The new Pope was visibly happy to be with the Eastern-rite Catholics, who came to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee.
POPE LEO XIV
Welcome to Rome. I am happy to see you and to dedicate one of the first meetings of my pontificate to the Eastern faithful.
The new Pope recalled how Pope Leo XIII stressed a century ago that Latin-rite Catholics must respect the customs and norms of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Furthermore, he echoed the words of Pope Francis, emphasizing that the Latin Church has much to learn from the Eastern rites when it comes to synodality, liturgy, and spiritual tradition.
POPE LEO XIV
It is necessary to raise awareness among the Latins. In this regard, I ask the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches—whose work I gratefully acknowledge—to help me define principles, norms, and guidelines through which Latin pastors can concretely support Eastern Catholics in the diaspora.
In recent years, a large number of Eastern-rite Catholics have had to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution. In fact, the Middle East has been losing its Christian population for decades now.
Hence, this audience was also an occasion to pray for peace, and one of the most anticipated moments was when the Pope greeted the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who came to Rome for the gathering.
JRB
Trans. CRT
