The Shepherd is Obliged to Protect his Sheep...

"The shepherd is obliged to protect his sheep from the mouths of wolves; when they wander away from the fold, he must arduously run after them to bring them back. If one is lost, he must enter into the forests and groves, climb mountains and hills, tread upon thorns and brambles to find it; and when he finds it, joyfully and gladly place it upon his shoulders, bringing it back to the flock together with the others. He is obliged to guide the entire flock to saving pastures, keeping it far away from the poisonous plants [i.e., weeds] of heresy, away from the muddy waters of false doctrine. In this way, he guides the flock, urging the sheep forward or calling them back, encouraging or deterring, moving or comforting, threatening or charming, with the spiritual flute of salvific teaching, which must never be absent from his mouth. It is therefore evident that such shepherding becomes even more difficult and painful where unhealthy and foul waters abound, or poisonous and harmful plants flourish, or ravines are steep, wooded, and wild, or wolves and other bloodthirsty, ravenous beasts lurk... When neither these nor those methods help, what remains is the abandonment and despair over the stubborn one, and finally the turning away and withdrawal from him as from one who is impure and profane, cutting him off from the body of the Church as a member already dead and decaying, so that he does not spread contagion and corruption to the remaining healthy members."

- St. Nektarios of Aegina, quoted in Εκκλησία, σχίσμα και αίρεση κατά τον άγιο Νεκτάριο [Church, Schism, and Heresy according to Saint Nektarios], by Vlasia D. Kaskanioti, doctoral dissertation, Thessaloniki, 2015.