of the whole Church we have seen in his own
repeatedly quoted words.[215] What can a Pope claim more than the
attribution to himself as Pope of the three great words of Christ spoken to
Peter? Accordingly, all his conduct was directed to maintain every
particular church in its due subordination to the Roman Church, to
reconcile schismatics to it, to overcome the error and the obstinacy of
heretics. Again, since all nations have been called to salvation in Christ,
St. Gregory pursued the conversion of the heathen with the utmost zeal.
When only monk and cardinal deacon, he had obtained the permission of Pope
Pelagius to set out in person as missionary to paganised Britain. He was
brought back to Rome after three days by the affection of the people, who
would not allow him to leave them. When the death of Pope Pelagius placed
him on the papal throne, he did not forget the country the sight of whose
enslaved children had made them his people of predilection.

With regard to the churches belonging to his own patriarchate, a bishop in
each province, usually the metropolitan, represented as delegate the Roman
See. To these, as the symbol of their delegated authority as his _vicarii_,
Gregory sent the pallium. All the bishops of the province yielded them
obedience, acknowledged their summons to provincial councils. A hundred
years before Pope Symmachus had begun the practice of sending the pallium
to them, but Gregory declined to take the gifts which it had become usual
to take on receiving it. St. Leo, fifty years before Symmachus, had
empowered a bishop to represent him at the court of the eastern emperor,
and had drawn out the office and functions of the nuncio. Like his great
predecessor, St. Gregory carefully watched over the rights of the Primacy.
Upon the death of a metropolitan, he entrusted during the vacancy the
visitation of the churches to another bishop, and enjoined the clergy and
people of the vacant see to make a new choice under the superintendence of
the Roman official. The election being made, he carefully examined the
acts, and, if it was needed, reversed them. As he required from the
metropolitans strict obedience to his commands, so he maintained on the one
hand the dependence of the bishops on their metropolitans, while on the
other he protected them against all irregular decisions of the
metropolitan. He carefully examined the complaints which bishops made
against their metropolitan; and when bishops dis