What seems to lie at the heart of the conflict between Bishop Natalis and the Archdeacon Honoratus was the latter's refusal for being ordained presbyter. It happened quite often that archdeacons saw with great reluctance the perspective of being promoted to presbyterate, cf. [262] and [2022]. Paradoxically, such advancement in clerical hierarchy meant for them a decrease in power and status: archdeacons were many a time the foremost diocese's officials just after its bishop, responsible for the whole ecclesiastical administration. For bishops, on the other hand, ordaining an archdeacon to presbyterate was the easiest way to vacate this important post for some other cleric. Since Natalis was, apparently, only recently given the episcopacy (see below), he likely wanted to replace the archdeacon appointed by his predecessor with his own candidate.
It is unclear from the letter whether Natalis was ordained to presbyterate unwillingly and then demoted or if his ordination did not finally take place following his vehement refusal.
Interestingly, there is another letter of Gregory written to Natalis dated to the same month as this one (1.20). It is a very cordial and polite response to Natalis' own letter in which the bishop of Salona congratulated Gregory on his election to the bishopric of Rome. Gregory, in turn, congratulated Natalis on his own recent episcopal appointment.
Gregory wrote another letter to Natalis (2.17) in March 592 in which he threatened to take back the pallium and excommunicate him, if he would not comply with his orders. He then informed other bishops of Dalmatia (2.18), sub-deacon Anselm, defender of the church in Salona (2.19), and Jobinus, praetorian prefect of Illyria (2.20) of the case in question and his judgement.
It seems that in the end Honoratus retained his position of archdeacon as he still holds this office in Letter 3.32 (from April 593) which assures him that also the successor to recently deceased Bishop Natalis would also be forbidden to in any way change his rank.