The Eastern Catholic Rites and Churches [draft]

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Aramis

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Rite of: | Contantinople | Antioch | Alexandrian | Armenian

Also called: | Byzantine, Greek-Catholic | Syriac, Chaldean* | Coptic* |

Churches Sui Iuris: | * Albanian* Belarussian/Byelorussian * Bulgarian* Czech* Krizevci* Greek* Hungarian* Italo-Albanian* Melkite* Romanian* Russian* Ruthenian* Slovak* Ukrainian
| West Syrian Sub-Rite* Maronite * Syrian* (Syro-)Malankarese
East Syrian Sub-Rite* Chaldean* Syro-Malabarese
|* Coptic* Ethiopian/Abyssinian*(Geez)
| * Armenian

derived from: ewtn.com/expert/answers/rites.htm
  • While improper, these terms are sometimes used.
Wikipedia:
The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous (in Latin, sui iuris) particular Churches in full communion with the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. They preserve the liturgical, theological and devotional traditions of the various Eastern Christian Churches with which they are associated, and between which doctrinal differences exist, in particular between the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy and the Assyrian Church of the East. They thus vary with regard to forms of liturgical worship, sacramental and canonical discipline, terminology, traditional prayers and practices of piety. But they recognize that their faith is not at variance with that of the other constituent Churches of the one Catholic Church, including the Latin or Western Church, all of which are of equal dignity. In particular, they recognize the central role of the Bishop of Rome within the College of Bishops. They preserve the special emphases and illuminations that Eastern Christianity has developed over the centuries, some of which Pope John Paul II illustrated in his apostolic letter Orientale Lumen of 2 May 1995.

Most Eastern Catholic Churches have counterparts in other Eastern Churches, whether Assyrian or Oriental Orthodox, from whom they are separated by a number of theological concerns, or the Eastern Orthodox Churches, from whom they are separated primarily by differences in understanding of the role of the Bishop of Rome within the College of Bishops.

The Eastern Catholic Churches were located historically in Eastern Europe, the Asian Middle East, Northern Africa and India, but are now, because of migration, found also in Western Europe, the Americas and Oceania to the extent of forming full-scale ecclesiastical structures such as eparchies, alongside the Latin dioceses. One country, Eritrea, has only an Eastern Catholic hierarchy, with no Latin structure.

The terms Byzantine Catholics and Greek Catholic are used of those who belong to Churches that use the Byzantine liturgical rite. The terms Oriental Catholic and Eastern Catholic include these, but are broader, since they also cover Catholics who follow the Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian and Chaldean liturgical traditions.
Click to expand...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches

It should be noted that not all of the Byzantine Churches listed have Hierarchs (bishops); the Russian Rite, for example, has priests, but no bishops; the parishes are attached to Latin or Romanian Rite Eparchies.

Some Terminology
Term | Meaning (approximate)
Rite | A specific liturgical tradition arising from a particular patrimony. It is important to note that the term was used to refer to specific Churches Sui Iuris prior to 1960.
Rite (western) | in the Latin Rite, the various usages are often referred to as rites. The Ambrosian, Bragan, Carmelite, Carthusian, Dominican, and Mozarabic Rites are part of the Roman Church Sui Iuris, whose primate is also the Pope.
Church Sui Iuris | Autonomous Churches in Union with Rome. Literally, self governing, or autonomous. Each such church has it’s own form of the services of its own rite, and most have their own hierarchs.
Hierarchs | Bishops of Eparchies, Archeparchies, and Churches Sui Iuris, and the Pope. Auxilliary and Titular bishops are not properly hierarchs.
Eparchy | Diocese
Archeparchy | Archdiocese
Major Archiepiscopal Church | A Church Sui Iuris headed by a Major Archbishop
Patriarchate | A Church Sui Iuris headed by a Patriarch
Eparch | Bishop
Metropolitan | Bishop of an Archeparchy; Archbishop*.
Primate | The head bishop of a Church Sui Iuris with more than one bishop. May be a Metropolitan, Major Archbishop, or Patriarch
Major Archbishop | The primate of a Major Archiepiscopal Church. Functions nearly identically to a Patriarch. Candidate is elected by the synod, but formally appointed by the Pope.
Patriarch | Head of a Patriarchal Church Sui Iuris. May appoint, ordain and enthrone bishops within his traditional jurisdiction; elected by his synod, rather than appointed by Rome; and has immediate and ordinary jurisdiction over all bishops and dioceses of the Patriarchal Church Sui Iuris.
Patriarch (Latin) | The Latin Rite Patriarchs are archbishops for almost all purposes except precedence in ceremonies.
Ordain | the bishop appointing someone a minister; for major orders, it also makes them a cleric.
cheirothesis | Ordination to minor orders, by the bishop formally investing one with the tools of the order. Used for Torchbearer, Lector, Cantor, and Subdeacon.
Cheirotonia | Ordination to major orders, by the laying on of hands by the bishop.

