I dont know anything about Eastern Catholicism

[SenorSalsa]

Educate me

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Try to stay away from simple “our liturgy is different”.

 

[guanophore]

Educate me

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Try to stay away from simple “our liturgy is different”.

Well, that is the MAIN difference. The various Rites are largely distinguished by matters of language and culture, which is reflected in liturgy, devotions, prayers and practices. For example, Eastern Catholics have different daily readings, and a different liturgical year. I recommend that you attend a Divine Liturgy - I think that is one of the best ways to get educated.

 

[Amadeus]

Educate me

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Try to stay away from simple “our liturgy is different”.

If you have not done so, reading Fr. Roberson’s short introduction to each of the Eastern Catholic Churches may prepare you for forthcoming individual observations:

cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg-us.aspx?eccpageID=54&IndexView=toc

 

[Christy74]

Educate me

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Try to stay away from simple “our liturgy is different”.

There are several different Eastern Rite Catholic Churches so the answers will vary depending on the Rite of the Eastern Catholic responding is a member of.

For easy to read and informative information on the Melkite Greek Catholic Church here are two websites:

www.melkite.org - I’d suggest reading the Primer for Melkite Worship and Ritual

www.stgeorge-melkite.org - I’d suggest reading the Lectures (in one of the Lectures, Fr. Mark briefly touches on each of the Catholic Churches and their roots.

 

[Christy74]

Educate me

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Try to stay away from simple “our liturgy is different”.

The approach to the Spiritual Life and to Christ is completely different than that of a Catholic of the Roman Rite.

Example: Salvation

Genesis says that Humans are created in God’s Image and Likeness.

Likeness is seen, in the East at least, as the ability to become like God by his Grace or Uncreated Divine Energies. The “fall of Adam and Eve” comes from the method of action in their attempts to be “like God” - being “like God” is our goal. A famous Saint is well known for saying, “God became man so that man might become god.” (not to be confused with the weird theology of the Mormons!)

In one of the books of Peter it says that we, Christians, are called to become “Partakers of the Divine Nature”.

In other areas of the New Testament it says that we, Christians ought to be Holy as Our Father is Holy; Merciful as Our Father is Merciful, Perfect as Our Father is Perfect.

In the New Testament it says that we are to be “Transformed” in spirit, soul and body.

It says that we are to “Pray Without Ceasing”

The East doesn’t have “Doctors” of the Church, it’s Theologians are those who have experienced the Divine Light of Christ.

There are people today who have, via the Eastern Catholic Approach to God, already begun to literally shine or glow with the Uncreated Light of God so much so that some have to cover their eyes just as in the Old Testament - when Moses had to cover his face, because his face shown so brightly with the light of God (kind of like at the Transfiguration of Christ).

Anyway, it has more to do with “experience of God” vs. “book knowledge of God”. One doesn’t go to school to become a Theologian in the East, one practices his Faith.

Both types of knowledge have their place in the Church and so we have diffenent rites.

In a nut shell that’s the best I can come up with. Hope it helps!

 

[mardukm]

Dear sister Christy,

The approach to the Spiritual Life and to Christ is completely different than that of a Catholic of the Roman Rite.

Example: Salvation

Genesis says that Humans are created in God’s Image and Likeness.

Likeness is seen, in the East at least, as the ability to become like God by his Grace or Uncreated Divine Energies. The “fall of Adam and Eve” comes from the method of action in their attempts to be “like God” - being “like God” is our goal. A famous Saint is well known for saying, “God became man so that man might become god.” (not to be confused with the weird theology of the Mormons!)

In one of the books of Peter it says that we, Christians, are called to become “Partakers of the Divine Nature”.

In other areas of the New Testament it says that we, Christians ought to be Holy as Our Father is Holy; Merciful as Our Father is Merciful, Perfect as Our Father is Perfect.

In the New Testament it says that we are to be “Transformed” in spirit, soul and body.

It says that we are to “Pray Without Ceasing”

The East doesn’t have “Doctors” of the Church, it’s Theologians are those who have experienced the Divine Light of Christ.

