Migne Reading Room
PL 148 · cols. 708–710
Gregory VII, Letter 64 (Epistolae extra registrum vagantes, LXIV)
Editors' preface
LXIV.
LXIV.
GREGORIUS episcopus, servus servorum Dei omnibus in Christo fidelibus apostolicam sedem revera diligentibus, salutem et apostolicam benedictionem.
GREGORY, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to all the faithful in Christ who truly love the apostolic see, greeting and apostolic blessing.
Pervenit, fratres charissimi, pervenit, ut aestimamus, ad notitiam vestram, quia nostro tempore innovatum est, quod in Psalmista inquirendo dicitur: Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania? Astiterunt reges terrae, et principes convenerunt in unum adversus Dominum, et adversus Christum ejus (Psal. IV, 1). Principes enim gentium, et principes sacerdotum cum magna multitudine convenerunt in unum adversus Christum, omnipotentis Dei Filium, et adversus apostolum ejus Petrum, ut Christianam religionem exstinguerent, et haereticam pravitatem propagarent. Sed, Deo miserante, illos qui confidunt in Domino, nullo terrore nullaque credulitate vel mundanae gloriae promissione ad suam potuerunt deflectere impietatem. Pro nulla quippe alia qualibet actione contra nos iniqua conspirantes, manus erexerunt, nisi quia periculum sanctae Ecclesiae noluimus silentio praeterire, et his [restitimus] qui eamdem sponsam Dei non erubescunt in servitutem redigere. In omnibus enim terris licet etiam pauperculis mulieribus suae patriae lege suaque voluntate virum accipere legitime; sanctae vero Ecclesiae, quae est sponsa Dei et mater nostra, non licet, secundum impiorum votum et detestabilem consuetudinem, divina lege propriaque voluntate suo sponso legaliter in terris adhaerere. Non enim pati debemus ut filii sanctae Ecclesiae haereticis, adulteris et invasoribus, quasi patribus subjiciantur atque ab eis velut adulterina infamia notentur. Hinc multa, diversa pericula, et inaudita crudelitatis scelera qualiter sint exorta, a nostris legatis luce clarius veraque relatione potestis addiscere, et, si revera doletis et contristamini de ruina Christianae religionis et confusione, eique vultis manum praebere adjutorii, intrinsecus certo tacti dolore, ab eisdem instrui satis
It has come, dearest brothers, it has come, as we reckon, to your knowledge, that in our time there has been renewed what is said in the Psalmist by way of inquiry: Why have the nations raged, and the peoples devised vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together against the Lord and against His Christ (Ps. 2:1–2). For the princes of the nations and the princes of the priests with a great multitude met together against Christ, the Son of almighty God, and against His apostle Peter, to extinguish the Christian religion and to propagate heretical depravity. But, by God's mercy, those who trust in the Lord they could not bend to their impiety by any terror nor by any credulity or promise of worldly glory. For, conspiring wickedly against us, they have raised their hands for no other deed whatever than this: that we would not pass over in silence the peril of holy Church, and [have resisted] those who do not blush to reduce that same bride of God to servitude. For in all lands it is lawful even for poor little women to take a husband lawfully by the law of their own country and by their own will; but to holy Church, who is the bride of God and our mother, it is not lawful — according to the wish and detestable custom of the impious — to cleave lawfully on earth to her own Bridegroom by the divine law and by her own will. For we must not suffer the sons of holy Church to be subjected to heretics, adulterers and invaders as if to fathers, and to be branded by them as with the infamy of bastardy. How many and diverse perils, and unheard-of crimes of cruelty, have arisen from this, you can learn from our legates more clearly than light and by a true account; and if you truly grieve and are saddened at the ruin and confusion of the Christian religion, and wish to lend it a helping hand, being touched inwardly with sure grief, you can be sufficiently
Editors' notes and page, col. 708
Editors' prose
Gregorii VII epistola ad omnes fideles. — Demonstrat se in malis ideo versari quod nolit Ecclesiam in servitutem redigi. (Anno 1084.)
Letter of Gregory VII to all the faithful. — He shows that he is set among evils for this reason, that he will not have the Church reduced to servitude. (In the year 1084.)
Page
- other: footnotes printed on this page belong to the neighbouring letters (another unit): pointer only.