*Note: the term Archbishop does not always mean head of an Archeparchy/Province. It can mean the primate of a church, or it can be an honorific, varying by which church sui iuris they are in.
 
Very nice, Aramis. I like it. An excellent primer.

If you don’t mind, though, I’m going to offer one correction, and a few suggestions.

In the first grid, under Antioch, should read Syriac in all places.

The suggestions:


  1. *]Under Antioch, I think both Syriac and Chaldean should be asterisked. Much clearer that way.
    *]Again under Antioch, I suggest using Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara rather than the adjectival form.
    *]in the second grid, it might be good to work in the word Catholicos. Perhaps as a remark under Patriarch.
    *]the terms cheirothesis and Cheirotonia should, I think, be qualified as Greek terms used in the Byzantine tradition.
 
Actually, canon law refers the Rite of Antioch.
As does the source from which I drew for details.

Catholicos is a type of patriarch… but is utterly absent as a term in the CCEO, and they rank as patriarchs from what I can tell.

addendum to the definitions table
Catholicos, Katolikos | A type of patriach with no distinction under current canon law.
Catolicosate | Term for the patriarchal church headed by a Catholicos Patriarch. Not used in current canon laws.

As for the types of ordination; the terms are greek, the concepts are not restricted to Byzantine usage.

Additional table entry:

Types of Church Sui Iuris
Patriarchates | Marjor Archiepiscopal | Metropolitan | Eparchial | Exarchates | Other
Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, Syrian | Romanian, Syro-Malankar, Syro-Malabar, Ukrainian‡ | Ethiopian, Ruthenian****, Slovak, | Albanian, Bugarian, Križevci, Hungarian*, Italo-Albanian** | Greek, Macedonian, Russian*** | Belorussian†, (Russian***)
  • Also an Apostolic Exarchate exists
    ** Two Eparchies
    *** both exarchates are vacant
    **** One Eparchy and an Exarchate are not under the Metropolitan Church.
    † no hierarchy at all.
    ‡ The church is considered Major Archiepiscopal, but the primate is referred to internally as Patriarch.
 
Rite of: | Contantinople | Antioch | Alexandrian | Armenian

Also called: | Byzantine, Greek-Catholic | Syriac, Syrian*, Chaldean* | Coptic* |

Churches Sui Iuris: | * Albanian* Belarussian * Bulgarian* Czech* Krizevci* Greek* Hungarian* Italo-Albanian* Melkite* Romanian* Russian* Ruthenian* Slovak* Ukrainian
| West Syriac Sub-Rite* Maronite * Syrian* Syro-Malankar
East Syriac Sub-Rite* Chaldean* Syro-Malabar
|* Coptic* Ethiopian/Abyssinian*(Geez)
| * Armenian

derived from: ewtn.com/expert/answers/rites.htm
  • While improper, these terms are sometimes used.
Wikipedia:
The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous (in Latin, sui iuris) particular Churches in full communion with the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. They preserve the liturgical, theological and devotional traditions of the various Eastern Christian Churches with which they are associated, and between which doctrinal differences exist, in particular between the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy and the Assyrian Church of the East. They thus vary with regard to forms of liturgical worship, sacramental and canonical discipline, terminology, traditional prayers and practices of piety. But they recognize that their faith is not at variance with that of the other constituent Churches of the one Catholic Church, including the Latin or Western Church, all of which are of equal dignity. In particular, they recognize the central role of the Bishop of Rome within the College of Bishops. They preserve the special emphases and illuminations that Eastern Christianity has developed over the centuries, some of which Pope John Paul II illustrated in his apostolic letter Orientale Lumen of 2 May 1995.

Most Eastern Catholic Churches have counterparts in other Eastern Churches, whether Assyrian or Oriental Orthodox, from whom they are separated by a number of theological concerns, or the Eastern Orthodox Churches, from whom they are separated primarily by differences in understanding of the role of the Bishop of Rome within the College of Bishops.

The Eastern Catholic Churches were located historically in Eastern Europe, the Asian Middle East, Northern Africa and India, but are now, because of migration, found also in Western Europe, the Americas and Oceania to the extent of forming full-scale ecclesiastical structures such as eparchies, alongside the Latin dioceses. One country, Eritrea, has only an Eastern Catholic hierarchy, with no Latin structure.

