(p 107)To the glorious lord kings and our venerable fellow bishops and all those placed in the bosom of the catholic church, Hincmar, by name but not merit Bishop of Rheims and servant of the people of God, together with my lord colleagues and brothers, venerable bishops of the diocese of Rheims [?]
The holy Roman church, as the mother and teacher, nurse and instructress of all churches, is to be consulted about all things ducious and obscure and her healthful admonitions are to be kept. This should be done particularly by those who live in those regions in which divine grace, through her preaching, has given birth to all in faith and nourished them with Catholic milk, whom it preordained to eternal life. Since [?], just as the blessed Innocent wrote to Decentius Bishop of Gubbio, it is clear that in all Italy, Gaul, Spain, Africa and Sicily, the islands and interiors [?], there were no churches instituted except those that the venerable Peter or his successor bishops founded. Therefore it is necessary that they follow what the Roman church keeps, from which church without doubt they received their origin, lest when they favour foreign assertions, the head of the institutions seems to be lost. But also since blessed Celestine, bishop of the same first see said to Venerius and the other Gallican bishops that the universal church was struck by whatever novelty and writing to Nestor of Constantinople decreed that all ought to know what is happening, since the case of all is being affected, the voice of our humility speaks to all. Since, although this is a matter of a king and queen, namely man and wife, who according to holy authority are now not two but one flesh, the case of all is generally affected, since marriage is called by the holy apostle a great sacrament in Christ and the church, in which the salvation of all is believed to consist. [end of p 107]
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