What is Eastern Catholicism?

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I’m full of questions at this site since I’m learning about Catholicism and don’t know what Eastern Catholicism is? Is it different from Roman Catholicism? ( Is it similar to how say there are different Lutheran churches?! )

Thanks,
Mary
 
Most people are not aware that the “Catholic Church” is actually comprised of twenty-three independent Catholic Churches, all in union with the pope. The Western, or Latin Catholic Church, is so large, however, that many people, even Catholics, are completely unaware of the other twenty-two churches, which make up the Eastern Branch. (Some have from only a few thousand members to a few million.)

Originally, there was only one denomination… the Catholic Church (the word Catholic meaning “universal”). However, there were five cities that were singled out as being important centers of Christianity. They were Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and of course, Rome. Each developed its own unique traditions and liturgy, but ALL shared a common theology and were in communion with each other and the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. However, about 1000 years ago, due to a variety of unfortunate problems, the other four cities, allied with the Byzantine Empire, mutually broke off from Rome, forming the various Eastern Orthodox Churches. Although doctrinally, they are virtually identical to Catholics, they refuse to acknowledge that the pope is more than a “first among equals”. (A couple groups broke of much earlier in the 400s AD also, to form what are known as the Oriental Orthodox Churches).

What has happened is that over time, some portions of each of the various Orthodox groups have decided to reconcile with the Catholic Church and come back into communion with Rome. When they do, they are allowed to keep all of their traditions and much of their independence, although they acknowledge the authority of the Pope. They become truly Catholic, in that anyone from ANY branch of the Catholic Church can participate in the liturgy and ceremonies of any OTHER branch of the Catholic Church. The only two Eastern groups that never fell out of communion with the Catholic Church were the Maronite Catholic Church, and the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church. So… for every branch of the Orthodox Churches that are NOT in communion with Rome, there is a corresponding and virtually identical branch of the Eastern Catholic Church that IS in communion with Rome. Since their customs and liturgies date from before the Council of Trent, they are allowed to remain.

The following liturgies are used by the Eastern Catholic Churches:
  • The Liturgy of St. Basil
  • The Chaldean Mass
  • The Order of the Divine and Holy Liturgy of Our Father Among the Saints Gregory the Theologian (or Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts)
  • The Liturgy of St. James
  • The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
  • The Liturgy of St. Mark
  • The Holy Qorbono
continued…
 
Here is a listing that includes EACH of the twenty-three Catholic Churches in union with the Pope. Do not confuse “churches” with “rites”. A rite is a series of traditions, that includes different customs and liturgies. Several different churches may use the exact same rite. A Church has its own rules and separate line of authority to the Pope. It may also have a figure in charge, like a Metropolitan or a Patriarch (like an Archbishop), since these churches are generally very small and work very hard to preserve their unique traditions. The major rites are the Latin, Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine.
**
The Western (Latin) Catholic Church**
**
Latin liturgical tradition**
  1. Ordinary Form
  2. Extraordinary Form
  3. Ambrosian Rite (Only permitted in the Archdiocese of Milan)
  4. Mozarabic Rite (Only permitted in the Cathedral of Toledo, Spain and a few surrounding churches of the diocese)
  5. Bragan Rite (Only permitted in the Archdiocese of Braga, Portugal)
  6. Anglican-Use Mass (This form is permitted in the extremely rare circumstance in which an Anglican priest converts to Catholicism and brings his entire parish with him. In that event, a parish may continue to use the Anglican liturgy, with corrections to make it conform with Catholic teachings This is currently meant as a transitional liturgy, and upon the death of the pastor, the church reverts to the Ordinary Form.)
Rites of Religious Orders (These are not technically rites per se, but rather small variants of the Roman liturgy. The Ambrosian, Mozarabic, and Bragan Rites fall into this category too.):
  1. Dominican Rite
  2. Carthusian Rite
  3. Carmelite Rite
  4. Cisternian Rite
**
The Eastern Catholic Churches**