The terms Byzantine Catholics and Greek Catholic are used of those who belong to Churches that use the Byzantine liturgical rite. The terms Oriental Catholic and Eastern Catholic include these, but are broader, since they also cover Catholics who follow the Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian and Chaldean liturgical traditions.
Click to expand...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches

It should be noted that not all of the Byzantine Churches listed have Hierarchs (bishops); the Russian Rite, for example, has priests and parishes, but no bishops; the parishes are attached to Latin or Romanian Rite Eparchies. The Belorussian church is nearly extinct, lacking even priests.

Some Terminology
Term | Meaning (approximate)
Rite | A specific liturgical tradition arising from a particular patrimony. It is important to note that the term was used to refer to specific Churches Sui Iuris prior to 1960.
Rite (western) | in the Latin Rite, the various usages are often referred to as rites. The Ambrosian, Bragan, Carmelite, Carthusian, Dominican, and Mozarabic Rites are part of the Roman Church Sui Iuris, whose primate is also the Pope.
Church Sui Iuris | Autonomous Churches in Union with Rome. Literally, self governing, or autonomous. Each such church has it’s own form of the services of its own rite, and most have their own hierarchs.
Hierarchs | Bishops of Eparchies, Archeparchies, and Churches Sui Iuris, and the Pope. Auxilliary and Titular bishops are not properly hierarchs.
Eparchy | Diocese
Archeparchy | Archdiocese
Major Archiepiscopal Church | A Church Sui Iuris headed by a Major Archbishop
Patriarchate | A Church Sui Iuris headed by a Patriarch
Eparch | Bishop
Metropolitan | Bishop of an Archeparchy; Archbishop*.
Primate | The head bishop of a Church Sui Iuris with more than one bishop. May be a Metropolitan, Major Archbishop, or Patriarch
Major Archbishop | The primate of a Major Archiepiscopal Church. Functions nearly identically to a Patriarch. Candidate is elected by the synod, but formally appointed by the Pope.
Patriarch | Head of a Patriarchal Church Sui Iuris. May appoint, ordain and enthrone bishops within his traditional jurisdiction; elected by his synod, rather than appointed by Rome; and has immediate and ordinary jurisdiction over all bishops and dioceses of the Patriarchal Church Sui Iuris.
Patriarch (Latin) | The Latin Rite Patriarchs are archbishops for almost all purposes except precedence in ceremonies.
Ordain | the bishop appointing someone a minister; for major orders, it also makes them a cleric.
cheirothesis | Ordination to minor orders, by the bishop formally investing one with the tools of the order. Used for Torchbearer, Lector, Cantor, and Subdeacon.
Cheirotonia | Ordination to major orders, by the laying on of hands by the bishop.
Catholicos, Katolikos | Major Archbishop
Catholicos-Patriarch | A type of patriach with no distinction under current canon law.
Catolicosate | Term for the patriarchal church headed by a Catholicos Patriarch. Not used in current canon laws.

*Note: the term Archbishop does not always mean head of an Archeparchy/Province. It can mean the primate of a church, or it can be an honorific, varying by which church sui iuris they are in.

(continues)
 
(Continued)

Types of Church Sui Iuris
Patriarchates | Marjor Archiepiscopal | Metropolitan | Eparchial | Exarchates | Other
Armenian§, Chaldean§, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, Syrian | Romanian, Syro-Malankar§, Syro-Malabar, Ukrainian‡ | Ethiopian, Ruthenian****, Slovak, | Albanian, Bugarian, Križevci, Hungarian*, Italo-Albanian** | Greek, Macedonian, Russian*** | Belorussian†, (Russian***)
  • Also an Apostolic Exarchate exists
    ** Two Eparchies
    *** both exarchates are vacant
    **** One Eparchy and an Exarchate are not under the Metropolitan Church.
    † no hierarchy at all.
    ‡ The church is considered Major Archiepiscopal, but the primate is referred to internally as Patriarch.
    § The Armenian and Chaldean Patriarchs are called Catholicos Patriarchs. The Syro-Malankar Major Archbishop uses the term Catholicos instead of Major Archbishop.
Notes on old Terms
Term | preferred term | Notes
Uniate | Eastern Catholic Church or Church in Union With Rome | Uniate is often considered derogatory, and its use is proscribed on Catholic Answers
Rite | Church Sui Iuris | The Term Rite used to be used interchangeably for the Current term Rite, and the Current Term Church Sui Iuris
Ritual Church | Church Sui Iuris | Used to differentiate uses of Rite in older documents to mean a specific church
 
