Lawful Ordination

Letter 4,16 - to all the bishops in Dalmatia. November 593

But your morals have been so degraded by secular business that, forgetting the whole path of priestly honor within you and all your respect for heavenly fear, you are keen to carry out what pleases you, not God. And so we have thought it necessary to send over to you these stricter words, specially written.
In them, through the authority of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles, we command that you do not presume to lay your hands on anyone at all in the city of Salona, without our agreement and permission, as far as it concerns the consecration to the episcopate. And do not consecrate anyone in that same city other that as we have stated.
But if you shall have presumed or attempted to act contrary to this either of your own accord, or forced by anyone else, we consider you to be deprived of participation in the body and blood of our Lord.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 299