The See of Peter

The Early Church and Peter's Primacy

Letter III bis, from Pope Gelasius to Natalis the Abbot

Synopsis: Gelasius writes to the abbot Natalis, declaring that by the divinely instituted governance of the blessed Apostle Peter the vicars of his see are debtors to all churches, commending Natalis’s zeal for the faith, warning that the Greeks refuse to hear the voice of truth and prefer to infect the healthy rather than receive healing themselves, and directing him to preach confidently in all neighboring provinces since the heavenly Bishop does not abandon those whom He has furnished with the arms of His truth.

Gelasius, bishop, to his most beloved son Natalis the abbot.

The Vicars of Peter’s See Are Debtors to All Churches

Although by the divinely instituted governance of the blessed Apostle Peter — by which the vicars of his see are debtors to all churches — We are delivering fitting writings to our brothers and fellow bishops established throughout Dardania, following the path of the ancient faith and communion so that they may be able to avoid the contagion of the faithless and maintain inviolate fellowship with Us, nevertheless We do not cease in our desire to address your charity as well, whose laudable zeal We have perceived in the matter of avoiding harmful things and holding fast to those that pertain to the Christian good — from the letters, that is, which your charity sent to our brother and fellow bishop Serenus.

Endure All Things for the Gospel; Nothing Has Been Left Undone for the Correction of the Eastern Churches

Your charity understands, therefore, that it must labor together for the Gospel of God, and with a view to eternal salvation bear all adversities steadfastly, so that you may not suffer — God forbid — any loss of the heavenly kingdom, which assuredly you cannot attain unless you have competed lawfully. For by the Lord’s help we must press on and be watchful all the more, the more vehemently the enemy of the human race does not cease to attack as the very end of the world approaches. We report that nothing has been left undone that could apply a remedy consistent with the rules of the Fathers to the correction of the affairs which the enemy has sown in the Churches of the East.

But what are we to do? For with hardened ears they refuse to hear the voice of truth, and so great is the force of the raging disease that has settled upon them that they prefer all the healthy to be lethally sick with them rather than to receive healing themselves. Now they deny everything that we confirm from their own documents and their own subscriptions; now, when they have been convicted by the clear light of the facts, openly and plainly confessing the error, they nevertheless declare that they are unwilling to return to the path of pure confession and communion — but rather they expect us to be entangled with their transgressors.

The Heavenly Bishop Does Not Abandon Those Armed with His Truth

Therefore, by the bounty of Christ’s grace, we must work with great effort, since what is at stake is eternal life — whether it is to be lost or held — to give our labor that we may, with the Lord’s working, save some of them. Otherwise, as the Apostle says, keep yourself pure (1 Tim. 5:22). Let us strive to avoid the ruin of those who wish to perish; and let us do the only thing we can — implore the divine mercy on their behalf, that they may recover from the snares of the devil by whom they are held captive at his will; that they may draw breath from their deadly obstinacy; that, laying aside their futile shame and languor over the pestilence which they themselves feel they humanly detest, they may recover their senses with a free heart for the sake of eternal remedies.

Having learned, then, these things which, as We have said, have been directed to the bishops of your regions, you yourselves ought to be properly instructed under the Lord’s protection, and to preach the same confidently in whatever neighboring provinces. For there is nothing we need to fear, since it is certain that the heavenly Bishop does not abandon those whom He has furnished with the arms of His truth; nor should we see anything as to be preferred to Him in the least, since He has willed that we hold our very souls in contempt for the sake of their salvation.

Moreover, let your charity not fail to show Us frequently how the integrity of religion progresses there, or what may perhaps be alleged, so that We may provide what is necessary, with Christ granting, by responses fitted to the needs.

Subscription of the pope: May God keep you safe, most beloved son.

Source/Reference

PL 59:24

Notes / Historical Commentary

Letter III bis is a short companion letter to the encyclical addressed to the Dardanian bishops (Letter III), sent to an abbot named Natalis whose zeal for the faith had been reported to Gelasius through correspondence with Bishop Serenus. Its brevity should not obscure its significance: the letter’s opening sentence contains one of the most compressed and explicit universal jurisdiction claims in the entire papal corpus.

The claim is stated as a premise, not an argument: “by the divinely instituted governance of the blessed Apostle Peter, by which the vicars of his see are debtors to all churches.” Three elements deserve attention. First, the governance is Peter’s — beati Petri apostoli moderamen. Second, it is divinely instituted — divinitus institutum. Third, the vicars of Peter’s see are debtors to all churches — cunctis sunt ecclesiis debitores. The universality is explicit (cunctis — all, without exception), and the obligation is described not as a privilege but as a debt. The pope does not condescend to govern the churches; he owes them his governance by divine institution.

What makes this passage particularly striking is its rhetorical context. Gelasius is not making a contested argument to a hostile audience, as he was in Letter I to Euphemius. He is writing a routine pastoral letter to an abbot in Dardania, and the universal jurisdiction of Peter’s see is stated as the uncontroversial premise of why he is writing at all: because the vicars of Peter’s see are debtors to all churches, therefore he is sending letters to the Dardanian bishops, and therefore he is also writing to Natalis. The claim is embedded in the grammar of a subordinate clause. It is not defended because it does not need to be defended — it is simply the reason the pope writes to anyone at all.

The closing passage reinforces the Petrine theology from a different angle. Natalis is told to preach confidently because “the heavenly Bishop does not abandon those whom He has furnished with the arms of His truth.” The heavenly Bishop — coelestis Praesul — is Christ, and those who bear the arms of His truth are under His protection. The confidence Gelasius urges is not the confidence of personal conviction but of divine commission: those sent to preach in Christ’s name are equipped and protected by Him. The reader should note that this confidence is offered to an abbot in a provincial setting, not to a papal legate in a diplomatic crisis. The theology of Petrine governance and divine protection operates at every level of the Church’s life, from the pope’s universal jurisdiction to an abbot’s local preaching.