- other: the italic heading and synopsis printed after the numeral LXIV. (title, summary sentence, date) are the editors' (moved from the source line by the coordinator, 2026-10-01).
- other: the reference to "Quare fremuerunt gentes ... adversus Christum ejus" is printed "Psal. IV, 1"; the words are Ps. 2:1-2. Set as printed; the English gives Ps. 2:1-2.
potestis. Sunt enim beato Petro fidelissimi, et inter primos domus ejus unusquique in suo ordine annumerati, qui nullo terrore nullaque temporalium rerum promissione potuerunt in aliquo ab ejus fidelitate et defensione avelli, et a gremio S. matris Ecclesiae separari. Sed quia, sicut novit vestra fraternitas, licet indigno, et peccatori divinitus per prophetam dicitur: Super montem excelsum (Isa. LVII, 7), et reliqua; et iterum: Clama, ne cesses (Isa. LVIII, 1), velim, nolim, omni postposita verecundia, timore quoque vel alicujus terreno amore, evangelizo, clamo, clamo et iterum clamo, et annuntio vobis quia Christiana religio et vera fides, quam Filius Dei de coelo veniens per patres nostros nos docuit, in saecularem versa pravam consuetudinem, heu! proh dolor! ad nihilum pene devenit, et immutato antiquo colore cecidit non solum in diaboli, verum etiam in Judaeorum, Saracenorum atque paganorum derisionem. Illi enim leges suas, licet hoc tempore ad nullam animarum salutem utiles, nullisque miraculis, sicut lex nostra aeterni regis frequenti attestatione clarificatas et corroboratas, prout credunt, observant. Nos autem saeculi inebriati amore, et vana decepti ambitione, omni religione et honestate cupiditati atque superbiae postpositis, exleges et quasi fatui videmur; quia praesentis vitae et futurae salutem et honorem sicut patres nostri non habemus, nec etiam sicut oportet speramus. Et si sunt aliqui, licet rarissimi, qui Deum timeant, pro se utcunque, non pro communi fratrum salute decertant prompta voluntate. Qui, vel quoti sunt, qui pro timore, vel amore omnipotentis Dei, in quo vivimus, movemur et sumus (Act. XVII, 28), tantum desudent, vel usque ad mortem laborent, quantum saeculares milites pro dominis suis, vel etiam pro amicis et subditis? Ecce multa millia hominum saecularium pro dominis suis quotidie currunt in mortem; pro coelesti vero Deo et Redemptore nostro non solum in mortem non currunt, verum etiam quorumdam hominum inimicitias subire contemnunt. Et si sunt aliqui (imo, Deo miserante, sunt, licet perpaucissimi,) qui in faciem impiis usque ad mortem resistere pro amore Christianae legis contendunt; non solum a fratribus, ut dignum est, non adjuvantur, sed etiam imprudentes et minus discreti ut dementes habentur. Sed quia haec et his similia specialiter imminent nobis, ut vobis indicemus, quatenus, Deo largiente, et vitia possimus a cordibus fratrum avellere, et virtutes in eis plantare: rogamus et obsecramus in Domino Jesu, qui nos sua morte redemit, ut tribulationes et angustias quas patimur ab inimicis Christianae religionis, cur et qualiter patiamur, diligenter investigando intelligatis. Ex quo enim dispositione divina mater Ecclesia in throno apostolico me valde indignum, et Deo teste invitum collocavit, summopere procuravi, ut sancta Ecclesia sponsa Dei Domina, et mater nostra, ad proprium rediens decus, libera, et casta, et catholica permaneret. Sed quia hosti antiquo haec omnino displicent, armavit contra nos membra sua,
instructed by these same [legates]. For they are most faithful to blessed Peter, and each is numbered in his own order among the first of his household; they could not by any terror nor by any promise of temporal things be torn in any way from fidelity to him and defence of him, and separated from the bosom of holy mother Church. But since, as your fraternity knows, to me, unworthy though I am and a sinner, it is said from God through the prophet: Upon a high mountain (Isa. 57:7), and the rest; and again: Cry, cease not (Isa. 58:1) — willing or unwilling, setting aside all shame, fear too, and love of anyone on earth, I preach the Gospel, I cry out, I cry out and cry out again, and I announce to you that the Christian religion and the true faith, which the Son of God, coming from heaven, taught us through our fathers, turned into a depraved worldly custom, alas! for shame! has come almost to nothing, and, its ancient colour changed, has fallen into the derision not only of the devil but also of Jews, Saracens and pagans. For they observe their laws, as they believe, although these are useful at this time for no salvation of souls, and have not been made illustrious and confirmed by any miracles, as our law of the eternal King has been by frequent