X.1
The flood in November of 589 brought an epidemic to the city of Rome. One of the many victims of the plague was Bishop Pelagius of Rome. Deacon Gregory was chosen as his successor. Few days before his ordination, Gregory gave the sermon to the faithful, in which he called for the city-wide penance.
"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, with contrite hearts and with all our affairs in order, let us come together, to concentrate our minds upon our troubles, in the order which I will explain in a minute, as day dawns on the Wednesday of this week, to celebrate the sevenfold litanies. When He sees how we ourselves condemn our own sins, the stern Judge may acquit us of this sentence of damnation which He has proposed for us.
Let the clergy go in procession from the church of the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian, with the presbyters of the sixth region. Let all the abbots with their monks process from the church of the holy martyrs Protasius and Gervasius, with the presbyters of the fourth region. Let all the abbesses and their assembled nuns walk from the church of the holy martyrs Marcellinus and Peter, with the presbyters of the first region. Let all the children go from the church of the holy martyrs John and Paul, with the presbyters of the second region. Let all the laymen go from the church of the protomartyr Stephen, with the presbyters of the seventh region. Let all the widows go from the church of Saint Euphemia, with the presbyters of the fifth region. Let all the married women go from the church of the holy martyr Clement, with the presbyters of the third region. Let us all process with prayers and lamentations from each of the churches thus appointed, to meet together at the basilica of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that there we may at great length make our supplication to the Lord with tears and groans, and so be held worthy to win pardon for our sins."
When he had finished speaking, Gregory assembled the different groups of clerics, and ordered them to sing psalms for three days and to pray to our Lord for forgiveness. At the third hour all the choirs singing psalms came into church, chanting the Kyrie eleison as they passed through the city streets.
(trans. Thorpe 1974: 545-546, slightly altered by J. Szafranowski)
