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English Correspondence
St Boniface, tr. Kylie, 1911
Letter 11: Boniface Sends Gifts to Pehthelm, Bishop of Hwiterne. He Asks Whether It is…
To his venerable and beloved fellow-bishop, Pehthelm, Boniface, humble servant of the servants of God, kind greetings of love in Christ.
With heartfelt entreaty, we beg of your parental clemency and goodness, that, as is needful amidst these dangers, we may be aided by your powerful prayers, and that since the German sea is dangerous for those who navigate it, we may come through your prayers and the guidance of the Lord, without spot or stain upon the soul, to the shore of eternal peace; and that while we are toiling to offer the light of the gospel-truth to the blind, who know not their own blindness and wish not to see, we may not be wrapped in the darkness of our own sins, nor run, nor have run in vain, but that, supported by your prayers, we may strive in purity and light towards the splendour of eternity. We have sent you some small gifts in token of our love, a sacrament cloth ornamented with white spots and a towel to wipe the feet of the servants of God. These we beg of you to accept as a remembrance of us.
About one thing too we wish to hear your counsel and judgment. The clergy through the whole of France and Gaul, as well as those who speak for them, declare, that a man is guilty of the greatest crime in marrying a widow for whose son he has stood sponsor in baptism. This kind of sin, if it really is one, I did not know of before, and I have not learned that in the canon law or in the decrees of the pontiffs, in the writings of the Fathers or the apostles it is put in the list of sins. Therefore, if you have found it discussed anywhere in the writings of the Church, be sure to tell me, and give me also your opinion on the matter.
That you may advance in all holy virtues and long enjoy health is my wish in Christ.