Dicastery for the Eastern Churches

Dicastery for the Eastern Churches
Coat of arms of the Holy See

Palazzo dei Convertendi, seat of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches
Dicastery overview
FormedJanuary 6, 1862; 162 years ago (1862-01-06)
Preceding agencies
  • Congregatio de Propaganda Fide pro negotiis ritus orientalis
  • Congregatio pro Ecclesia Orientali
  • Congregation for the Oriental Churches
TypeDicastery
HeadquartersPalazzo dei Convertendi,
Rome, Italy
Dicastery executives

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches[1] or Congregation for the Eastern Churches[2] (Latin: 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,[1] 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.

  1. ^ a b "Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Profile". vatican.va. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  2. ^ "Congregation for the Eastern Churches". vatican.va. Retrieved 2022-06-08.