To Marinianus, Bishop of Ravenna, on Clergy Who Burden the Monasteries

Gregory to Marinianus, bishop of Ravenna. For some time now it has reached us from the reports of many that the monasteries in the district of Ravenna are everywhere oppressed by the domination of your clergy, so that, sad to say, under the pretext of governing them they take possession of them as if they were their own. Grieving no small amount for these monasteries, we sent letters to your predecessor telling him to correct this evil. But since he was soon overtaken by the end of his life, we remember writing in the same way to your fraternity, so that this burden on the monasteries might not continue. And because, as we have found, there has so far been delay in correcting this, we have thought fit to write to you a second time by this letter. [a]

We urge you, then, to put aside all delay and all excuses and to work at relieving these monasteries from this kind of grievance. From now on, clerics, or those in sacred orders, are to have no leave to go to them for any other reason, except only to pray, or if they should perhaps be invited to celebrate the sacred mysteries of mass. But in case the monasteries should be burdened through the promotion of some monk or abbot, you must take care that, if any of the abbots or monks of any monastery comes to any clerical office or sacred order, he will have, as we have said, no further power there, lest under cover of this the monasteries be forced to bear the burdens that we forbid. So after this second warning let your holiness not delay to correct all this with watchful care. Otherwise, if after this we should find you negligent, which we do not believe will happen, we will be forced to make other provision for the quiet of the monasteries. For be assured that we will no longer allow the congregations of the servants of God to be subjected to such demands. However, so that no excuse may be put forward concerning the monks, let your fraternity without fail send here someone you see to be suitable, and we will appoint monks to go with him to you. You must provide for them by placing them in monasteries, if indeed there are places among you that can support them.