Péter Erdő is a member of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches for another five years

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, as a member of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches for another five years, Csaba János Tóth, press representative of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, informed MTI on Tuesday.

Péter Erdő was appointed a member of the congregation for the first time in June 2015 by Pope Francis.

The Congregation of the Eastern Churches is an organ of the Roman Curia, founded on January 6, 1862 by IX. Pope Pius in the framework of the Congregation Propaganda Fide, that is, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. XV. Pope Benedict made it independent on May 1, 1917. Scope XI. On March 25, 1938, Pope Pius significantly increased it.

The structural peculiarity of the dicastery is that its members are all Eastern Catholic patriarchs and archbishops, as well as the president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

The Congregation of the Eastern Churches - with a few exceptions - includes all matters related to Catholics of the Eastern Rite, even if it concerns "mixed", that is, those of other Rites.

The congregation's own geographical area is one where the Eastern rites have long had a numerical predominance. These areas XI. It is determined by Pope Pius's Sancta Dei Ecclesia motu proprio and appendices.

Regarding the method of the procedure, the Congregation of the Eastern Churches VI. Since the reform of the Curia introduced by Pope Paul, only administrative authorities can no longer act in the judicial way.

The Prefect of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches is Cardinal Leonardo Sandri.

Péter Erdő is a member of the seven dicasteries of the Apostolic Holy See: in addition to the Congregation of the Eastern Churches, the State Secretariat of the Holy See II. section's advisory board for foreign affairs, the Congregation for Holiness and Worship, the Congregation for Catholic Education of Study Institutes, the Pontifical Council for Legal Texts, and a member of the Apostolic Signatura, i.e. the highest court of the Holy See, as well as the Economic Council responsible for Vatican finances.

MTI

Photo: MTI/Zoltán Máthé