The only Canon dealing with names to be mentioned in the Holy Mass

In researching this question several years ago I came across an ancient canon which deals exclusively with the question of whose names shall be placed in the Diptychs. The Eighth Ecumenical Council, of Constantinople, which condemned the schismatic Photius (originator of the Greek schism), laid down:

“10 As divine scripture clearly proclaims, Do not find fault before you investigate, and understand first and then find fault, and does our law judge a person without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does? Consequently this holy and universal synod justly and fittingly declares and lays down that no lay person or monk or cleric should separate himself from communion with his own patriarch before a careful enquiry and judgment in synod, even if he alleges that he knows of some crime perpetrated by his patriarch, and he must not refuse to include his patriarch's name during the divine mysteries or offices.

“In the same way we command that bishops and priests who are in distant dioceses and regions should behave similarly towards their own metropolitans, and metropolitans should do the same with regard to their own patriarchs. If anyone shall be found defying this Holy Synod, he is to be debarred from all priestly functions and status if he is a bishop or cleric; if a monk or lay person, he must be excluded from all communion and meetings of the church until he is converted by repentance and reconciled.”

If anybody has access to a copy of the Decretals I would be interested to know if this canon made its way into that collection. Either way, this is the only canon dealing with this subject, and it mandates that until Holy Church passes judgement, no individual priest is to omit any bishop's name from the Mass.

Alessio, any chance that you could prevail upon your father to check the law library at Berkeley?

Mr. Lane, I forwarded your post to him by email.

I also, this past Sunday, encouraged him to join this forum, but he expressed some vague reluctance. Something about not being familiar with this type of bulletin board.

Thank you.



Ask him if I can find some software from 1997, and get Scott Windsor to reappear, will he join?