The Holy Canons Apostolic Canon 32
Canon 32 Only the excommunicating bishop may readmit the excommunicated
Ἱεροὶ Κανόνες τῶν Ἁγίων καὶ Πανσέπτων Ἀποστόλων
The Apostolic Canons · compiled in Syria in the later fourth century · The Apostolic Canons on the map
If any presbyter or deacon is placed under excommunication by a bishop, it is not permitted for him to be received by another, but only by him who excommunicated him, unless the bishop who excommunicated him happens to die.
Εἴ τις πρεσβύτερος, ἢ διάκονος, ὑπὸ ἐπισκόπου γένηται ἐν ἀφορισμῷ, τοῦτον μὴ ἐξεῖναι παρ᾿ ἑτέρου δεχθῆναι ἀλλ᾿ ἢ παρὰ τοῦ ἀφορίσαντος αὐτόν, εἰ μὴ ἂν κατὰ συγκυρίαν τελευτήσῃ ὁ ἀφορίσας αὐτὸν ἐπίσκοπος.
The Apostolic Canons, the canons
English: this site's translation of the Greek beside it. Greek: the text of the Pedalion, as transcribed at users.uoa.gr/~nektar and corrected here. About these texts.