The Holy Canons Apostolic Canon 33
Canon 33 Visiting clergy need letters of commendation
Ἱεροὶ Κανόνες τῶν Ἁγίων καὶ Πανσέπτων Ἀποστόλων
The Apostolic Canons · compiled in Syria in the later fourth century · The Apostolic Canons on the map
None of the foreign bishops, or presbyters, or deacons is to be received without letters of commendation; and even when they bring them, let them be examined; and if they are preachers of piety, let them be received; but if not, having supplied them with what they need, do not receive them into communion; for many things are done by fraud.
Μηδένα τῶν ξένων ἐπισκόπων, ἢ πρεσβυτέρων, ἢ διακόνων ἄνευ συστατικῶν προσδέχεσθαι· καὶ ἐπιφερομένων δὲ αὐτῶν, ἀνακρινέσθωσαν· καὶ εἰ μὲν ὦσι κήρυκες τῆς εὐσεβείας, προσδεχέσθωσαν· εἰ δὲ μή γε, τὰ πρὸς χρείαν αὐτοῖς ἐπιχορηγήσαντες, εἰς κοινωνίαν αὐτοὺς μὴ προσδέξησθε· πολλὰ γὰρ κατὰ συναρπαγὴν γίνεται.
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.