A letter from pope Hadrian IV (1154-59)

Translated letter:

Bishop Hadrian, servant of the servants of God, to his beloved daughters in Christ, abbess Heloise of the monastery of the Paraclete and her sisters, greetings and apostolic blessing. Whatever religious persons ask of us that does not stray from the path of reason, we should not find difficulties in granting what is asked. Therefore, beloved daughters in the Lord, giving willing consent to your just requests, we grant you by apostolic authority, that those who confer the willing solaces of charity on your church from their possessions, if perhaps not by their own fault, but because of the excesses of others they are interdicted, it is permitted to you to receive them for burial and bury them in your cemetery with the other faithful. Given at the Lateran, 7th kalends of December.

Original letter:

Adrianus episcopus, servus servorum Dei, dilectis in Christo filiabus, Heloissae abbatissae monasterii de Paraclito ejusque sororibus, salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Quotiens religiosae personae a nobis talia postulant, quae a rationis tramite non discordant, ad concedendum quod petitur non debemus difficiles inveniri. Ea propter, dilectae in Domino filiae, vestris justis postulationibus gratum impertientes assensum, auctoritate vobis apostolica concedimus, ut eos qui de facultatibus suis Ecclesiae vestrae grata conferunt solatia charitatis, si forte non proprio reatu, sed pro alienis sunt excessibus interdicti, liceat vobis ad sepulturam recipere, et ipsos in cimiterio vestro cum aliis fidelibus tumulare. Datum Laterani, VII cal. decembris.

Historical context:

This letter grants the convent permission to receive for burial those who have conferred gifts on their church and who have, through no guilt of their own but the excesses of others, been placed under interdict.

Printed source:

Opera Petri Abaelardi ed. V. Cousin, 2v (Paris: A Durand, 1849, 1859), Appendix IX.ix 1.725, PL188 ep.159 c.1539

Date:

1154-59