![Cardinal in a black cassock with red trim and red skullcap, seated in a leather chair with a microphone nearby.”] ,](https://www.gaudiumpress.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Cardinal-Muller--218x150.jpg "Tradition, Authority, and Division: An Interview on the Society of St. Pius X and Vatican II")
The Synod launches a new Eastern Canonical Commission to review the Eastern Churches’ Code of Canons in line with the ongoing synodal journey.
Newsroom (20/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a significant step toward deepening collaboration across the universal Church, the General Secretariat of the Synod has announced the creation of a new Eastern Canonical Commission. Tasked with developing proposals for the revision of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO), the body convened for its inaugural meeting on February 20 at the Synod headquarters in Rome.
A commission born of synodality
The establishment of the Commission marks a continuum of the Church’s evolving synodal journey. Building upon the Canonical Commission formed in December 2023—which primarily concentrated on reforms to the Latin Church’s Canon Law—the new body is distinguished by its focus on the unique legal and spiritual traditions of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
The initiative responds to calls from leaders of the 24 sui iuris Churches that, while fully united with the Bishop of Rome, maintain their distinct liturgical, canonical, and pastoral heritages. Through this initiative, the Synod seeks to strengthen interdicasterial cooperation aimed at better serving these autonomous Churches.
A collaborative effort across Vatican institutions
The Commission gathers expert canon lawyers drawn from the Dicastery for Legislative Texts and the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. Their combined expertise will guide the development of updated juridical texts, ensuring that reform proposals emerging from the global synodal process are reflected in the legal framework governing the Eastern Churches.
Cardinal Mario Grech, General Secretary of the Synod, emphasized the importance of the move, explaining that “it was deemed appropriate to establish a dedicated commission that could work in close connection with Study Group no. 1 on Certain Aspects of Relations Between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church,” while remaining faithful to “the specificity of Eastern Canon Law.”
This study group is one of ten established by Pope Francis in 2024, following the First Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops—a gathering that identified key priorities for the Church’s life and mission under the renewed emphasis on synodality.
Open call for contributions
Reflecting the inclusive spirit of the synodal process, Cardinal Grech has invited all sui iuris Churches, episcopal conferences, Catholic universities, institutions, and individual scholars to contribute reflections and proposals to the Synod Secretariat by April 15, 2026. This participatory approach underscores the Church’s commitment to collective discernment and shared responsibility across diverse traditions.
The mandate ahead
In the near term, the Commission’s primary mission is to prepare draft normative texts that translate the juridical proposals developed during the 2021–2024 synodal phase into concrete canonical norms. The texts will draw especially on the insights of the Synthesis Report (2023) and Final Document (2024), both of which articulated the evolving understanding of communion and mission among Eastern and Western Catholic communities.
Oversight of the Commission’s work will be led by the Secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, ensuring consistency and fidelity to current Eastern legislation while providing a framework for future reform.
With this initiative, the Synod continues to weave the rich diversity of the Eastern Churches more deeply into the Church’s ongoing process of dialogue, renewal, and reform—an expression of unity that honors the pluralism of its many traditions.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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