A letter from John VIII, pope (879, August)

Translated letter:

To his beloved and spiritual daughter empress Angelbera. With pious affection we did not neglect to hear the prayers of your petition, by which you beseeched us about the absolution from excommunication of Anspert archbishop of Milano, according to the power divinely conferred on us of binding and loosing, and particularly because of the annual commemoration of the rich memory of lord Louis formerly august emperor which is soon to be celebrated, but since we excommunicated him at the synod decreed for his negligences and presumptions, as you well know, without the consent and will of his and our brothers and co-bishops, with whom we promulgated the sentence of excommunication against him, we do not wish to absolve him now, lest canonical judgment hold little weight with those who scorn ecclesiastical discipline by idleness or negligence and presume many things that are not to be presumed. Further, when he either comes himself or directs venerable brothers and co-bishops on his behalf to come to the designated synod, which we shall celebrate with the Lord willing on the fourth Ides of October according to the established sacred canons of the Holy Spirit, who satisfy us and the holy synod suitably on those things which have been brought against him, then after true satisfaction we shall without doubt absolve him from all bonds of excommunication and we shall hold him as a brother and co-minister in the consort of our communion without delay. And therefore do not be disturbed for the announced annual commemoration of that elder your lord that we did not hear you now about the absolution of said archbishop, for on that day on which he left the world, we will offer sacrifice to the Lord for eternal peace of his soul; also we shall pray the almighty Lord moved by fraternal compassion for the soul of Suppo,(1) that he may be able to obtain absolution for his transgressions.

Original letter:

Dilecte ac Spiritali Filie Angelberge Imperatrici. Pio affectu petitionis vestre preces, quibus nos super absolutione excommunicationis Ansperti Mediolanensis archiepiscopi precata es, audire secundum conlatam nobis ligandi solvendique divinitus potestatem non pretermitteremus et maxime propter annuam commemorationem dive memorie domni Hludovici quondam imperatoris augusti, que in proximo celebranda est, set quia synodali eum decreto pro suis neglegentiis et presumptionibus, sicut ipsa bene cognoscis, excommunicavimus, absque eorundem fratrum et coepiscoporum nostrorum, cum quibus in eum excommunicationis sententiam promulgavimus, consensu et voluntate nunc absolvere nolumus, ne ab his, qui vel desidia vel neglegentia ecclesiasticam disciplinam contempnunt et multa non presumenda presumunt, canonicum parvipendatur iudicium. Porro cum ad denominatam sibi synodum, quam secundum sacros canones Spiritu Dei conditos quarto idus Octubris Domino annuente celebraturi erimus, vel ipse venerit vel e latere suo venerabiles confratres et coepiscopos suos direxerit, qui nobis et sancte synodo de his, que illi obiecta sunt, idonee satisfaciant, tunc post veram satisfactionem ab omni eum excommunicationis nexu procul dubio absolvemus et quasi fratrem et comministrum in nostre communionis consortio incuntanter habebimus. Et ideo pro predicta annua commemoratione ipsius domini et senioris vestri ne turbemini, quod modo vos pro absolutione prefati archiepiscopi non audivimus, nam in eodem die, quo ipse de seculo migravit, pro anime illius requie sempiterna sacrificium erimus Domino oblaturi; etiam et pro anima Supponis fraterna moti compassione omnipotentem Dominum deprecamur, ut suorum absolutionem valeat percipere delictorum.

Historical context:

The pope explains that he can not grant the empress’s request to remove the archbishop of Milan from excommunication until he satisfies a synod of his fellow bishops with reparation for his sins.

Scholarly notes:

(1)Suppo is a count related to the empress

Printed source:

MGH 5.190-91, Johannis VIII, Papae Epistolae, ep.212

Date:

879, August