The Papal Council for the Unity of Christians confirmed that on March 6th Pope Benedict XVI will receive in audience the ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, who will be in Rome in early March for the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Papal Oriental Institute. In October 1917, under the motu proprio Orientis catholici, Benedict XV founded the Papal Oriental Institute, which for 85 years has been run by the Society of Jesus. The recent events in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East brought to the fore the need to train the future generations. And this has led to a rise in the student population: nowadays there are 350 auditors and 125 regular students, and they are expected to further increase in the future. Overall, approximately 6,500 students have attended the Institute, including several patriarchs, for instance Patriarch Bartholomew, who obtained his doctor’s degree here. On December 6th, Pope Benedict XVI met the members of the Papal Oriental Institute. "I am sure he said on that occasion that support to study also has an important ecumenical value, since drawing on the heritage of the wisdom of the Christian East enriches everybody".
