Eastern Catholics in Bethlehem?

[StevenDunn]

Hello. I attend a Latin Rite parish in the United States, and one of our parishioners is a 30-something man who grew up in Bethlehem. We’ve talked about his church services back home when he was a boy, and I’m confused. He says he went to a Roman Catholic church, but when he describes the thurible, music and other liturgical things it’s obviously Eastern. He also distinguished between Roman and Latin Catholics, and said he was a Roman. I don’t know what that means. He’s a regular guy, not an amateur scholar or anything.

It’s been bugging me since we first discussed his past. What Catholic Church is this describing?

Thanks, and God bless!

 

[wynd]

From what I understand, some Eastern/Mediterranean languages identify anything Byzantine as “Roman” since the Byzantine Empire was technically the continuation of the western Roman Empire.

From Wikipedia: “While in the West the term ‘Roman’ acquired a new meaning in connection with the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome, the Greek form ‘Romaioi’ remained attached to the Greeks of the Eastern Roman Empire.”

 

[malphono]

Hello. I attend a Latin Rite parish in the United States, and one of our parishioners is a 30-something man who grew up in Bethlehem. We’ve talked about his church services back home when he was a boy, and I’m confused. He says he went to a Roman Catholic church, but when he describes the thurible, music and other liturgical things it’s obviously Eastern. He also distinguished between Roman and Latin Catholics, and said he was a Roman. I don’t know what that means. He’s a regular guy, not an amateur scholar or anything.

It’s been bugging me since we first discussed his past. What Catholic Church is this describing?

If the fellow says he’s “Catholic” it is more than likely that’s he’s a member of the Melkite Church.

From what I understand, some Eastern/Mediterranean languages identify anything Byzantine as “Roman” since the Byzantine Empire was technically the continuation of the western Roman Empire.

From Wikipedia: “While in the West the term ‘Roman’ acquired a new meaning in connection with the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome, the Greek form ‘Romaioi’ remained attached to the Greeks of the Eastern Roman Empire.”

Yes, that’s more-or-less accurate. In local Arabic, Melkites are known as “roum catholique” while the Antiochian Orthodox are known as “roum orthodoxe.”

 

[StevenDunn]

Thank you! I will probably see him tonight - I’ll bug him again with this new information. He’s just happy someone is interested.

 

[mariyka]

Hello. I attend a Latin Rite parish in the United States, and one of our parishioners is a 30-something man who grew up in Bethlehem. We’ve talked about his church services back home when he was a boy, and I’m confused. He says he went to a Roman Catholic church, but when he describes the thurible, music and other liturgical things it’s obviously Eastern. He also distinguished between Roman and Latin Catholics, and said he was a Roman. I don’t know what that means. He’s a regular guy, not an amateur scholar or anything.

It’s been bugging me since we first discussed his past. What Catholic Church is this describing?

Thanks, and God bless!

Maybe he’s Romanian Catholic?

 

[5Loaves]

Thank you! I will probably see him tonight - I’ll bug him again with this new information. He’s just happy someone is interested.

When you figure it out he may be able to locate a church of his patrimony on this Eastern & Oriental Catholic Find-A-Parish site. I’d be guessing he’s Melkite.

Not entirely off topic: the last Christian town remaining in the Holy Land.

 

[O_Duirnin]

In Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, where I spent a bit of time earlier this year, the Latin Catholic and Melkite populations are approximately equal. The Christian population there is only about 5%, compared with the Christian majority in Bethlehem. I never heard the term ‘Roman’ used in relation to the Latin Catholics - although I did hear ‘Roum Catholique’ used for the Melkites. I would agree with Malphono - ‘Roman’ is probably a reference to Byzantine, your friend is probably Melkite.

 

[malphono]

In Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, where I spent a bit of time earlier this year, the Latin Catholic and Melkite populations are approximately equal. The Christian population there is only about 5%, compared with the Christian majority in Bethlehem.

You could be right, but I’m not so sure Bethlehem still has a native Christian majority. In either case, though, I believe the town is mostly Orthodox.

I never heard the term ‘Roman’ used in relation to the Latin Catholics - although I did hear ‘Roum Catholique’ used for the Melkites. I would agree with Malphono - ‘Roman’ is probably a reference to Byzantine, your friend is probably Melkite.

Not likely you would have heard anything like “Roman” in regard to the Latin Rite. Normally in local Arabic, Latin Rite Catholics are called simply “Lateen.” The moniker “roum” is reserved for Byzantines, deriving from “(New) Rome” as Constantinople was called.

 

[diggerdomer]

Hello. I attend a Latin Rite parish in the United States, and one of our parishioners is a 30-something man who grew up in Bethlehem. We’ve talked about his church services back home when he was a boy, and I’m confused. He says he went to a Roman Catholic church, but when he describes the thurible, music and other liturgical things it’s obviously Eastern. He also distinguished between Roman and Latin Catholics, and said he was a Roman. I don’t know what that means. He’s a regular guy, not an amateur scholar or anything.

It’s been bugging me since we first discussed his past. What Catholic Church is this describing?

Thanks, and God bless!

Seems a confusion of terms, you’ll need to talk to him further to clarify.

Technically, the “Latin Rite” of Catholicism includes the Roman, Ambrosian, and Mozarabic Rites. As the latter two are usually limited to specific geographical areas, it’s likely he’s not a Latin Rite Catholic, but simply meant he was “Catholic.”