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[English Translation] the true Religion had added to it: Starting from that he found it expedient to place a Bishop in each of the sixty capital cities, who would make his residence near the largest temple with his Clergy, to celebrate divine service there, and to have regard and authority over all the other small cities and parishes. who would depend on his Diocese, and especially since it would be difficult for a single man to keep an eye on so many Pastors, that there would be in ten parishes a Suffragan or Archpriest who would have regard to their morals and doctrine, residing among them, visiting them once a month to report to the Bishop on their behavior, before whom they would appear once a year at the Easter series, the said Pastors and three Elders of each parish, to testify to their life, morals and doctrine, so that according to what they have behaved in their responsibilities, they would receive praise worthy of their merits, or else the blasines and punishments if they had served, the greatest of which would be the deposition of their dignity, because if they committed some crime against the ordinances and civil laws , the Bishop would take no knowledge of them, especially since he must only have regard to purely Ecclesiastical matters, |
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