RRR:
2692
YEAR:
1248
text:
July 21. Lyons. Pope Innocent IV informs the [cardinal-]bishop of Tusculum (Frascati) and papal legate (Eudes de Châteauroux) about his project for the Holy Land, which represents for the Christians ‘a stairway to the heavenly kingdom’. The pope wants to unify the spiritual and temporal swords in the context of the crusade led by the king of France [Louis IX], and on the advice of the cardinals he has decided to send the addressee along as legate. The legate’s power extends to the army of the crusade and all the Christian provinces and lands there, all kingdoms, areas and nations of Outremer, and all islands beyond Sicily. The legate is expected to fulfil his task with humility and devotion in order to be commended by God and men. In particular, the pope asks him to perform his office with prudence and solicitude, as he inherited the power root up, destroy, pull down, waste, build up and plant (Jeremiah 1:10).
Sources:
Innocent IV, Les registres, 2:108, no. 4662
