Canon 74 An accused bishop is summoned three times

Ἱεροὶ Κανόνες τῶν Ἁγίων καὶ Πανσέπτων Ἀποστόλων

The Apostolic Canons · compiled in Syria in the later fourth century · The Apostolic Canons on the map

A bishop accused of anything by men worthy of belief must himself be summoned by bishops; and if he appears and confesses, or is convicted, let the penalty be determined. But if, when summoned, he does not obey, let him be summoned also a second time, two bishops being sent to him. And if even so he does not obey, let him be summoned also a third time, two bishops again being sent to him. But if even so, in contempt, he does not appear, let the synod pronounce against him what seems good; so that he may not seem to profit by evading judgement.

Ἐπίσκοπον κατηγορηθέντα ἐπί τινι παρὰ ἀξιοπίστων ἀνθρώπων, καλεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἀναγκαῖον ὑπὸ ἐπισκόπων· κἂν μὲν ἀπαντήσῃ, καὶ ὁμολογήσῃ, ἢ ἐλεγχθείη, ὁριζέσθω τὸ ἐπιτίμιον. Ἐὰν δὲ καλούμενος μὴ ὑπακούσῃ, καλείσθω καὶ δεύτερον, ἀποστελλομένων ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν δύο ἐπισκόπων. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ οὕτω μὴ ὑπακούσῃ, καλείσθω καὶ τρίτον, δύο πάλιν ἐπισκόπων ἀποστελλομένων πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ οὕτω καταφρονήσας μὴ ἀπαντήσῃ, ἡ σύνοδος ἀποφαινέσθω κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὰ δοκοῦντα· ὅπως μὴ δόξῃ κερδαίνειν φυγοδικῶν.

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.