1. Alexandrian liturgical tradition
  1. Coptic Catholic Church (patriarchate): Egypt (1741)
  2. Ethiopian Catholic Church (metropolia): Ethiopia, Eritrea (1846)
    2. Antiochian (Antiochene or West-Syrian) liturgical tradition
  3. Maronite Church (patriarchate): Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Argentina, Brazil, United States, Australia, Canada, Mexico (union re-affirmed 1182)
  4. Syriac Catholic Church (patriarchate): Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United States and Canada, Venezuela (1781)
  5. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (major archiepiscopate): India, United States (1930)
    3. Armenian liturgical tradition:
  6. Armenian Catholic Church (patriarchate): Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Ukraine, France, Greece, Latin America, Argentina, Romania, United States, Canada, Eastern Europe (1742)
    4. Chaldean or East Syrian liturgical tradition:
  7. Chaldean Catholic Church (patriarchate): Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, United States (1692)
  8. Syro-Malabar Church (major archiepiscopate): India, Middle East, Europe and America.
    5. Byzantine (Constantinopolitan) liturgical tradition:
  9. Albanian Greek Catholic Church (apostolic administration): Albania (1628)
  10. Belarusian Greek Catholic Church (no established hierarchy at present): Belarus (1596)
  11. Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church (apostolic exarchate): Bulgaria (1861)
  12. Byzantine Church of the Eparchy of Križevci (an eparchy and an apostolic exarchate): Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (1611)
  13. Greek Byzantine Catholic Church (two apostolic exarchates): Greece, Turkey (1829)
  14. Hungarian Greek Catholic Church (an eparchy and an apostolic exarchate): Hungary (1646)
  15. Italo-Albanian Catholic Church (two eparchies and a territorial abbacy): Italy (Never separated)
  16. Macedonian Greek Catholic Church (an apostolic exarchate): Republic of Macedonia (1918)
  17. Melkite Greek Catholic Church (patriarchate): Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Jerusalem, Brazil, United States, Canada, Mexico, Iraq, Egypt and Sudan, Kuwait, Australia, Venezuela, Argentina (1726)
  18. Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic (major archiepiscopate): Romania, United States (1697)
  19. Russian Catholic Church: (two apostolic exarchates, at present with no published hierarchs): Russia, China (1905); currently about 20 parishes and communities scattered around the world, including five in Russia itself, answering to bishops of other jurisdictions
  20. Ruthenian Catholic Church (a sui juris metropolia, an eparchy, and an apostolic exarchate): United States, Ukraine, Czech Republic (1646)
  21. Slovak Greek Catholic Church (metropolia): Slovak Republic, Canada (1646)
  22. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (major archiepiscopate): Ukraine, Poland, United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Germany and Scandinavia, France, Brazil, Argentina (1595)
 
mlz said:
I’m full of questions at this site since I’m learning about Catholicism and don’t know what Eastern Catholicism is? Is it different from Roman Catholicism? ( Is it similar to how say there are different Lutheran churches?! )

Thanks,
Mary
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It is similar to the differences between Lutheran Synods, but only vaguely.

Where the Lutheran Synods basically agree on the liturgy (the LCW is the LCW, after all), they differ in the doctrine and much of the teachings.

The 23 Catholic Churches agree on the dogma, share almost all the doctrine, and many of the theology and lesser teachings. They are united in that they are in communion with the pope, and accept that the pope has universal jurisdiction just like a patriarch has jurisdiction within his whole patriarchate, not just the archeparhy he holds as his seat. They differ widely in their liturgies and vestments. There are 6 major families: Roman, Byzantine, Alexandrian (coptic), West Syrian/West Syriac, East Syrian/East Syriac, Armenian.

Except for the Armenian, each has several usages, differing geographically, and having subtle differences.

