Congregation for the Eastern Churches

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic churches for the sake of assisting their development and protecting their rights. It also maintains whole and entire in the one Catholic Church the heritage and canon law of the various Eastern Catholic traditions. It has exclusive authority over the following regions: Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, southern Albania and Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel (and Palestinian territories), Syria, Jordan and Turkey, and also oversees jurisdictions based in Romania, Southern Italy, Hungary, India and Ukraine.

It was founded by the ''motu proprio'' ''Dei providentis'' of Pope Benedict XV as the "Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Church" on 1 May 1917.

Structure

Patriarchs and major archbishops of the Oriental churches, and the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, are members of this congregation by virtue of the law itself. The consultors and officials are selected to reflect the diversity of rites.

Authority

This congregation has authority over:
* all matters which relate to the Oriental churches referred to the Holy See (structure and organisation of the churches; exercise of the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling; status, rights, and obligations of persons), and
* the '' ad limina'' visits of Eastern bishops.

This congregation's authority does not include the exclusive authority of the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and for the Causes of Saints, of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, including what pertains to dispensations from a marriage ''ratum sed non consummatum'' ('"ratified but not consummated").This is according to the Ap. Const. ''Pastor Bonus'', Art. 58 §2. However, on 30 August 2011, Pope Benedict XVI amended ''Pastor Bonus'' with the ''motu proprio'' ''Quaerit semper'', thereby transferring jurisdiction over marriages ''ratum sed non consummatum'' from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to a special office at the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. The law obrogated the provision stating the "exclusive competence" of the Congregation for Divine Worship regarding these marriages, for this provision was not expressly abrogated and the office at the Roman Rota now oversees dispensations from such marriages. (Cf.br>Benedict XVI, MP ''Quaerit semper''
accessed August 8, 2012.) In matters which affect the Eastern as well as the Latin churches, the congregation operates, if the matter is important enough, in consultation with the dicastery that has authority in the matter for the Latin Church. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is exempt from the authority of the congregation, being directly subject to the Holy See.

The congregation 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.

In regions where the Eastern churches have been dominant from ancient times, apostolic and missionary activity is solely the responsibility of this congregation, even if the above is carried out by Latin Rite missionaries.

The congregation collaborates with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in matters that concern relations with non-Catholic Eastern churches and with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in matters within the scope of the latter.

History

On 6 January 1862, Pope Pius IX established the ''Congregatio de Propaganda Fide pro negotiis ritus orientalis'', a section of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith "for the affairs of the Oriental Rite", with the apostolic constitution ''Romani Pontifici''. Pope Benedict XV declared it independent on 1 May 1917 with the ''motu proprio'' ''Dei providentis'' and named it the ''Congregatio pro Ecclesia Orientali'' (Congregation for the Eastern Church). 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.Benedict XV, ''Dei providentis'', 2 Pope Paul VI changed its name by adopting the plural ''Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus'' (Congregation for Eastern Churches) with the apostolic constitution ''Regimini Ecclesiae Universae'' of 15 August 1967, reflecting the major decree ''Orientalium Ecclesiarum'' of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis, with his apostolic constitution '' Praedicate evangelium'', which took effect on 5 June 2022, changed its name to the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.

The current prefect of the dicastery is Claudio Gugerotti. The secretary is Giorgio Gallaro. The undersecretary is Flavio Pace. All three are clerics of the Latin Church.

Leadership

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. When Claudio Gugerotti was named to head this Curia office, by then called a dicastery, he was an archbishop.

Notes

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

*Noonan, James-Charles, Jr. ''The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church'' (New York: VIKING, 1996).
*Norwich, John Julius. ''Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy'' (New York: Random House, 2011).

External links

Official websiteOriente Cattolico: official publication of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches

{{portal bar, Catholicism, Vatican City

Christian organizations established in 1917
Catholic organizations established in the 20th century
1917 establishments in Vatican City