Letter 2.31 to Bishop John of Squillace in Calabria (July 592)
Gregory to John, bishop of Squillace, on holy ordinations
Bishop John of Alessio in Illyricum was recently relocated to Squillace after his city was captured by the Slavs. He is to remain bishop of Squillace, with all the prerogatives, until Alessio is liberated.
We also order that you never perform illegal ordinations and not allow anyone to be elevated to the holy orders who is a bigamist, or one whose chosen wife was not a virgin, or someone illiterate, or one impaired in any part of his body, or a penitent, or someone found guilty by a court, or one of whatever [low] condition. Not to mention that if anybody [already ordained] is discovered to be such a man, you should not dare promote him. On no account accept Africans indiscriminately, nor unknown strangers seeking ecclesiastical orders. For some Africans are in fact Manicheans, others re-baptized, and many foreigners ordained to minor orders are often proved to aspire to higher honours.
John should show diligence in his episcopal duties.
(trans. Martyn 2004: 212, altered and summarised by J. Szafranowski)