This
dicastery has authority over: • all matters which relate to the Oriental churches referred to the
Holy See (structure and organisation of the churches; exercise of the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling; status, rights, and obligations of persons), and • the
ad limina visits of Eastern
bishops. This dicastery's authority does not include the exclusive authority of the
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and
for the Causes of Saints, of the
Apostolic Penitentiary, the
Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and the
Tribunal of the Roman Rota, including what pertains to dispensations from a marriage
ratum sed non consummatum ('"ratified but not consummated"). In matters which affect the Eastern as well as the Latin churches, the dicastery operates, if the matter is important enough, in consultation with the dicastery that has authority in the matter for the Latin Church. The
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is
exempt from the authority of the dicastery, being directly subject to the
Holy See. The dicastery pays special attention to communities of Eastern Catholic faithful who live in the territory of the Latin Church and attends to their spiritual needs by providing visitors and even their own hierarchs, so far as possible and where numbers and circumstances require, in consultation with the congregation competent to establish particular churches in the region. In regions where the Eastern churches have been dominant from ancient times, apostolic and missionary activity is solely the responsibility of this dicastery, even if the above is carried out by
Latin Church missionaries. The dicastery collaborates with the
Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity in matters that concern relations with non-Catholic Eastern churches and with the
Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in matters within the scope of the latter. ==History==