As much as the order of the Church pours joy into our heart when it is preserved blamelessly, even so it fills it with irksome grief when it is destroyed. For the temerity of depravity tries to overturn discipline and to dissolve what was decided laudably long ago, and to dare things that should be punished quite severely.
And so, through a complaint made by Crisconious, our brother and fellow-bishop and the bearer of this letter, it has come to our attention that the churches of that parish, allotted in former times by Valentio, our brother and fellow-bishop, were occupied fifteen years ago, without any good reason, although no fault demanded it, nor did a council decision define it. Moreover, we heard that he removed the property of his predecessor for his own use, which is a serious claim.
But if that is the truth, we cannot say how perverse and how detestable it is, especially for one leading a religious life.
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 511
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