23. to Pope Innocent (1132/36)

Partial/ fragmentary first draft

To the highest pontiff and our special lord and father, Pope Innocent II, the brother Peter, the humble abbot of the Cluniacs, salutations and obedience.

The brother of Luxueil recently came to us, bearing to us the writings of your paternity, in which both the destitution of the formerly great monastery of Luxueil was mourned by you with paternal piety and as in the place we concede an abbot and necessary officials from our brothers, it is injoined nonetheless by us through whom it is praiseworthily followed certainly following the tone of your letter in that place by the omnipotent God, and so noble a monastery, with divine clemency working alongside, is corrected in the prerogative of its status and former integrity. But we received your command with a certain suitable revence, but not moderately do we fear on account of its difficulty. For just as your wisdom knows, in the affairs of religion, new monasteries are able to be founded more easily, than old ones reformed, since according to the blessed Gregory, truly it seems harsh in one way among instituted men, new things are meditated in an old mind.. For whom builds only a new edifice, it is not fitting to work on the destruction of the old. But who strives to repair the old, is restricted by a twofold care, since he concentrates on the destruction of the old and the construction of the new. About this also, we, your Cluniac Church, who renew the thing truly fear, lest frequently, as it is often done by our brothers transferred to other churches, that growing languid in other things, bear damage on us.

We make known these things therefore to your reverence that if futhermore they wish to remain among them, and they seek an abbot from Cluny, …

But if they do this, we will provide faithfully such helpers of the church, by whom he gave so much unto the monastery of Luxueil…

[Constable says Peter decides to choose abbot, not allow them to elect their own. cf. also, letter 97]