Pope Benedict, President of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, makes appointments for the Special Assembly on the Middle East

Pope Benedict XVI  has appointed six members for the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, to take place October 10-24, 2010, in the Vatican, to the following offices:

• Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, Maronite patriarch of Antioch, Lebanon - President Delegate "ad honorem"
• Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Chaldean patriarch of Babylon, Iraq - President Delegate "ad honorem"
• Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches - President Delegate
• Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan, patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon - President delegate
• Patriarch Antonios Naguib, patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt - Relator-General
• Archbishop Joseph Soueif, Maronite archbishop of Cyprus - Special Secretary.

The synod's theme is "The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness, founded on the text, 'Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts 4: 32)." The Pope will meet with the six appointed leaders during his visit to Cyprus, June 4-6 2010. On the last day of that visit, he will present the "instrumentum laboris" for the special synod on the Middle East.