Canon 28 The prerogatives of the see of Constantinople

Everywhere following the definitions of the holy Fathers, and acknowledging the canon just now read of the one hundred and fifty most God-beloved bishops who were gathered in the imperial city of Constantinople, New Rome, in the time of Theodosius the Great of pious memory, who was emperor, we too define and decree the same things concerning the prerogatives of the most holy church of the same Constantinople, New Rome. For indeed the Fathers fittingly assigned the prerogatives to the throne of elder Rome, because that city was the reigning one. And moved by the same aim, the one hundred and fifty most God-beloved bishops assigned equal prerogatives to the most holy throne of New Rome, judging with good reason that the city honoured with imperial rule and a senate, and enjoying equal prerogatives with elder imperial Rome, should also be magnified like her in ecclesiastical matters, being second after her. And that the metropolitans alone of the Pontic, and of the Asian, and of the Thracian diocese, and further the bishops in the barbarian lands of the aforesaid dioceses, are to be ordained by the aforesaid most holy throne of the most holy church of Constantinople; that is, each metropolitan of the aforesaid dioceses ordaining the bishops of the province together with the bishops of the province, as has been declared by the divine canons; and that the metropolitans of the aforesaid dioceses are to be ordained, as has been said, by the archbishop of Constantinople, concordant votes being taken according to custom and referred to him.