Study Visit of young priests and monks from the Oriental Orthodox Churches

The annual Study Visit for young priests and monks from the Oriental Orthodox Churches, organised by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, took place from 31 January to 7 February in Rome.

The delegation included twenty-one young priests and monks from all the Oriental Orthodox Churches: Antiochian Syrian Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic Church (Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin and Catholicosate of Cilicia), Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

During its stay in Rome, the delegation had the opportunity to visit various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, in particular the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and the Dicastery for Communication, as well as the Secretariat of State and the Secretariat of the Synod.

The group, accompanied by Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle, also visited several educational institutions, including the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm, the Pontifical Urbanian University, Pontifical Gregorian University, Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Ethiopian College, the Pontifical Armenian College, the Pontifical Maronite College and the Pontifical College Russicum.

On 5 February, the delegation was received by Pope Leo XIV in a private audience.

The study visits are an initiative of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. This was the sixth study visit organised in Rome for young priests and monks of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, following those in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Delegations of Catholic priests were invited in 2023 by the Armenian Apostolic Church - See of Etchmiadzin for a study visit to Armenia, and in 2024 by the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church for a study visit to Kerala, India.