There are people today who have, via the Eastern Catholic Approach to God, already begun to literally shine or glow with the Uncreated Light of God so much so that some have to cover their eyes just as in the Old Testament - when Moses had to cover his face, because his face shown so brightly with the light of God (kind of like at the Transfiguration of Christ).

Anyway, it has more to do with “experience of God” vs. “book knowledge of God”. One doesn’t go to school to become a Theologian in the East, one practices his Faith.

Both types of knowledge have their place in the Church and so we have diffenent rites.

In a nut shell that’s the best I can come up with. Hope it helps!

Nothing you’ve stated here distinguishes the East’s understanding of salvation from the Latin Church’s understanding, so I don’t think it will help the OP.

I would like to make a clarification about the Doctors of the Latin Church. First of all, they are the Doctors of the CATHOLIC Church, not just the Latin Church. Many of them are Eastern Saints. Second, Doctors according to the Latin Church are Doctors not because of their academic learning, but because these people have been gifted by God in a specific and primarily spiritual way that has helped the Church understand more fully the Mysteries of our Faith. I hope that has helped you understand it a bit more.

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[Christy74]

Dear sister Christy,

Nothing you’ve stated here distinguishes the East’s understanding of salvation from the Latin Church’s understanding, so I don’t think it will help the OP.

I would like to make a clarification about the Doctors of the Latin Church. First of all, they are the Doctors of the CATHOLIC Church, not just the Latin Church. Many of them are Eastern Saints. Second, Doctors according to the Latin Church are Doctors not because of their academic learning, but because these people have been gifted by God in a specific and primarily spiritual way that has helped the Church understand more fully the Mysteries of our Faith. I hope that has helped you understand it a bit more.

Blessings,
Marduk

Hi Marduk,

I apologize if I was not clearer earlier, I hope to provide better clariification here.

Historically, the Latin view of Salvation is more like a Court Room whereas the Eastern view of Salvation is more like a Hospital.

In Western Christianity - sin is viewed like a crime against God which must be confessed, life style must change, but God will make sure as the Just Judge that that person will pay for that sin in this life or the next (Purgatory) even with continued participation in the Sacraments. The focus tends to be on God as the Just Judge.

In Eastern Christianity - sin is viewed more like a disease, a cancer, which must be confessed, life style must change, but God the Merciful Divine Physican will heal that person completely of that sin provided that person continues with the “Medicine of Immortality” aka the Most Holy Eucharist and the other Mysteries of the Church. The focus tends to be on God as a Merciful Father or Divine Physician.

Both of these views are correct and both are also found in the Bible; however, the two Churches (Latin/West Catholic & Greek Catholic) tend to emphasis one over the other.

(As a side note: In my personal observation, I’ve noticed that Catholics of the Roman Rite are constantly worried about whether or not they will go to Heaven, will they die in the “state of grace”, making comments about hoping to die immediately after going to confession, “I have allergies and feel miserable but am not *really *sick sick if I miss Mass will I go to hell if I die before my next Confession”, etc. I’ve never seen this attitude in the Eastern Catholic Church. This almost… obsession. Eastern Catholics from the time of Baptism are on the Path they have confidence that although God calls us to Perfection He is Merciful and looks at our life entire, not just the end of it. Have we been on the path of Salvation - struggling and getting up when we fall into sin - has that been our pattern, etc.)

While it is true that the Latin Catholics may choose to call Eastern Saints “Doctors”; however, you won’t find that terminology in Eastern Writings.

 

[New_Mom_Katie]

Hey- I’m a little confused too. I always thought that there was only ONE Catholic church, but now I am reading that there are differant branches of it?

The one thing I always took pride in about being Catholic was that it was the universal church and no matter where you went it would be the same mass…

I thought the Roman Catholic Church was the catholic church everywhere so now I am way confused.

Do these other branches still fall under the pope and are therefore still Catholic?

Yeah I am really confused…

 

[wynd]

I thought the Roman Catholic Church was the catholic church everywhere so now I am way confused.

