Santa Maria in Via Lata
Pope John Paul II created him Cardinal-Deacon of "Santa Maria in Via Lata" in the consistory of 30 June 1979, and appointed him Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on 27 June 1980. From 1980 to 1983, Cardinal Rubin was a member of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. He later stepped down as Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on 30 October 1985, after five years of service.