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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
30. This is the Petition of Bishop Wilfrid
“I, Wilfrid, a humble and unworthy bishop of England, have ordered the goings of my heart, by the guidance of God, to this, the Apostolic Eminence, as though to a fortress or a strong tower; for I confidently expect that in the place whence I know the rules of the sacred canons go forth to all the churches of Christ spread throughout the whole world, handed down through the preaching of the Apostles and received in full assurance, in that place a righteous judgment upon me, humble as I am, will be maintained. I have no doubt but that your Pontifical Eminence has taken knowledge not only of the case I have put before you in my weakness, but also what I have declared to you in your presence face to face; and in support of my petition as set forth in written documents, I alleged at the very beginning of my visit, on my introduction to the Apostolic presence, that, though discovering no canonical offence in me your suppliant, certain invaders of my bishopric, unlawfully presuming against the laws and declarations of the sacred canons, at the synod of Theodore the most holy Archbishop of Canterbury, and of other bishops at that time assembling with him, have attempted like brigands to assail the see which, by God’s mercy, I had been controlling for more than ten years, to rob me of it, and to plant themselves in the same see; and they have preferred themselves to be bishops in my church, not merely one but three of them, though their preferment is not canonical. How comes it then that the most holy Archbishop Theodore, while I am still alive, should consecrate three bishops by his own authority to the see, which, though unworthy, I had been controlling; and that without the consent of any bishop and in spite of my humble opposition; for the reverence due to the archbishop I will pass over this question and not demand a reason for it; indeed I dare not accuse him because he has been despatched by this the Apostolic and the Principal See. But even if it has been made clear that I have been driven by my enemies from the control of the church over which, though unworthy, I was presiding, against the law of the canonical rules, without being convicted of any crime, and without any wrongful act falling short of any misdemeanour which the stern canonical law punishes, yet I can assure you I was not known as a stirrer up of strife when I was driven from my former see, nor did I kindle any dispute, nor did I ostentatiously take a stand against their attacks; but forthwith I appealed to this most Holy See for help; and without doing more than make a protest to my fellow-servants and my fellow-bishops in these same provinces, I departed. If indeed your Apostolic Eminence, together with the most holy bishops who sit with you, decides that I have been deprived, though guilty of no fault, I accept your decision with humble devotion. If however I am to get back my former bishopric, then I accept and venerate the decision promulgated by the Apostolic See with all my heart, provided only that the usurpers are driven out by the sanction of your synod from my old sees in the church over which I, your unworthy servant, have been ruling. But if again it has been decided to appoint bishops in the same see over which I have been ruling, at any rate let your Eminence order that it be decided that only such be preferred with whom I can serve God in unity, so that a peaceful and unbroken agreement obtain amongst us; to wit that each one of us may recognise the established laws of the Church and may each watch diligently over what has been committed to him. So, if it please the archbishop and my fellow-bishops to increase the number of bishops, let them choose such from our own clergy as the bishops gathered together in synod may decide upon, so that the Church may not be harmed from outside and by strangers; for whatever is done irregularly and unadvisedly increases unappeasable and implacable quarrels and no one will avail at all to bring the matter in dispute to a peaceful conclusion in any respect whatever. For I am sure that I show the absolute compliance of devoted obedience to the Apostolic laws to whose justice I have hastened, casting everything else aside with absolute confidence of heart.”