Quote from Letter 4,26 to Januarius, bishop of Cagliari. May 594.
Tt has also come to our attention that some who have lapsed from sacred orders are being recalled to the office of their ministry, either after doing penance, or before it. We have totally forbidden this, and in this matter the most sacred canons also declare against this practice.
Therefore, whoever has received a sacred order and has lapsed in carnal sin, must forfeit his sacred order so as to never again approach the ministry of the altar. But so that those who have been ordained should never be lost to the Church, care should be taken as to what sort of people are ordained, so that the first consideration is whether their life was continent over a great many years, and whether they had a passion for prayer and bible reading and a love of almsgiving. An enquiry should also be made in case one of them was perhaps married twice. Care should also be taken that he is not illiterate, and that he is not liable to state service, and forced to return to public employment after taking orders.
And so let your Fraternity carefully inquire into all of these matters.
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 307
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Pastoral Care
Letter 1,76 - to Leo, bishop in Corsica. August 591.
"Pastoral care obliges us to help a church bereft of a priest's guidance with concerned care. And since we recognize that the church of Saona has been totally destitute for many years, since the death of its bishop, we have thought that the task of visiting it should be imposed on your Fraternity, as fas as its usefulness can be completed by your arrangements.
And in that church also and its parishes, we grant you the freedom to ordain deacons and priests. But with regard to them, be keen to examine them quite diligently, to ensure that none of them should be rejected by the sacred canons.
But those whom your Fraternity sees as worthy of such great ministry, recognizing their morals and actions as being in accord with this ordination, let it freely promote to the aforesaid office, with the permission of our authority."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 189.
"Pastoral care obliges us to help a church bereft of a priest's guidance with concerned care. And since we recognize that the church of Saona has been totally destitute for many years, since the death of its bishop, we have thought that the task of visiting it should be imposed on your Fraternity, as fas as its usefulness can be completed by your arrangements.
And in that church also and its parishes, we grant you the freedom to ordain deacons and priests. But with regard to them, be keen to examine them quite diligently, to ensure that none of them should be rejected by the sacred canons.
But those whom your Fraternity sees as worthy of such great ministry, recognizing their morals and actions as being in accord with this ordination, let it freely promote to the aforesaid office, with the permission of our authority."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 189.
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