was particularly focused upon episcopal authority, while it also regulated clerical and monastic life, concerning issues of property, crime, and relations with women. It covered some liturgical issues concerning mass, feasts, and fasting. Penitents and the laity were only briefly discussed. Canon 32 "expressly decreed the perpetuity of servitude among the descendants of slaves." Some of the most pertinent issues that arose were: Sanctuary The opening canons cover matters of sanctuary in church. The canons cover a range of scenarios, namely concerning criminals (c.1), abductors (c.2), and slaves (c.3). In the case of ‘murderers, adulterers, and thieves’ seeking sanctuary in the church, the bishops ruled that the ecclesiastical canons and Roman law should be followed, meaning ‘it should not be permitted’ to remove them from the church, nor hand them over unless an oath is sworn promising no harm. Clerical immunity Canon five addresses ‘offerings or lands’ which the King has gifted to the Church. Historians have argued this could reflect the context of distributing Visigothic land and property. It is decreed that royal gifts were to be immune from taxation, but were to be directed into church maintenance, supporting the bishops, and aiding the poor and prisoners through alms. Converted clerics Canon ten addresses ‘heretical clerics’, specifically dealing with Arian clerics following the Frankish gain of Visigothic territory. It is decreed that if these clerics ‘entirely accept’ Catholicism, they are permitted to join the ranks of the Catholic clergy in whatever role their bishop decides appropriate. Episcopal authority A number of the canons are constructed to determine the boundaries of a bishop’s authority. Notably, the authority of a bishop over their clergy is asserted (c.7, c.28). The canons also address episcopal control over church offerings and the bishop’s duty to distribute among the ‘poor or sick’ (c.14-16). It is decreed that abbots are to be ‘under the control of bishops’ and are to be punished by the bishops if they oppose their Rule (c.19). Within this, the boundaries of secular and episcopal authority are discussed, as per Clovis’ agenda. It is decreed that laymen are not to be ordained, unless commanded so by the king or with the consent of the judge (c.4). Significance As the First Council of Orléans was the first national Merovingian church council, it acted as a model for future Frankish councils. Its canons had longevity, as nearly all of them were preserved in Merovingian