The Byzantines break down into pretty much 3 groups… Slavonic, Greek, and Syro-Greek… each with some minor differences in what goes where, which parts of the prosphora are used for communion, and other such niggling details.

Administratively, however, the similarity is strongest. Where the various lutheran synods each are independent, but part of the grand synod of the Lutheran Church, each has it’s own ministers and bishops. The Catholic churches each have Bishops, Priests and Deacons, most also have subdeacons, lectors and acolytes as “instituted ministers” or “minor orders” and a few still ordain/install torchbearers, cantors, and porters… And each church’s synod answers to the Pope, through its head bishop (the primate; depending upon the specific church he may be bishop, metropolitan, archbishop, Catholicos, Catholicos-Patriarch, or Patriarch). Each operates autonomously, but united with Rome and the grand synod of the Catholic Church, which meets only rarely, in the Ecumenical Council, and the council of the eastern primates.

The biggest difference is the Catholics’ factual unity of the core belief, and the absolute interchangability of sacramental belief across the various catholic churches… we all share the same fundamental understanding of the seven divinely instituted sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation/Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconcilliation, Unction, Marriage, and Holy Orders [Major only: deacon, priest, and bishop].
 
I’m full of questions at this site since I’m learning about Catholicism and don’t know what Eastern Catholicism is? Is it different from Roman Catholicism? ( Is it similar to how say there are different Lutheran churches?! )
Click to expand...
Thanks,
Mary
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Glory be to Jesus Christ! Dear Mary - an excellent place to start is the very nice document on the Eastern Catholic Churches available online through the Knights of Columbus written by His Grace Bishop +Basil Losten, a Ukrainian Eastern Catholic Bishop.

www.kofc.org/un/eb/en/resources/cis/CIS342.pdf
 
Hi, my name is JMartyr and I was wondering if anyone knew of anything online concerning Eastern Catholicism, particularly catechetical. Í’ve asked this question before and gotten no response

Thanks.
 
Rites of Religious Orders (These are not technically rites per se, but rather small variants of the Roman liturgy. The Ambrosian, Mozarabic, and Bragan Rites fall into this category too.):

**The Mozarabic rite (aka Divine Liturgy of Ss Isidore and Leander) is NOT a “small variation” oif the Roman Rite, but something entirely different. It’s not Roman but is clearly western. Among other features, the Canon differs for each day.

It’s hard to tell with the Ambrosian Liturgy (Divine Liturgy of St. Ambrose) how much of it is truly Milanese, how much is general Italian use, and how much it has been Romanized. While it uses the Roman Canon, the text has some differences.

And the Divine Office in both is quite different from the Roman or even Monastic Office.

Both of these liturgies are available on line in both English and Latin.**
 
mlz said:
don’t know what Eastern Catholicism is? Is it different from Roman Catholicism? ( Is it similar to how say there are different Lutheran churches?!
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“Roman Catholicism” is almost allways used incorrectly. People use it to refer to the entire Catholic Church, which is incorrect. There is a ‘Roman’ Catholic Church, to be sure, but it is only part of The Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church is actually a communion of 23 Sui Juris Churches. The term Roman Catholic is actually incorrect when referring to the entire Catholic Church in communion with the See of St. Peter. The term ‘Roman’ Catholic is a relatively modern term, and one, moreover, that is confined largely to the English language. In the First Vatican Council in 1870, in fact, the term Roman Catholic was nowhere included in any of the Council’s official documents about the Church herself, and the term was not included.
Similarly, nowhere in the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council will you find the term Roman Catholic. Pope Paul VI signed all the documents of the Second Vatican Council as “I, Paul. Bishop of the Catholic Church.” Simply that – Catholic Church. There are references the Roman rite, etc., but when the adjective Roman is used, it refers to the Diocese of Rome!

