Peacefull Settlement

Quote from Letter 6,42 to Venantius, patrichan ex-monk. July 596

(For) whatever the case may have been, fury ought not to have broken out to the extent that armed men of yours, as we have heard, rushed into the bishop's home, and committed various wiched acts just like a foreign foe, and meanwhile this business has divided you from our Father's love. Whatever the argument was, could it not be settled peacefully at all, so that the goodness of the parties should suffer no loss and their friendship no injury?

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 432

Priesthood

Quote from Letter 6,40 to Rufinus, bishop of Bivona. June 596

(W)e strongly suggest with this letter herewith that you ought to look for a cleric for the same church [of Nicotera], whose way of life and morality could be suitable for this office, and you should hasen to concecrate him, with the help of the Lord.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 431

Protection of Widows

Quote from Letter 6,37 to Anthelm, sub-deacon. June 596

The more widows living modestly are destitute of the comfort of their husbands, the more earnestly should ecclesiastic protection be provided for the ladies. And for that reason, wit the page of this command to you, we consider that you should hasten to provide protection for Alexandria, a magnificent woman, widow of the one-time Vincomalus, doing so with all urgency and all concern, where necessary, while preserving justice, of course.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 430

To Live Honestly

Quote from Letter 6,40 to Donus, bishop of Messina. June 596

(As) he promised to restrain himself from wicked deeds. For that reason your Holiness should take care to be concerned about his soul, for God's sake, and to recall him with your exhortations to the path pleasing to God. And if, with the Lord's help, he is willing to remove himself from all wickedness and to live honestly, as he promised, let your Fraternity provide an allowance, at your cost, to look after him, so that he may not perhaps seem to find an excuse for acting badly from a shortage of supplies.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 431

Hostile to Faith

Quote from Letter 6,36 to Columbus, bishop of Numidia, June 596

Catholic people, terrible to say, and religious ones too, which is even worse, are consenting that their children and slaves, and any others under their control, should be baptized into the heresy of the Donatists. And so, if this is true, your Fraternity should be extremely keen to remedy it, so that through your concern, the sincerity of true faith may stand inviolate, and innocent souls, which could have been saved by Catholic baptism, might not perish from the infection of heretics.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 429

Inheritance

Quote from Letter 6,35 to Secundinus, bishop of Taormina. May 596

Sinceris, the bearer of this letter, has noted that his father-in-law, Hilary, died totally destitute, and that his wife, the daughter of Hilary, did not involve herself at all in any part of his estate, and complains that she is being pressed by his creditors to pay her father's debt.
For that reason, your Fraternity should inquire carefully, and if what she says is based on the truth, you should be keen to bestow them your priestly advice, and not allow them to be annoyed unreasonably, or suffer any loss. For it is extremely hard that she should suffer an expense unjustly because of something from which she expected to derive no profit.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 428

Truthfullness

Quote from Letter 6,34 to the priests, deacons, dukes, nobles, clerics, monks and soldiers on service and people living in the city of Ravenna or depending on it while outside it. April 596

A certain person full of the promptings of an evil spirit, in the silence of the night, gave testimony in a place in your city against our notary and emissary, Castor, stating in his charge, and to me also, the need for peace, while cunningly speaking against it. And because whoever speaks the truth ought not to  fear making himself known, he should come out publicly and reveal what he has presumed to say in his testimony. And if he does not come out, and does not publicly confess the identity of the person who presumed to do this, or gave his consent to a plan of such wickedness, we determine in the spirit of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he should be deprived of participation in His holy body and blood.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 428