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This Sacred Council, therefore, determines that their rights and privileges should be re-established in
accordance with the ancient tradition of each of the Churches and the decrees of the ecumenical councils.
(11)

The rights and privileges in question are those that obtained in the time of union between East and West;
though they should be adapted somewhat to modern conditions.

The patriarchs with their synods are the highest authority for all business of the patriarchate, including the
right of establishing new eparchies and of nominating bishops of their rite within the territorial bounds of the
patriarchate, without prejudice to the inalienable right of the Roman Pontiff to intervene in individual cases.

10. What has been said of patriarchs is valid also, in harmony with the canon law, in respect to major
archbishops, who rule the whole of some individual church or rite.(12)

11. Seeing that the patriarchal office in the Eastern Church is a traditional form of government, the Sacred
Ecumenical Council ardently desires that new patriarchates should be erected where there is need, to be
established either by an ecumenical council or by the Roman Pontiff.(13)

THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS

12. The Sacred Ecumenical Council confirms and approves the ancient discipline of the sacraments existing
in the Oriental Churches, as also the ritual practices connected with their celebration and administration and
ardently desires that this should be re-established if circumstances warrant it.

13. The established practice in respect of the minister of Confirmation that has obtained from most early
times in the Eastern Church should be fully restored. Therefore, priests validly confer this sacrament, using
chrism blessed by a patriarch or a bishop.(14)

14. All Eastern Rite priests, either in conjunction with Baptism or separately from it, can confer this
sacrament validly on all the faithful of any rite including the Latin; licitly, however, only if the regulations
both of the common and the particular law are observed.(15) Priests, also, of the Latin Rite, in accordance
with the faculties they enjoy in respect to the administration of this sacrament, validly administer it also to
the faithful of Eastern Churches; without prejudice to the rite, observing in regard to licitness the regulations
both of the common and of the particular law.(16)

15. The faithful are bound to take part on Sundays and feast days in the Divine Liturgy or, according to the
regulations or custom of their own rite, in the celebration of the Divine Office.(17) That the faithful may be
able more easily to fulfill their obligation, it is laid down that the period of time within which the precept
should be observed extends from the Vespers of the vigil to the end of the Sunday or the feast day.(18) The
faithful are earnestly exhorted to receive Holy Communion on these days, and indeed more frequently-yes,
even daily.(19)

16. Owing to the fact that the faithful of the different individual churches dwell intermingled with each other
in the same area or Eastern territory, the faculties for hearing confessions duly and without restriction given
to priests of any rite by their own hierarchs extend to the whole territory of him who grants them and also to
the places and faithful of any other rite in the same territory, unless the hierarch of the place has expressly
excluded this for places of his rite.(20)

17. In order that the ancient established practice of the Sacrament of Orders in the Eastern Churches may
flourish again, this Sacred Council ardently desires that the office of the permanent diaconate should, where
it has fallen into disuse, be restored.(21) The legislative authorities of each individual church should decide
about the subdiaconate and the minor orders and the rights and obligations that attach to them.(22)

18. To obviate invalid marriages when Eastern Catholics marry baptized Eastern non-Catholics and in order
to promote fidelity in and the sanctity of marriage, as well as peace within the family, the Sacred Council

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