St Gregory the Great Nearly Left Rome to Evangelize England

St Gregory, whose Feast is today, called the Angles "angels" and wanted to go to England to convert them. How different the history of the Church might have been!

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

Before being elected pope, St. Gregory had a great desire to travel to England and preach the Gospel to what he called "angels."

St Augustine of Canterbury is widely known as the "Apostle of the English," sent to Britain by St. Gregory the Great. What's interesting is that St. Gregory nearly beat St. Augustine to the distant land, wanting to travel there before he was elected pope.

A legendary story recounts how St. Gregory was walking in the Roman marketplace and noticed three young men from the island of Britain. Some stories describe these men as enslaved, others as men who came to Rome under their own free will.

Angels, not Angles

Whatever the case may be, the following interchange took place between St. Gregory and either the slave trader, or someone else in the crowd, as recounted in the book, Mediaeval History:

Being told that they were Angles he quickly replied, "Not Angles but angels! They ought to be made fellow heirs of the angels in heaven. But of what tribe of Angles are they?"

"Deira," was the reply. Thereupon the good priest exclaimed, "Of Deira! Then, they are called from the wrath of God to his mercy."

"And what is the name of their king?" "Aella," was the response. Then the priest exclaimed "Aella! Then Alleluia shall be sung in his land."

After this encounter, St. Gregory began to make preparations to travel to England in order to evangelize the Anglo-Saxon people.

He even obtained permission from the pope at the time, and was about to set out on a journey with several other missionaries.

Yet, the people of Rome loved St. Gregory and rebelled against the pope's decisions, as the Catholic Encyclopedia explains:

The Romans, however, were greatly incensed at the pope's act. With angry words they demanded Gregory's recall, and messengers were at once dispatched to bring him back to Rome, if necessary by force. These men caught up with the little band of missionaries on the third day after their departure, and at once returned with them, Gregory offering no opposition, since he had received what appeared to him as a sign from heaven that his enterprise should be abandoned.

While St. Gregory was never able to travel to England, he eventually sent St. Augustine of Canterbury to fulfill what he himself was never able to physically accomplish.