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Lltiwstotiik Qataris 53
Therefore guard, beloved brothers, guard yourselves, holy
ones, from communion with those men, so that you may be
deemed worthy86 of the grace of God by whose sacrament you
were ordained.87 If they dare to perform any of the tasks of the
priestly ministry after this letter of ours has been read there and
they have listened to it, let it be known to you, that what is
performed by them is empty of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and
that it is committed with temerity and madness, and docs not have
the power of Christianity. Therefore, guard against the defilement
of your faith through the fear of God, and whoever despised the
word of our Lord, let wrath from heaven come upon him.
You, however, priests and deacons, fulfill the ecclesiastical
ministry88 with all that is legally just89 without the communion of
those who were called your bishops until a priestly chair is
established for you by the Church of God according to the precept
and ordinance of the spiritual laws. And you, faithful, in whose
hands is placed ancillary authority90 of the islands91 and the dwellers
of the desert,92 I mean of Dayrin93 and Mashmahig91 and Talon95
and Hatta96 and Hagar,97 strive at this rime more than ever to guard
your faith and for the legal establishment of the priesthood by
which you have been consecrated, more so than for worldly
affairs.98 Make a choice and send to us either those same profane99
bishops, if you consider diem suitable to be trained for
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