Question for Eastern Catholics in particular

[Harpazo]

Are you annoyed when the Eastern Catholic Churches are just generalized as “Eastern Rites?” While I am not technically an Eastern Catholic yet, God willing I hope to be one day, this annoys me.

Rites are mistaken for the Churches. What the rite refers to is the tradition from which that Church sprang from, am I correct? For example, the Maronite Church is of the Syro-Antiochene Rite, but it would be a fallacy to call it the “Maronite Rite.”

It annoys me when I hear professional Catholic apologists on EWTN or wherever use this terminology. How can we educate the rest of the Latin Church on this matter and how do you deal with it?

Al-Masih Qam!

Alaha minokhoun
Andrew

 

[Woodstock]

I’m only annoyed when a person has been educated on it and refuses to use the accurate terms. Ignorance isn’t annoying. Obstinacy is.

I just wrote a post about that in the belly dancing thread.

 

[Chaldean_Rite]

**1203 **The liturgical traditions or rites presently in use in the Church are the Latin (principally the Roman rite, but also the rites of certain local churches, such as the Ambrosian rite, or those of certain religious orders) and the Byzantine, Alexandrian or Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite and Chaldean rites. In “faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity, and that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way.”

scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1203.htm

 

[Woodstock]

**1203 **The liturgical traditions or rites presently in use in the Church are the Latin (principally the Roman rite, but also the rites of certain local churches, such as the Ambrosian rite, or those of certain religious orders) and the Byzantine, Alexandrian or Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite and Chaldean rites. In “faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity, and that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way.”

The rites are OF the Churches. They are Churches first. The Chaldean Church uses the Chaldean rite. The Maronite Church uses the Maronite Rite. The Ukrainian, Melkite, Russian, Romanian, etc Churches use the Byzantine rite. They are not of the rite. The people are of the Church.

You are *of *the Chaldean Church ≠ You *are *the Chaldean Church.
and
The rites *of *certain local churches ≠ The rites *are *the churches.

 

[Chaldean_Rite]

1. A rite is the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested in each Church sui iuris.
2. The rites treated in this code, unless otherwise stated, are those which arise from the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean and Constantinopolitan traditions.

 

[Woodstock]

You forgot the canon before that.

Churches Sui Iuris and Rites

Canon 27

A group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy according to the norm of law which the supreme authority of the Church expressly or tacitly recognizes as sui iuris is called in this Code a Church sui iuris.

The people belong to the Church. The Church uses a particular rite, or way of doing things.

 

[The_Iambic_Pen]

People tend to use the word “Church” to refer to the Catholic Church. Since there is one Catholic Church, people are perhaps uncomfortable speaking of different Eastern Churches within the Church. It seems to imply the Eastern Churches are separate and not part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

 

[Woodstock]

I just read another discussion board where they were asking about the relationship England, Scotland, Wales, North Ireland, and Ireland have with the UK. It was described that England, Scotland, Wales, and North Ireland are different countries and each has its own peculiarities of law and governmental structure, and they all belong to the same nation with the Queen/Parliament at its head.

The Catholic Church has always been a communion of local Churches. That’s true even within the Latin Church that it is a communion of local churches, each led by a bishop. We can see it right from the beginning, even in the Bible they are talking about the different apostles going in different directions and establishing local churches which are in communion with the other local churches through a shared faith.

If the world can handle the UK being a nation comprised of different countries, they can handle the Catholic Church being comprised of many local Churches.

 

[Hesychios]

…We can see it right from the beginning, even in the Bible they are talking about the different apostles going in different directions and establishing local churches which are in communion with the other local churches through a shared faith.

If the world can handle the UK being a nation comprised of different countries, they can handle the Catholic Church being comprised of many local Churches.

An excellent observation.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

I used to be annoyed by it and try to cram in a 5 min lecture…

Than I realized, life was too short… now I just smile and nod…