The Eastern Code (CCEO), in its Canons 27 and 28, makes the distinction between Church and Rite:
Churches Sui Iuris and Rites
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.
and
- 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.
For a long time, each group of Eastern Catholics was referred to by their name (usually reflective of their historical national identity or ethnic origin), followed by the word “Rite”. Thus, you would hear references to someone being of the “Ukrainian Rite” or to “Melkite Rite Catholics”. At the urging of the Eastern Catholic hierarchs participating in Vatican II, particularly His Beatitude Maximos IV Saigh, Patriarch of Antioch & All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem of the Greek-Melkites, of blessed memory, the Church recognized the status of the Eastern Catholic Churches as
sui iuris ecclesial entities, each of which uses a particular Rite. Thus, it is a disparagement (as well as inaccurate) to substitute “Rite” for “Church”.
Beyond the codified definition of “Rite”, it should be understood to be the collected liturgical patrimony or heritage by which a group of persons conduct their religious life. It is more than just differences in language, culture, and vesture, although those are often among the most immediately obvious distinctions. It’s often thought of as strictly applicable to liturgical worship service; it actually includes the totality of a people’s religious expression, including their sacraments, sacramentals, prayers, music and even aspects of their religious artistic expression and ecclesial architecture.
Cassman:
I looked in “The New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law” and it states there are 21 Eastern churches that observe 5 rites. It puts some rites under others:
“1. Alexadrian rite: Coptic church, Ethipian church
2. Antiochen rite: Malankar, Maronite, and Syrian churches
3. Byzantine rite: Albanian, Byelorussian, Bulgarian, Greek, Italo-Albanian, Yugoslavian, Melkite, Romanian, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovakian, Ukranian, and Hungarian churches
4. Chaldean rite: Chaldean and Malabar churches
5. Armenian rite: Armenian church”
Cassman,
I’m not sure what you mean by “It puts some rites under others”; if you are relating back to the 9 that you initially identified, forget those - that list wasn’t accurate. However, the “Commentary” itself is both deficient and inaccurate. It fails to: list one Church, use the proper name for a second Church, and, uses an obsolete name for a third Church; additionally, it fails to list one generally acknowledged Rite, and lists one Church within the wrong Rite.
There are 23 Churches
sui iuris (“of their own law” or self-governing). They are also described in some documents as autonomous Particular Churches.
By the term “Western Church” is meant the Latin or Roman Catholic Church. Collectively, the other 22 Churches are generally referred to as the Eastern Catholic Churches or, sometimes, as the Oriental Catholic Churches. Strictly speaking, the 14 Churches which utilize the Byzantine Rite are the Eastern Catholic Churches; the other 8 Churches are the Oriental Catholic Churches. This distinction reflects that which is made among the counterpart or Sister (Orthodox) Churches, where Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches are also distinguished by the Rite that each uses.
(continued)
