A.C. 447. _Quia saluberrime_, saith he, _a sanctis
patribus constitutum est, binos in annis singulis Episcoporum debere esse
conventus, terni semper ex vobis ad diem tertium Kalendarum Octobrium Romam
aeterno concilio sociandi occurrant. Et indissimulanter a vobis haec
consuetudo servetur, quoniam adjuvante Dei gratia, facilius poterit
provideri, ut in Ecclesiis Christi nulla scandala, nulli nascantur errores;
cum coram Apostolo Petro semper in communione tractatum fuerit, ut omnia
Canonum Decreta apud omnes Domini sacerdotes inviolata permaneant_. The
Province of _Rome_ therefore comprehended _Sicily_, with so much of _Italy_
and the neighbouring Islands as sent Bishops to the annual Councils of
_Rome_; but extended not into the Provinces of _Ravenna_, _Aquileia_,
_Millain_, _Arles_, &c. those Provinces having Councils of their own. The
Bishops in every Province of the _Roman_ Empire were convened in Council by
the Metropolitan or Bishop of the head city of the Province, and this
Bishop presided in that Council: but the Bishop of _Rome_ did not only
preside in his own Council of the Bishops of the _suburbicarian_ regions,
but also gave Orders to the Metropolitans of all the other Provinces in the
_Western Empire_, as their universal governor; as may be further perceived
by the following instances.
Pope _Zosimus_ A.C. 417, cited _Proculus_ Bishop of _Marseilles_ to appear
before a Council at _Rome_ for illegitimate Ordinations; and condemned him,
as he mentions in several of his Epistles.
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