Unknown Pope

“A heavy charge is laid upon us, fellow Christians, the care of the whole brotherhood. It is made yet heavier through the reckless wickedness of abandoned men who are drawing others into crime and involving themselves in the snares of death. It is gamblers to whom I refer. The fatherly goodness of God has bestowed on us the authority of the Apostolate; of His heavenly mercy He has ordained that we should occupy the chair by which we represent the Lord [vicariam Domini]; through our predecessor we have as ours that source of the true apostolate on which Christ founded His Church, amd we have received authority to bind and loose, and with due regard to reason forgive sins. And on these very grounds we are warned by the doctrine of salvation to take heed, lest if constantly overlook the faults of sinners we suffer them a like penalty.” (Adversus Aleatores, likely written by an unknown Pope; Joyce, G. “Harnack and His Critics on the “De Aleatoribus.” The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Oct. 1901. Pp 679 [c. A.D. 180-300]).