The law issued by Maurice seems to reflect some of the order imperial legislation, examples of which can be easily found in the Theodosian Code, see e.g. [2161]. From the Gregory's remarks concerning those who wish to become monks, we can assume that one of the reasons behind Maurice's and his predecessors' prohibition was the fact that some were entering the holy orders or taking monastic vows to escape paying back their debts (see also [2113]).
When Gregory himself described various impediments to ordination, holding public office was not among them, see [2301].
Gregory also appealed to Emperor's physician Theodore and pleaded to him to change Maurice's mind concerning those who were prohibited to become monks, see letter 3.64.