The Roman church is the largest one by far, but there are others, 22 I think.

Do these other branches still fall under the pope and are therefore still Catholic?

Yes.

Yeah I am really confused…

 

[New_Mom_Katie]

So do the Eastern Churches still follow the same creed (for example, the apostles creed or nicene creed)???

 

[Ghosty]

In Western Christianity - sin is viewed like a crime against God which must be confessed, life style must change, but God will make sure as the Just Judge that that person will pay for that sin in this life or the next (Purgatory) even with continued participation in the Sacraments. The focus tends to be on God as the Just Judge.

I think you might benefit from reading the Latin Saints and theologians; none of them speak in this manner, and neither do any of the Western Councils or catechisms. What you’re describing sounds more like the standard Eastern depiction of Latin Christianity, which is unfortunately one-sided and full of inaccuracies.

There are scrupulous people in Latin Christianity, sure, but they don’t reflect the Latin tradition. They reflect the “Protestant by osmosis” reality of the West more than anything, and don’t reflect Latin theology.

As for concepts like theosis, the Latin Church has always taught it (in fact, it was the East that had an internal debate on the issue between Barlaam and St. Palamas, while the Latin Church never had such an internal problem), and the catechisms and Councils have consistantly enforced it. In fact, it was primarily this difference that caused the divide between the Protestants and the Latin Church; the Latin Church maintained that the Sacraments make us participants in Divinity, while the Reformers insisted that humans could be “forgiven”, but could not partake in Divinity. This is the root of Luther’s “snow-covered dung heap” analogy, against the Latin insistance that humans are truly Holy (Divine) by Grace; Luther said that God, in His Holiness, overlooked our sins, while the Latins said that God shares His Holiness with us and that’s what makes us pure, justified, and allows for ongoing Sanctification.

In short, such posts certainly reflect the Byzantine tradition especially, but they don’t highlight any difference between the East and West, though it does highlight differences in terminology.

Sorry if this post is overly critical; I assure you it’s nothing personal at all. I’m just very sensitive to such representations of Latin theology and tradition. I find it all too often on the internet and in Eastern Orthodox polemics, and it just doesn’t reflect reality very well.

Peace and God bless!

 

[bpbasilphx]

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Books have been written about this, and you want a short explanation?

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Speaking of books, you might consider reading 101 Questions and Answers on Eastern Catholic Churches from Paulist Press. It provides a good overview of the differences between the Eastern and Latin Churches along with some history of how we got to the point where there are 23 sui iuris Churches in the Catholic Church.

Deacon Ed

 

[SenorSalsa]

If possible, I want members from as many of the Eastern Rites as possible to just give me a relatively short explanation of one difference between the Latin and thier own Rite.

Books have been written about this, and you want a short explanation?

maybe

And I should have specified, I didnt want ro rule out differences in Liturgy, I just wanted for people to talk about specific differences, not just the general

 

[Rolltide]

So do the Eastern Churches still follow the same creed (for example, the apostles creed or nicene creed)???

Yes. Almost all of the Eastern Catholic Churches (except for the Maronite Catholic Church and the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church) are groups from the various Orthodox Churches that have decided to re-unite with the Catholic Church at some point. Their services would be almost identical to the corresponding Orthodox liturgy.

 

[bpbasilphx]

So do the Eastern Churches still follow the same creed (for example, the apostles creed or nicene creed)???

**All the Eastern Churches (whether united with Rome or not) use the Nicene Creed, which has the authority of an Ecumenical Council.

The Armenians still recite the Anathemas appended to it at the time of the First Council.

The Apostles’ Creed is in origin a local Western baptismal creed, so it is used only in Western Churches, whether Catholic or Protestant.**

 

[Aramis]

Hey- I’m a little confused too. I always thought that there was only ONE Catholic church, but now I am reading that there are differant branches of it?

The one thing I always took pride in about being Catholic was that it was the universal church and no matter where you went it would be the same mass…
.

That has NEVER been true. At least not since 100 AD.

The Roman Liturgy was becoming disinctive even then.

