 Coat of arms of the Holy See | |
 Palazzo dei Convertendi, seat of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches | |
| Dicastery overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 6, 1862; 163 years ago (1862-01-06) |
| Preceding agencies |
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| Type | Dicastery |
| Headquarters | Palazzo dei Convertendi, Rome, Italy |
| Dicastery executives |
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TheDicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called theDicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named theCongregation for the Oriental Churches[1] orCongregation for the Eastern Churches[2] (Latin:Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is adicastery of theRoman Curia responsible for contact with theEastern Catholic churches for the purpose of assisting their development and protecting their rights. It maintains whole and entire in the oneCatholic Church the heritage andcanon law of the various Eastern Catholic traditions. It has exclusive authority overEgypt and theSinai Peninsula,Eritrea and northernEthiopia, southernAlbania andBulgaria,Cyprus,Greece,Iran,Iraq,Lebanon,Israel (andPalestinian territories),Syria,Jordan andTurkey,[1] and also oversees jurisdictions based inRomania,Southern Italy,Hungary,India andUkraine.
It was founded by themotu proprioDei providentis ofPope Benedict XV as the "Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church" on 1 May 1917.
Patriarchs andmajor archbishops of the Oriental churches, and the president of thePontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, are members of this dicastery by virtue of the law itself.[3] The consultors and officials are selected to reflect the diversity of rites.[4]
Thisdicastery has authority over:
This dicastery's authority does not include the exclusive authority of theDicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith andfor the Causes of Saints, of theApostolic Penitentiary, theSupreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and theTribunal of the Roman Rota, including what pertains to dispensations from a marriageratum sed non consummatum ('"ratified but not consummated").[note 1] In matters which affect the Eastern as well as the Latin churches, the dicastery operates, if the matter is important enough, in consultation with the dicastery that has authority in the matter for the Latin Church.[6] TheLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem isexempt from the authority of the dicastery, being directly subject to theHoly See.[7][failed verification]
The dicastery pays special attention to communities of Eastern Catholic faithful who live in the territory of the Latin Church and attends to their spiritual needs by providing visitors and even their own hierarchs, so far as possible and where numbers and circumstances require, in consultation with the congregation competent to establish particular churches in the region.[8]
In regions where the Eastern churches have been dominant from ancient times, apostolic and missionary activity is solely the responsibility of this dicastery, even if the above is carried out byLatin Church missionaries.[9]
The dicastery collaborates with theDicastery for Promoting Christian Unity in matters that concern relations with non-Catholic Eastern churches and with theDicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in matters within the scope of the latter.[10]
On 6 January 1862, PopePius IX established theCongregatio de Propaganda Fide pro negotiis ritus orientalis, a section of theCongregation for the Propagation of the Faith "for the affairs of the Oriental Rite", with theapostolic constitutionRomani Pontifici.[11] PopeBenedict XV declared it independent on 1 May 1917 with themotu proprioDei providentis and named it theCongregatio pro Ecclesia Orientali (Congregation for the Eastern Church).[12] It was presided over by the pope and a cardinal filled the role of Secretary. There were also councillors, chosen from among the more distinguished clergy and those experienced in issues affecting these churches.[13]Pope Paul VI changed its name by adopting the pluralCongregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus (Congregation for Eastern Churches) with the apostolic constitutionRegimini Ecclesiae Universae of 15 August 1967, reflecting the major decreeOrientalium Ecclesiarum of theSecond Vatican Council.[1]Pope Francis, with his apostolic constitutionPraedicate evangelium, which took effect on 5 June 2022, changed its name to the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.[14]
The current prefect of the dicastery isClaudio Gugerotti.[15] The secretary isMichel Jalakh.[16] The undersecretary isFlavio Pace.[17] Two are clerics of theLatin Church with Jalakh being aMaronite.
| Prefect of Congregation for the Oriental Churches | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Congregation for the Oriental Churches | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Member of | Roman Curia |
| Reports to | The Pope |
| Appointer | The Pope |
| Term length | Five years, renewable |
| Formation | 1917 |
From 1917 to 1967, the pope held the title of prefect of the Congregation, which was headed by a cardinal secretary. From then until 2022 it was headed by a cardinal prefect. WhenClaudio Gugerotti was named to head this Curia office, by then called a dicastery, he was an archbishop.
| No. | Name | From | Until | Prefect/Appointer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Niccolò Marini | 1917 | 1922 | Benedict XV |
| 2 |  | Giovanni Tacci Porcelli | 1922 | 1927 | Pius XI |
| 3 |  | Luigi Sincero | 1927 | 1936 | Pius XI |
| 4 | Eugène-Gabriel- Gervais-Laurent Tisserant | 1936 | 1959 | Pius XI | |
| 5 | .jpg) | Amleto Giovanni Cicognani | 1959 | 1961 | John XXIII |
| 6 |  | Gabriel Acacius Coussa | 1961 Pro-Secretary | 1962 Secretary | John XXIII |
| 7 |  | Gustavo Testa | 1962 | 1967 | John XXIII |
| No. | Name | From | Until | Appointer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Gustavo Testa | 15 August 1967 | 13 January 1968 | Paul VI |
| 2 |  | Maximilien de Furstenberg | 15 January 1968 | 8 February 1973 | Paul VI |
| 3 |  | Paul-Pierre Philippe | 6 March 1973 | 27 June 1980 | Paul VI |
| 4 |  | Władysław Rubin | 27 June 1980 | 30 October 1985 | John Paul II |
| 5 |  | Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy | 30 October 1985 | 24 May 1991 | John Paul II |
| 6 |  | Achille Silvestrini | 24 May 1991 | 7 September 2000 | John Paul II |
| 7 |  | Ignatius Moussa Daoud | 25 November 2000 | 9 June 2007[18] | John Paul II |
| 8 | .jpg) | Leonardo Sandri | 9 June 2007[18] | 21 November 2022[15] | Benedict XVI |
| 9 | | Claudio Gugerotti | 21 November 2022[15] | Incumbent | Francis |
