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A deacon who has defiled his lips and confessed that his sin has not extended further will be prohibited from performing priestly services, but may he be honored to partake of the holy mysteries with the deacons. So is the presbyter. If anyone is found to have sinned more than this, then, no matter what the degree, let him be cast out. (Ap. 25; IV Om. 16; Trul. 4, 40, 44; Ankyr. 19; Neoces. 4; Basil Vel. 3, 6, 32, 51, 69). In the original, the beginning of this rule reads: Διάκονος έν χείλεσι μιανθείς (Diaconus qui pollutus est in labris). According to Zonara’s interpretation, these words mean that a deacon who, in his relationship with a woman, has reached the point of a passionate, loving kiss (τόν μέχρι φιλήματος έμπαθούς καί έρωτικού) is subject to this canonical punishment φθάσαντα πρός γοναΐκα) 107 . According to Balsamon, this means something much worse, to which people, inflamed by the fire of Aphrodite, reach, desecrating their lips with a woman in some especially disgusting way 108. Judging by the punishment imposed on this deacon who desecrated his mouth, we think that the opinion of Zonara should be accepted, for if the opinion of Balsamon were to be adopted, then such a deacon would deserve to be deprived of even the name of Christian, for such a sin cannot be assumed in the simplest and most corrupt layman, this would also show that such a deacon is completely (“through and through”) corrupted in both soul and body. The punishment that this rule imposes on a deacon or presbyter (τό δέ αυτό καί πρεσβύτερος) for such a sin is the prohibition of priestly service, with the preservation of deaconal (presbyteral) honor and communion with his companions; if a deacon or presbyter has committed any greater sin of this kind, then he must be cast out (καθαιρεθήσεται) completely from his rank and go into the category of the laity. Regarding the first punishment, Zonara says that it must be understood in the sense of deprivation of the diaconate only for a time, for this is a completely sufficient punishment for such a sin, and proves its position by the fact that the rule finally deprives the diaconate only of persons who have committed a greater sin, and, therefore, cannot subject the same punishment to the one who commits the mentioned lesser sin; The duration of the punishment, temporary deprivation of the diaconate (presbytery), depends on the discretion and court of the underlying bishop. A similar judgment of Zonara about punishment for a lesser sin (if we accept that sin consists only of what the commentator sees it as) is also justified by the 4th rule of the neo-Caesarean Council, according to which the fact that a person did not fall into grave sin should be attributed to God’s grace. Af. Synth., IV, 229–230. Wed. my “Tsrkveno executed right”, p. 487, approx. 3. You might be interested in: