Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, announced in his address at the opening of the new academic year of the Pontifical Oriental Institute that a summit meeting of the patriarchs and major archbishops of the oriental Churches of Syria, Iraq and the Middle East.
The meeting, which will take place from November 19th – 22nd and will reflect on the theme “The Eastern Catholic Churches: Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council.”
“Pope Francis has agreed to repeat the meeting which took place for the first time in 2009”, Cardinal Sandri said referring to when the heads of the Eastern Churches met with Benedict XVI.
The upcoming summit, he continued, “will now have the opportunity to speak before the Pope on the situation of eastern Christians.”
Pope Francis is expected to attend the summit meeting on November 21st.
