Letter 6
The holy synod assembled at Epaone, in the Burgundian kingdom, to all the churches within our jurisdiction.
The following canons have been established.
On church property and its alienation: no bishop may sell, give away, or exchange the property of his church without the consent of the neighboring bishops of his province. Church property accumulated over generations is held in trust for the poor and the clergy; no individual bishop has unlimited authority to dispose of it.
On the reception of Arians into Catholic communion: those who were baptized into Arianism and who now seek full Catholic communion shall be received by the rite of chrismation [anointing with holy oil]. Arian baptism, though irregular in theology, is received as valid baptism. The chrismation supplies what was lacking.
On clerical marriage: clergy already married before ordination may remain with their wives. Clergy who marry after ordination — which is forbidden — shall be removed from their orders. The rule is old; it has not been consistently enforced; it will be enforced now.
On monks who abandon their monasteries: a monk who leaves his community without the permission of his abbot, and who cannot be persuaded to return, shall not be received into any other monastery for a period of two years. This is not to be cruel but to maintain the principle of stability on which the monastic life depends.
Given at Epaone.
The assembled bishops.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.