Hector Scerri: Gregory the Great warns against Simony in his Letters

Gregory the Great, the great master and mentor of pastoral orthopraxis, was cognizant – during his years as bishop of Rome – of many cases of simony in the Church. His great concern on the matter is reflected in the surprising frequency this practice is condemned in his Registrum Epistularum. When referring to this serious issue, Gregory often states “as we have written before”. This is indicative that simony was very common, and that he was using all possible means to curb it through persuasion and reparation. In fact, Gregory tirelessly spares no effort to wipe out greed and simony.