The General Secretariat of the Synod has established the Eastern Canonical Commission, a new body entrusted with the task of formulating proposals for the revision of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) in the light of the synodal journey. The Commission met for the first time on 20 February 2026 at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Synod.

The new Commission complements the ongoing work of the Canonical Commission established in December 2023, which had already identified certain proposals for the reform of the CCEO, while focusing primarily on the Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church. It also responds to repeated requests from several Heads of Churches sui iuris. Its composition, aimed also at fostering interdicasterial cooperation in service to the local Churches, includes expert Eastern canonists selected from among the consultors of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts and the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.

Members of the Oriental Canon Law Commission include Rev. Fr. Prof. Sunny Thomas Kokkaravalayil S.I., Pro-Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Canon Law of the Mission of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Vice-Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, and President of the Mission of the Pontifical Oriental Institute; and Rev. Fr. Prof. Lorenzo Lorusso O.P., Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Oriental Canon Law of the Mission of the Pontifical Oriental Institute.