The Steering Committee meeting took place on Wednesday, 22 January 2003, in the Conference Hall of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Via dell'Erba 1, 2nd floor) from 17:40 to 19:10. The following attended:

 
 CONGREGATION FOR THE ORIENTAL CHURCHES

•  H.E. Msgr. Antonio Maria VEGLIÒ, Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and Vice-President of ROACO,
• Msgr. Francesco Giovanni BRUGNARO, Official, Responsible for Seminaries in Rome and for the Coordination of promotional activities and study burses, for Bethlehem University, Secretary of ROACO,
• Sister Bernadette DER MESROP, S.R.J., Assistant to ROACO,

•  Msgr. Chorbishop Willem DE SMET, O.S.B., Honorary President,
  Dr. Helmut STEINDL, Director Projects-Department,
   

C.N.E.W.A.

•  Msgr. Robert L. STERN, Secretary General,
   

E. KÖLN 

• Dr. Rudolf SOLZBACHER, Director,

 MISEREOR

•  Dr. Maria HAARMANN, Responsible for projects MENA

MISSIO-MÜNCHEN

•  Mr. Nadim AMMANN, Delegate,

O. OR.

•  Msgr. Philippe BRIZARD, Director General,

Moderator: Msgr. Philippe BRIZARD.
   
 
----------------------------------------------------------------

1. Opening prayer.

2. Greeting by His Beatitude Card. Ignace Moussa Daoud, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

3. Comments and approval of the minutes of the two previous meeting of the Steering Committee, ROACO 2/2002 of June 2002.

4. Overview of the Agenda for ROACO 1/2003.

4.1 Projects already accepted for examination (separate list).

4.2 Discussions proposed for ROACO 1/2003:

I. General Situation in the Holy Land

1. Given the critical situation in the Holy Land, H.E. Msgr. Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem and Palestine, Apostolic Nuncio in Israel, will provide further information on the situation of the Church in the Holy Land.
2. Fr. Pietro Felet, S.C.J., Secretary of the Secretariat of Solidarity, will report on the situation of the Catholic Institutions in the Holy Land.
   

II. General Situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea

1.  H.E. Msgr. Silvano Maria Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio in Ethiopia and Eritrea, will provide additional information on the general situation in these countries.
2. Bro. Vincent Pelletier, F.S.C., Regional Director of CNEWA for Ethiopia and Eritrea, will inform participants further on the general needs in Ethiopia and Eritrea and, in particular, on the projects presented in the Agenda of ROACO.
   
   

5. The election of a Chairperson for ROACO 1/2003.

6. Other topics.