Aramis said:
… As for the types of ordination; the terms are Greek, the concepts are not restricted to Byzantine usage.
Additional table entry:

Types of Church Sui Iuris
Patriarchates | Marjor Archiepiscopal | Metropolitan | Eparchial | Exarchates | Other
Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, Syrian | Romanian, Syro-Malankar, Syro-Malabar, Ukrainian‡ | Ethiopian, Ruthenian****, Slovak, | Albanian, Bugarian, Križevci, Hungarian*, Italo-Albanian** | Greek, Macedonian, Russian*** | Belorussian†, (Russian***)
  • Also an Apostolic Exarchate exists
    ** Two Eparchies
    *** both exarchates are vacant
    **** One Eparchy and an Exarchate are not under the Metropolitan Church.
    † no hierarchy at all.
    ‡ The church is considered Major Archiepiscopal, but the primate is referred to internally as Patriarch.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the making the adjustments. And thanks especially for adjusting the tables to read Syriac. The original error, though, seems to have appeared in one more place: the last table (Types of Churches). Of course that should also read Syriac.

Granted that the concept of the types of ordinations is not restricted to the Byzantines, but the Greek terms are not used in the Syriac Churches. I think the easy way out is to preface the definition under “meaning” with “Greek term for ordination …” and we’ll be in sync.

BTW, I do not speak any Slavic languages and the word Križevci has me puzzled. From the diacritical, it appears to be Czech. All the others appear in their Anglicized form, so I have to ask: is there a particular reason why this one does not?

This is really starting to look better and better. Kudos! 👍
 
malphono said:
Thanks for the making the adjustments. And thanks especially for adjusting the tables to read Syriac. The original error, though, seems to have appeared in one more place: the last table (Types of Churches). Of course that should also read Syriac.

Granted that the concept of the types of ordinations is not restricted to the Byzantines, but the Greek terms are not used in the Syriac Churches. I think the easy way out is to preface the definition under “meaning” with “Greek term for ordination …” and we’ll be in sync.

BTW, I do not speak any Slavic languages and the word Križevci has me puzzled. From the diacritical, it appears to be Czech. All the others appear in their Anglicized form, so I have to ask: is there a particular reason why this one does not?

This is really starting to look better and better. Kudos! 👍
Click to expand...
Why? Because I don’t know the non-diacritical form, not having seen it rendered with any other spelling, and the other slavic forms are normally not rendered with diacritics anyway.

the ž is pronounced like the s in pleasure or measure.
the c is pronounced as a ts… and it is Czech and/or Slavonic.

That’s the only name for that diocese I’ve ever seen.
 
malphono said:
BTW, I do not speak any Slavic languages and the word Križevci has me puzzled. From the diacritical, it appears to be Czech. All the others appear in their Anglicized form, so I have to ask: is there a particular reason why this one does not?
Click to expand...
*Križevci *is Croatian not Czech…
 
And where exactly does the US Byzantine Catholic church fit into all this?
 
The BCC is probably being refered to as Ruthenian in the chart.
 
Formosus said:
The BCC is probably being refered to as Ruthenian in the chart.
Click to expand...
As it is in the formal labels of the dioceses… Officially, the Eurpean Diocese and exarchate are still part of the Ruthenian Church, as is the Metropolitan Church.

Really, they should be two separate Sui Iuris churches… but they are not. Or at least two metropolia, one American and one Ruthenian. But again, they are not.

The Metropolitan Synod does not include the European Ruthenians, but the reports on membership do…

BTW, Rome uses the term Ruthenian Church-USA this year…

vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_22_xii-ordinaria-2008/02_inglese/b01_02.html

Perhaps we should add a note about that name issue…

Some Oddities to be aware of
It is worthy of notice that not all particular Sui Iuris Churches are known by their formal names. The Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh is part of, and at present, the representative body of, the Ruthenian Church Sui Iuris. The Exarchate and the Eparchy in Europe are part of the Ruthenian Church Sui Iuris, but not part of the Metropolitan Church, which is the functioning Sui Iuris church. The European Ruthenians function as an Eparchial Church and as an Apostolic Exarchate.
 
