Summary: Ok, when we last left off, Augustine had become the Archbishop of England, had been given orders to make London the seat of the English Church, and had some Papal answers to some rather odd questions. Well, the the Pope wasn’t just sitting on his hands and letting things take their course. He was actively involved. For example, he wrote to the Archbishop in Arles and basically said “Can you help out Augustine, please? Also, if he brings any issues regarding the behavior of the clergy to you, look into it seriously and sternly.” Reading between the lines from the Pope’s direction, I think it’s pretty clear that the Bishop of Arles was something of a light tough, and Augustine was the opposite. The Pope also write and advised Augustine to not be vain about the miracles that were occurring in Kent, not to take any glory regarding them upon himself. Again, because the Pope felt the need to comment on this… we’re getting a little glimpse into the kind of person that Augustine was. And it wasn’t just clergy that the Pope was writing to. He also wrote to King AEthelberht of Kent. The Pope, naturally, requested that the King push the Christian faith and suppress any other religions he encounters. And the King was given a carrot to encourage him. First, in the form of presents that carried with them the blessing of the Apostle Peter… so that’s pretty cool. But second, the Pope reminded AEthelberht that the world was soon to end (as in, within his own lifetime), with all sorts of disasters and wars on the way, but that the King would be given a place in heaven if he did his job well and got plenty of converts. So this mission was something of a team effort, and Augustine would have been aware of that. And that’s a good thing, because one thing was clear from the letters and the orders Augustine had been given... he had his work cut out for him. Luckily, the Pope Gregory seemed to recognize that, because in addition to letters requesting support, the Pope also sent more missionaries in 601. And they arrived with presents! For example, they brought Augustine a Pallium, which was basically a special outfit that served as a physical manifestation of the papal authority bestowed upon the new Archbishop. Interestingly, some scholars argue that the connection of this garment to the Roman church can be traced to another Roman character that had a ties to Britain: Emperor Constantine. But whatever the origins, Augustine now had one… and he probably looked rather fancy in it. The missionaries also brought sacred relics, vessels, other vestments, books…. And, of course, they also brought instructions… Augustine needed to ordain 12 new bishops for the diocese as soon as possible… and also to send one of those bishops up to York.
