Pope names officials to October synod of Middle East bishops

(April 27,2010) Pope Benedict XVI has named prelates from several countries to lead the special Synod of Bishops for the Middle East to be held October 10 -24. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, and Syrian Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan of Antioch will be co-presidents of the assembly, the Vatican announced on Saturday. Coptic Patriarch Antonios Naguib of Alexandria, Egypt, will act as recording secretary, while Maronite Archbishop Joseph Soueif of Cyprus will be the special secretary. The Lebanon-based Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, and the Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly of Baghdad, Iraq, will serve as honorary president delegates.
The Pope is convening the meeting to give the bishops from the troubled area an opportunity, to discuss the difficulties that the small Christian communities face there. The theme of the synod is, "The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness. 'The community of believers was of one heart and mind." The quotation is a description of the unity of the early church from the Acts of the Apostles. The issues to be addressed include the problem of Christians fleeing the Middle East because of war or violence, relations with Muslims, the lack of full religious freedom and the future of Christian communities there.