In re: Syrian/Syriac, same source as before, the Syrian Church of Antioch is referred to in the Vatican Document of this year. As is Syro Catholic Church.

from the untranslated of the same document:

Synodus Ecclesiae Syriae Catholicae

Ex designatione:
  • Exc.mus D.nus Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Archiepiscopus titularis Tagritensis (Takrit dei Siri), Procurator Antiochiae Syrorum in Urbe (Syria)
and

Consilium Ecclesiae Ruthenae

Ex officio:
  • Exc.mus D.nus Basil Myron Schott, O.F.M., Archiepiscopus Metropolita Pittsburgensis ritus byzantini (Pittsburg dei Bizantini), Praeses Consilii Ecclesiae Ruthenae
vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_22_xii-ordinaria-2008/xx_plurilingue/b01_xx.html
 
Aramis said:
Really, they should be two separate Sui Iuris churches… but they are not. Or at least two metropolia, one American and one Ruthenian. But again, they are not.
Click to expand...
But, according to your chart, it’s only the US and SLOVAKIA that have Metropolitans so how can “Ruthenia” also have a Metropolitan?

You need to get your terminology together:nerd:
 
Aramis said:
In re: Syrian/Syriac, same source as before, the Syrian Church of Antioch is referred to in the Vatican Document of this year. As is Syro Catholic Church.

from the untranslated of the same document:

Synodus Ecclesiae Syriae Catholicae

Ex designatione:
  • Exc.mus D.nus Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Archiepiscopus titularis Tagritensis (Takrit dei Siri), Procurator Antiochiae Syrorum in Urbe (Syria)
and

Consilium Ecclesiae Ruthenae

Ex officio:
  • Exc.mus D.nus Basil Myron Schott, O.F.M., Archiepiscopus Metropolita Pittsburgensis ritus byzantini (Pittsburg dei Bizantini), Praeses Consilii Ecclesiae Ruthenae
vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_22_xii-ordinaria-2008/xx_plurilingue/b01_xx.html
Click to expand...
Yes, it is indeed rendered that way in Latin. The problem is in English where the word “Syrian” has a particular political connotation. That is the reason that the various Churches have adopted the word Syriac in English. (In French I believe it has traditionally been rendered église syriaque. In Syriac (and other Semitic languages as well), there is a built-in differentiation so it’s a non-issue there.)

BTW, no problem in English with the constructed form (i.e., Syro-xxx).
 
Patchunky said:
But, according to your chart, it’s only the US and SLOVAKIA that have Metropolitans so how can “Ruthenia” also have a Metropolitan?

You need to get your terminology together:nerd:
Click to expand...
I was under the impression that parts of Eastern Slovakia were traditionally called Ruthenia, so it doesn’t seem that inaccurate in that case.
 
Patchunky said:
But, according to your chart, it’s only the US and SLOVAKIA that have Metropolitans so how can “Ruthenia” also have a Metropolitan?

You need to get your terminology together:nerd:
Click to expand...
You need to realize that the terminology is that used by Rome, and thus not something I have control over. I choose to use the Roman terms, since the majority of those using a reference thread WILL be Roman Church Latin Rite.

I am aware, Patchunky, of your opinion of the continued use of the term Ruthenian for the BCCA (as many refer to it) AKA the BCMCoP,SI; Rome isn’t, and apparently disagrees with it anyway, since it continues to refer to the Pittsburgh Metropolia as Ruthenian, even when the Metropolia doesn’t.

Ruthenian in this context, and in the Reporting of Members of the various Sui Iuris churches, includes the BCMCoP and the European Ruthenians… it’s not a terminology issue I can nor should fix. Tho’, if it particularly upsets you, you might write to the Vatican Press Office and complain to them… And to EWTN, who also uses the term Ruthenian… and to GCatholic.com, and several others who base their terminology on what Rome used and still uses. (Note that the USCCB changed from using Ruthenian in the last year…)

And, of course, the also thoroughly American Orthodox particular Church, the American Carpetho-Rusyn Orthodox Diocese, who use Carpetho-Rusyn, even as they, like the BCCA, are less and less ethnic.
 
Aramis said:
I am aware, Patchunky, of your opinion of the continued use of the term Ruthenian for the BCCA (as many refer to it) AKA the BCMCoP,SI; Rome isn’t, and apparently disagrees with it anyway, since it continues to refer to the Pittsburgh Metropolia as Ruthenian, even when the Metropolia doesn’t
Click to expand...
I don’t know how you can be aware of my opinion since I’ve don’t have an opinion about the term and how’s it’s used by the Byzantine Catholic Church in America.

However, why do you continue to say that Czechs are Byzantine Rite Catholics when they aren’t? The Byzantine Rite Catholics who live in the Czech Republic are all immigrants from Eastern Slovakia and Western Ukraine and call them selves either Rusyn or Ukrainian… gee, sounds like the USA doesn’t it???

If you’re so “throughly Ruthenianized” you’d know this…🤷
 
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