attestation. But we, drunk with the love of the world and deceived by vain ambition, having put all religion and uprightness after greed and pride, appear lawless and like fools; for we do not hold the salvation and honour of the present life and of the life to come as our fathers did, nor do we even hope for it as we ought. And if there are some, though very rare, who fear God, they strive with ready will somehow for themselves, not for the common salvation of the brethren. Who, or how many, are there who, for the fear or the love of almighty God, in Whom we live, and move, and are (Acts 17:28), sweat as much, or labour even unto death, as worldly soldiers [do] for their lords, or even for their friends and dependants? See, many thousands of worldly men run daily to death for their lords; but for the heavenly God and our Redeemer they not only do not run to death, but even disdain to incur the enmities of certain men. And if there are some (nay, by God's mercy there are, though very, very few) who strive to resist the impious to their face even unto death for love of the Christian law, not only are they not helped by the brethren, as is fitting, but they are even held imprudent and indiscreet, like madmen. But since these things and things like them press especially upon us, [namely] that we should point them out to you, so that, God granting, we may both tear vices from the hearts of the brethren and plant virtues in them: we ask and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, Who redeemed us by His death, that by diligent investigation you understand why and how we suffer the tribulations and straits which we suffer from the enemies of the Christian religion. For from the time when, by divine disposition, mother Church set me on the apostolic throne, most unworthy as I am, and, God is witness, unwilling, I have laboured with all my might that holy Church, the bride of God, our Lady and mother, returning to her own beauty, should remain free, and chaste, and catholic. But since these things wholly displease the ancient enemy, he has armed his members against us,
ut omnia in contrarium verteret. Ideo in nos, imo in apostolicam sedem tanta fecit, quanta facere a tempore Constantini Magni imperatoris nequivit. Nec valde mirum; quia quanto plus tempus appropinquat, tanto amplius Christianam religionem exstinguere decertat. Nunc autem, fratres mei charissimi, diligenter quae vobis dico, audite. Omnes qui in toto orbe Christiano censentur nomine, et Christianam fidem vere cognoscunt, sciunt et credunt beatum Petrum, apostolorum principem, esse omnium Christianorum Patrem, et primum post Christum pastorem, sanctamque Romanam Ecclesiam omnium Ecclesiarum matrem et magistram. Si ergo hoc creditis, et indubitanter tenetis, rogo vos et praecipio ego, qualiscunque frater et indignus magister vester, per omnipotentem Deum adjuvate et succurrite praedicto patri vestro et matri, si per eos absolutionem omnium peccatorum, et benedictionem atque gratiam in hoc saeculo et in futuro habere desideratis. Omnipotens Deus, a quo bona cuncta procedunt, mentem vestram semper illuminet, eamque sua dilectione ac proximi fecundet, ut mereamini praefatum Patrem vestrum et Matrem certa devotione debitores vobis facere, et ad eorum societatem, sine verecundia pervenire. Amen.
to turn everything to the contrary. Therefore against us, nay, against the apostolic see, he has done such great things as he could not do from the time of the emperor Constantine the Great. Nor is it very wonderful; for the nearer the time approaches, the more he strives to extinguish the Christian religion. But now, my dearest brothers, hear diligently what I say to you. All who in the whole world are reckoned by the Christian name, and truly know the Christian faith, know and believe that blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, is the Father of all Christians and the first shepherd after Christ, and that the holy Roman Church is the mother and mistress of all Churches. If, then, you believe this and hold it without doubting, I ask you and I command you — I, your brother such as I am and your unworthy master — through almighty God, help and succour your aforesaid father and mother, if through them you desire to have absolution of all sins, and blessing and grace in this world and in the world to come. May almighty God, from Whom all good things proceed, ever enlighten your mind, and make it fruitful with love of Him and of your neighbour, that you may merit to make your aforesaid Father and Mother your debtors by sure devotion, and to come without shame into their company. Amen.