On 6 March 2003, the Servant of God, John Paul II, of venerated memory, made certain decisions regarding the jurisdiction of the faithful of various Rites, that live in the Apostolic Vicariates of Arabia and of Kuwait, due to some grave and legitimate pastoral concerns presented by the respective Ordinaries of the two Ecclesiastical circumscriptions, foremost of which was preserving the unity of the faithful.

In an audience granted to His Eminence Card. Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 16 March 2006, the Holy Father Benedict XVI, after having examined the decisions of his predecessor, the Servant of God, John Paul II, confirmed the following:

1. The jurisdiction over all Catholics, of whatever Rite or nationality, present in the territories of the Apostolic Vicariates of Arabia and of Kuwait, entrusted to “Propaganda Fide”, belongs exclusively to the two local Ordinaries. A “double jurisdiction”, therefore, cannot be allowed.

2. Every juridical act placed at any time and in any way in the above mentioned Apostolic Vicariates by anyone who lacked jurisdiction is therefore illegitimate and null in every effect.

3. The local Ordinaries to whose care the faithful of other sui juris Churches have been entrusted, however, have the obligation of providing so that those faithful may practice and observe the norms of their Rite (cf. CCEO can. 193).

4. Those same Ordinaries, moreover, are called to promote good and regular relations with the authorities of the above mentioned sui juris Churches.

5. For their part, those responsible for those Churches, while respecting the exclusive Latin jurisdiction in the abovementioned Vicariates, may maintain contacts with their own faithful, by means of letters or pastoral visits (cf. CCEO can. 82 §2). The latter must be with the agreement, in every instance, of the Apostolic Vicar.

6. To facilitate the pastoral care of the faithful of each Rite, the Ordinaries are to commit themselves to securing pastors ad hoc, either identifying them within the proper circumscriptions or agreeing upon their selection with those responsible for the various Rites. However, the appointment of such priests must be made only by the Apostolic Vicars, and those priests are to place themselves under their direct jurisdiction for any and all pastoral activity.

7. In particular, to resolve the concrete problems that have arisen in the Apostolic vicariates involving certain Syro-Malabar faithful, the Major Archbishop is asked to make certain that there not be any Syro-Malabar priests present in those territories, except by the agreement of the Latin and Syro-Malabar authorities.

8. The Major Archbishop will work toward the full re-insertion into ecclesial communion of the faithful who have followed priests without authorization to exercise pastoral ministry.

9. Those responsible for the various Rites are bound to prevent the exercise of pastoral activities and sacramental celebrations by priests or various Rites who lack the authorization of the Apostolic Vicar, applying canonical sanctions where necessary and to the extent possible.

10. The entry of priests and religious, of any Rite, into the Apostolic Vicariates must be agreed upon by the Bishop a quo and the Apostolic Vicar ad quem.

11. For juridical validity, any appointment of a local Representative of a ritual Church in the Arabian Gulf must be with the agreement of the Apostolic Nuncio and the Apostolic Vicar.

12. Given the distinctive and delicate political and religious situation existing in the two Apostolic Vicariates, the erection of ritual parishes is not appropriate at this time.

Let these decisions be communicated to the Ordinary in Arabia and in Kuwait, to the Patriarchs of the Rites concerned and to all the faithful of the Apostolic Vicariates.

From the Vatican, 8 April 2006