Pope Extends Eastern Catholic Churches Authority

By Verghese V Joseph –

In a boost for the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholic churches, Pope Francis has extended the authority of the Eastern Catholic patriarchs to their faithful living in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula which includes India too.

Taking into account the historical prerogatives of the jurisdiction of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs in the Arabian Peninsula, at their express request and in view of a greater spiritual good for their faithful, Pope Francis set aside the previous restrictions, although the patriarchs are asked to coordinate with the apostolic vicars and can establish new territorial jurisdictions only with the prior approval of the Vatican.

This change involves six Eastern Catholic patriarchal churches: the Coptic, Maronite, Syriac, Melkite, Chaldean and Armenian Catholic churches.

This decision sets aside instructions issued by St John Paul II in 2003 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 entrusting the pastoral care of all Catholics of any rite to the Latin-rite apostolic vicars.

Until now, all Catholics in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, and those in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen were under the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

With this, the jurisdiction of all and only the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs has been extended over the entire Arabian Peninsula (Apostolic Vicariates of Northern and Southern Arabia).

Accordingly, the eventual erection of new ecclesiastical circumscriptions by the Synods of Patriarchal Churches sui iuris will be subject to the prior authorization of the Apostolic See.