcopo Syracusano. Quamvis causa ſuerit que ſralernitatis vestrae animos ad iracundiam non immerito provocaret, ut nec oblationes domni Venantii voluissetis suscipere, nec in domo ipsius sacra missarum sineretis Solem- nia celebrari, tamen quia ita terrena agi debet utili- tas, ut nullum nos jurgium a charitatis valeat con- nexiane disjungere, © proinde sanctilalem vestram, 8icut dudum <cripsimus, adhortamur, quatenus et oblationes ante dicti viri omnimodo in dulcedine et Deo placita debeatis sinceritate suscipere, et in domo ipsius missarum peragi mysteria permiltatis; ut, si- cut scripsimus, £i fortasse voluerit, per vos debealis Vide Gangr. conc. can. 5, 6, 7, 8; et Colon., anno 4549, can. 20; Mediolanen. 1v, tit. de parochialibus ſwibus, qui ultimus est 11 partis conslit., etc. Gus- $axnv: Consule prefationer nostri Joan. Mabillonii jn 1 partem $2culi 11 Bened. Eeisr. XLY. — © Qualuor Valic. et aliis, res/au- yalam. EerST. XLVI. — * De Pisauro Supra, lib. yv, 8pisl. 28, > etiam nuper * inslauratam esse commemoral, faculta- tem tribuimus dedicandi, in qua etiam reliquiarum $an- ctuaria ejusdem beati Stephani martyris volumus col- locari. Et ideo, frater charissime, ad predictam te Ecclesiam ire- necesse esl, et lam Ecclesiz quam eliam 3ltaris noviter construcli dedicationem $Solem- niter exhibere, ut exspeclantium de eadem consecra- tione devotio Domino valeat auxiliante compleri. Quidquid przterea eidem loco a ſundatoribus olim concessum est, in ea qua dimissum est voluntate ac ſirmilate volumus permanere.