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Since many, wishing to upset and overthrow church decorum, hostilely and slanderously invent certain accusations against the Orthodox bishops ruling the Churches, seeking nothing more than to tarnish the reputation of the priests and create confusion among the peaceful people, for this reason the Holy Council of Bishops, meeting in Constantinople, was pleased, not without investigation, to admit accusers, not to allow everyone to bring accusations against the ruling Churches, however, do not ban everyone. But if someone files some kind of personal, that is, private, complaint against the bishop, for example, because he has become a victim of his greed or suffered other injustice from him, then with such accusations one cannot examine either the person of the accuser or his faith. For in any case, it is necessary that the conscience of the bishop be free, and that he who declares himself offended, no matter what his faith, receives justice. If the accusation brought against a bishop concerns ecclesiastical issues, then the faces of the accusers must be tested so that heretics, first of all, are not allowed to bring charges against Orthodox bishops in ecclesiastical matters. We call heretics those who from ancient times were declared alien to the Church, and those who were subsequently anathematized by us. And besides them - those who, pretending to profess a sound faith, have separated and form assemblies against our canonical bishops. Then, those members of the Church who were previously condemned and expelled for some crime or excommunicated from the clergy or the laity should also not be allowed to accuse the bishop until they have cleared themselves of the accusation that has fallen on them. In the same way, those who are under accusations brought against them earlier should not be allowed to accuse the bishop or other clergy until they have proven their innocence of the charges brought against them. If some, being neither heretics, nor excommunicated, nor convicted or previously accused of any crimes, say that they have any accusation against the bishop in an ecclesiastical matter, then the Holy Council commands them first of all to present the accusations before all the bishops of the metropolitan region and before them to prove their complaints against the bishop accused of anything. If it happens that the bishops of the region are powerless to settle the complaints brought against the bishop, then let the accusers turn to a larger Council of Bishops of that diocese, which should be convened for this reason. And they cannot bring an accusation before they give a written undertaking to suffer the same punishment as the accused, if during the proceedings it turns out that they are slandering the accused bishop. If someone, having disdained the above decisions, dares to either disturb the imperial hearing, or disturb the courts of the secular authorities or the Ecumenical Council, showing disrespect for all the bishops of the diocese, let him not be allowed to be charged at all, as having offended the rules and violated church deanery.