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followingtheway
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What’s a Sui iuris, what’s a rite, and what’s the difference?
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
Sui iuris is a self governing Church, it is latin for “an anonymous”, it is not used alone, it is used in this manner “sui iuris Church”.
A rite is a set of traditions, liturgical disciplines/practices, and school of theological thought.
A sui iuris Church belongs to a rite.
Hope that helps and I hope I got it right.
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followingtheway
Guest
So basically Maronite would be a Sui iuris of the Eastern Rite?
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
The Maronite Church is a sui iuris Church (again sui iuris is never used alone, it is used to describe Church) of one of the Eastern Rites.
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SVP
Guest
Autonomous, but at times we do seem to be a somewhat anonymous church.
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Hesychios
Guest
Autonomous would be something of a dynamic translation, I think.Autonomous, but at times we do seem to be a somewhat anonymous church.
The words Sui Iuris actually refer to law, which is to say that they have their own law, which ironically is true only to a limited extent, since all of the eastern churches share a basic set of law (the CCEO) which they have no control over, and then there is a subset of local law that may vary a bit from church to church (which for some of these churches must be finally approved by the Pope, or his aides at the Vatican).
Autonomous implies that the organization creates it’s own law for itself. It would be more appropriate to say that each one is given it’s own law from a common source, which is also similar to everyone else’s law.
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ByzCathCantor
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Our brother Hesychios is most perceptive!
sui juris, literally translated from Latin, means “of one’s own right”
The term still has usage in civil law, and is used most commonly to indicate legal competence (the capacity to manage one’s own affairs).
Yes, it is true that all Eastern Catholic Churches are bound to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO), but to say “they have (or had) no control over” these canons is not entirely correct. The CCEO is a codification of the common canon laws of all 22 sui juris Eastern Catholic churches in communion with Rome. It was developed by the Congregation for Eastern Churches, with representation and participation of the hierarchs of the Eastern Catholic sui juris churches. The CCEO thus was not imposed per se, but became the agreed-upon set of canons to which all Eastern Catholic sui juris churches in communion with Rome were to be bound. It was recognized that a unique set of canons was necessary to avoid the imposition of the Code of Canons applicable and particular to the Latin Church (a sui juris church in its own right), which may have prevented the continuity of traditions and disciplines of these other churches as desired and encouraged by the Universal Catholic Church.
sui juris in this context certainly cannot mean full autonomy, but rather relative authority. Each of the sui juris Eastern Catholic Churches promulgates its own set of particular laws, which must not conflict with the CCEO and of course is subject to the approval of Rome (reviewed by the Congregation for Eastern Churches, who advise the Pontiff in considering approval of such). These particulars define the more unique aspects of the discipline as observed by each of the individual sui juris churches.
I am aware of one specific issue that became controversial with regard to the Ruthenian particular law promulgated in 1999 by Metropolitan Judson Procyk of blessed memory, regarding the married priesthood. +Metropolitan Judson had originally sought to have full discretion and authority to appoint married men to the presbyterate. In the end, the door was left open, but subject to a set of special norms as agreed, requiring the approval of Rome for such appointments. This was a disappointment to many, especially the elder lay members of the Ruthenian Church, many of whom remember the direct, deleterious effects of the imposition of celebacy on the Ruthenian Church in America in the early 20th century. It was, nonetheless, a significant step forward in re-establishing the married priesthood in the Ruthenian Church.
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JJRfan
Guest
A ‘sui iuris’ Church is a community of faithful united by a hierarchy according to the norms of law. The word “rite” can refer to a church grouping as such or to its particular form of the liturgy. A church consists of people while a rite reflects the praxis of a church.
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5Loaves
Guest
Additionally there are Churches sui iuris which have their own codes of canons. I think the Ruthenian/Byzantine Catholic Church is one of these. One sees this reflected within the CCEO in various canons which contain phrases such as “or according to the norm of particular law of his own Church sui iuris”
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Don’t you mean “autonomous”, Brother?
Oops,
Replied before I read down. Carry on
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ByzCathCantor
Guest
Not their own entire canons, but a set of particular laws which define and clarify how certain canons within the CCEO are to be applied in that particular sui juris church. I mention that further down in my post.
First paragraph of the DECREE from the Byzantine-Ruthenian Norms of Particular Law:
The hierarchs of the Byzantine Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Pittsburgh, in the United States of America, gathered in assembly as the Council of Hierarchs of said Church, in conformity with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, have enacted, in accord with the prescripts of’ canon law (CCEO 167), the herewith attached norms as the particular law of this Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh. Copies of the aforesaid norms of particular law were forwarded to the Apostolic Sec of Rome, by the Metropolitan, in accord with the norms of law.
Other sui juris churches have their own norms of particular law.
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5Loaves
Guest
Quite so, I now see.
Mea culpa. That’s what happens when I try to multi-task… which I often do. 
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shlomo3amrooh
Guest
a sui iuris church is a self governing Church within the Catholic church that has its own hierarchy. A rite is the tradition in which the liturgy is derived from. Often the term ‘rite’ is used instead of sui iuris church.
There is no such thing as a Maronite rite, only an an Antiochian rite.
The East has 5 rites.
Alexandrian, Antiochian, Constantinopolitan, Armenian (derived from Constantinopolitan) and Chaldean (derived from Antiochian).
The Syriacs and maronites belong to antiochian, the Melkites and Ukranians belong to the Constantinopolitan.
Often churches within the same rite have very similar masses.
God bless
There is no such thing as a Maronite rite, only an an Antiochian rite.
The East has 5 rites.
Alexandrian, Antiochian, Constantinopolitan, Armenian (derived from Constantinopolitan) and Chaldean (derived from Antiochian).
The Syriacs and maronites belong to antiochian, the Melkites and Ukranians belong to the Constantinopolitan.
Often churches within the same rite have very similar masses.
God bless
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Vico
Guest
Rites arise from the Traditions, per the eastern canon law (CCEO) canon 28:
- 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.
- The rites treated in this code, unless otherwise stated, are those which arise from the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean and Constantinopolitan traditions.
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