An Explanatory Letter

Letter 2,18 - to all the bishops appointed in Dalmatia. March 592.

"We have already warned him [bishop Natalis] with so many letters, but so far he has remained persistently obstinate. Therefore we have taken care with another letter directed to him, to advise him through the bearer of this letter to replace his Archdeacon Honoratus in his former position, as soon as the bearer of this letter joins him.
If his heart is still obstinate, perhaps, and he arrogantly puts off recalling him to the same rank, because of his repeated displays of arrogance, we have ordered him to be deprived of the use of the pallium, which was conceded to him by his see. If however even after losing the pallium, he still perseveres with the same obstinacy, we have ordered that he be removed from participation also in the body and blood of our Lord.
For it is fair that he should feel us harsh in our justice, given that he has despised us when complaint toward him from affection. We therefore do not even now deviate from the path of whose fault was not at all clear to us, has been restored to his proper position, which the above-mentioned bishop has despised.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 203.