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| To Maximus, Pretender (Præsumptorem).
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Epistle XX.
To Maximus, Pretender
(Præsumptorem)1539
| 1539 See III. 47, note
2. | .
Gregory to Maximus, Pretender in Salona.
Though the merits of any one’s life were in
other respects such as to offer no impediment to his ordination to
priestly offices, yet the crime of canvassing in itself is condemned by
the severest strictness of the canons. Now we have been informed
that thou, having either obtained surreptitiously, or pretended, an
order from the most pious princes, hast forced thy way to the order of
priesthood1540
| 1540 Sacerdotii
ordinem, meaning here, as elsewhere, the order of episcopacy. | , which is of all
men to be venerated, while being in thy life unworthy. And this
without any hesitation we believed, inasmuch as thy life and age are
not unknown to us, and further, because we are not ignorant of the mind
of our most serene lord the Emperor, in that he is not accustomed to
mix himself up
in the
causes of priests, lest he should in any way be burdened by our
sins. An unheard-of wickedness is also spoken of; that, even
after our interdiction, which was pronounced under pain of
excommunication of thee and those who should ordain thee, it is said
that thou wast brought forward by a military force, and that
presbyters, deacons, and other clergy were beaten. Which
proceeding we can in no wise call a consecration, since it was
celebrated by excommunicated men. Since, therefore, without any
precedent, thou hast violated such and so great a dignity, namely that
of the priesthood, we enjoin that, until I shall have ascertained from
the letters of our lords or of our responsalis, that thou wast
ordained under a true and not a surreptitious order, thou and thy
ordainers by no means presume to handle anything connected with the
priestly office, and that you approach not the service of the holy
altar till you have heard from us again. But, if you should
presume to act in contravention of this order, be ye anathema from
God and from the blessed Peter, Prince of the
apostles, that your punishment may afford an example to other catholic
churches also, through their contemplation of the judgment upon
you. The month of May, Indiction 12.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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