By the time of your birth, the Roman church alone used at least 5 different liturgies, all very similar, and yet, different: The Roman Mass, the Dominican Mass, The Carmelite Mass, the Mozarabic Mass, the Ambrosian Mass, and the Old Church Slavonic Mass (which was a translation of the Trent-approved Roman Mass into OCS).

But, the East has maintained a tradition that, while separate below the pope, was still unified with the pope. Over time, parts left the Catholic Church. And over time, parts came back. One group, rather than leave rome in the “big schism” instead left Constantinople to stay under the pope, but retained the Constantinoplean (Byzantine) liturgies and worship. Another group was cut off from outside communication for centuries… and upon recntact immediately fell back into union (The Maronites).

So the Roman church, the two Non-Schismatic eastern churches and the 20 other formerly schismatic churches, each separate under the pope, constitute the universality of the Catholic church.

And some of these churches use the same liturgy as each other (8 are byzantines, using the liturgies of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chryssostum; two are syriac), each is distinct in culture, habits, and practice. All share unity with the Pope, and participation in the Grand Synod.

 

[guanophore]

Hey- I’m a little confused too. I always thought that there was only ONE Catholic church, but now I am reading that there are differant branches of it?

The one thing I always took pride in about being Catholic was that it was the universal church and no matter where you went it would be the same mass…

I thought the Roman Catholic Church was the catholic church everywhere so now I am way confused.

Do these other branches still fall under the pope and are therefore still Catholic?

Yeah I am really confused…

This is a common misunderstanding in the West, where most Catholics have never even heard of the other 22 Rites of the Catholic Church. The Latin (Roman) Rite is the Largest, and most prevalent in Eastern Europe and America. Yes, the other 22 Rites are in communion with the Bishop of Rome.

 

[Dempsey1919]

Why aren’t the leaders of the eastern rites given more roles within the Vatican? The Wastern rites are just as valid as the Roman rite so why don’t their leaders play a more active role within the administration of the Church?

Or is my understanding of the eastern rites incorrect? Are they seperate Churches that are in communion with the Church of Rome? Do the eastern rites have their own “pope” for example? Are the eastern rites fairly independent from Rome in terms of administration?

I can see how they are united with Rome through doctrine and beliefs, but do they exist separately, with their own hierarchies/

 

[Ghosty]

Why aren’t the leaders of the eastern rites given more roles within the Vatican? The Wastern rites are just as valid as the Roman rite so why don’t their leaders play a more active role within the administration of the Church?

One reason is numbers. All of the Eastern Catholics could fit into a couple of Latin diocese. Even if ALL the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox joined the Catholic Communion, Eastern Catholics would still make up a small percentage of the Church in comparison to the Latin Church, which alone has nearly a billion members (!),

The other reason is that, ideally, the Vatican is a Latin administrative center. Though the universal Pope is there, it has traditionally been the place for Latin business. Eastern Catholics have their own administrative centers and hierarchies (though all are with the Pope) and their business is conducted in those places by those hierarchs.

Or is my understanding of the eastern rites incorrect? Are they seperate Churches that are in communion with the Church of Rome? Do the eastern rites have their own “pope” for example? Are the eastern rites fairly independent from Rome in terms of administration?

I can see how they are united with Rome through doctrine and beliefs, but do they exist separately, with their own hierarchies/

Most Eastern Catholic Churches have their own heads, but those heads vary in authority. The Melkite Church and the Ukrainian Church have very strong lead-Bishops, for example, but they don’t fit the designation “Pope”. In the Byzantine tradition there is a tendency towards synodality, where the head-Bishop presides over a synod that makes decisions for the Church.

Ideally the Eastern Churches “break off” from the Latin Church (a Melkite in Seattle is under Bishop Cyril Bustros, not Bishop Alex Brunett, and Sayedna Cyril is under the Melkite Patriarch and Synod), in terms of administration and such, immediately under the Pope, and their head-Bishops have more authority than any non-Pope Latin Bishops.

I’ve just glossed over the details, but hopefully that paints enough of a picture.

Peace and God bless!