Sep 21, 2009 / 11:21 am
The Holy Father met with the leaders of the Catholic Church in the Middle East on Saturday morning in Castel Gandolfo. During the discussion the Pope announced that a synod will be held in October 2010 to focus on the communion of the Catholic Church in the region.
Before announcing plans for the synod, Pope Benedict spoke with the representatives from the Middle Eastern Churches in communion with Rome about their desire to have more contact with him to “strengthen the communion of your Churches with Peter's Successor and together examine, as necessary, themes of particular importance."
The Pope then referred to the Apostolic Letter "Orientale lumen" in which John Paul II reiterated "the hope that the Eastern Catholic Churches may 'flourish' and with new apostolic vigor execute the task entrusted to them ... to promote the unity of all Christians, especially Eastern Christians, in keeping with the decree on ecumenism."
"The ecumenical question is often connected to the inter-religious question,” said the Pope. “In these two areas the Church as a whole needs that experience of coexistence which your Churches have matured since the first Christian millennium.”