I. That a bishop shall visit the churches of his diocese and the catechumens shall be taught the creed twenty days before Easter

 

It pleased all the bishops and was considered proper by them that bishops should visit the churches of their dioceses, and firstly investigate how clerics perform the liturgy of baptism and mass, and other ecclesiastical duties. And if they find that everything is all right, thanks be to God. But if it be otherwise, they should teach the ignorant, and especially that, according to the orders of the ancient canons,the catechumens should be exorcised twenty days before the purgation of baptism, and in these twenty days they should be taught the symbol, that is the Credo. Having investigated  and taught their clerics, bishops should gather the people in the church and teach them to avoid the errors of idolatry, and other crimes, that is homicide, adultery, perjury, giving false testimony and other mortal sins, and that they should not do to another what they would not want done to themselves, and that they should believe in the resurrection of all people and in the Day of Judgement when everyone will be received according to his deeds. And afterwards the bishop should go to the next church.

 

(trans. by M. Szada)