Roman Rite is not co-terminus with the Church as a whole; that would mean neglecting the Byzantine, Chaldean, Maronite or other Oriental rites which are all very much part of the Catholic Church with whom the Holy See of St. Peter is in Communion.
There are a number of Churches sui iuris that, together, constitute the Catholic Church – There are Western, Eastern and Oriental Churches. The term sui iuris means, literally, “of their own law”, or self-governing. These various Churches (canon 112) are “autonomous ritual Churches”. Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops.

Here, then, is a break-out most frequently referenced members of The Catholic Church:
  • **Alexandrean **
  • Coptic Catholic Church
  • Ethiopian **Catholic Church **Eritrean Catholic Church
  • Antiochene
  • Syro-Malabarese Catholic Churc
  • Syriac Catholic Church
  • Syro-Malankarese Catholic Churc
  • Armenian Catholic Church
  • Byzantine
  • Byzantine-Greek Tradition
  • Greek Rescension
  • Albanian Catholic Church
  • Greek Catholic Church
  • Grieco-Arabic Rescension
  • Melkite Catholic Church
  • Grieco-Georgian Rescension
  • Georgian Catholic Church
  • Grieco-Italian Rescension
  • Italo-Grieco-Albanian Catholic Church
  • Italo-Albanian Catholic Church
  • Italo-Greek Catholic Church
  • Byzantine-Slav Tradition
  • Great Russian Rescension
  • Belarusan Catholic Church
  • Bulgarian Catholic Church
  • Russian Catholic Churc
  • Romanian Catholic Church
  • Ruthenian Rescension
  • Croatian Catholic Church
  • Includes* the Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia & Montenegro for Faithful of the Eastern Rite*
  • Hungarian Catholic Church
  • Ruthenian Catholic Church
Slovakian Catholic Church
  • Ukrainian Catholic Church
  • Chaldean Catholic Church
  • Arabic Usage
  • Maronite Catholic Church
  • Latin (Roman)
  • Roman Catholic Church (This is the “Roman” Catholic Church)
  • **Anglican Use
  • Other Western Churches
  • Ambrosian Rite
  • Bragan Rite
  • Mozarabic Rite
  • Monastic Usages
There are literally tens of millions of these Catholics who are all in communion with the Holy See of St. Peter that are not “Roman” Catholic.* So, you see that the Catholic Church is comprised of much more than the Roman Catholics.*
 
Ignatius,

The Syro-Malabarese Catholic Church in your list actually falls within the Chaldean tradition, rather than the Antiochene tradition.

Also, the Maronite Church falls within the Antiochene tradition, though they do have a usage of this tradition that is a little different from the usage of their Syriac and Syro-Malankarese Catholic brethren.

God bless,

Rony
 
I would like also to correct Ignatius’ post on the Roman Catholic Church:

(1) The Roman Catholic Church (or the Latin Church; Roman Church; Church of Rome) solely represents the West in the Catholic communion of Churches. There are no other “Western” Churches in the communion. It is the only particular Church that uses several rites extant today.

(2) The 22 Eastern Catholic Churches, however, are grouped under several Rites, e.g., the Byzantine Rite (or Constantinopolitan Rite) is used by, or common among, 14 Eastern Catholic Churches.

(3) The RCC uses principally the Roman (or Latin) Rite which covers at least 99% of all Catholics. The Roman or Latin Rite has 3 “variants”: (a) the Ordinary Form (or Novus Ordo); (b) the Extraordinary Form (or the TLM); and (c) the Anglican Use, “indulted” for whole Episcopal (or Anglican) parishes which converted to the Catholic Church.

(4) The Roman Catholic Church also uses 6 other Rites, limited geographically and to certain religious orders. These are not separate or independent “Western” Churches:

(a) Mozarabic, the Rite of the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), although it is now restricted to the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Toledo, Spain, and six parishes which sought permission to adhere to it;

(b) Ambrosian, the Rite of the Archdiocese of Milan, Italy, although not by all parishes;

(c) Bragan, the Rite of the Archdiocese of Braga, the Primatial See of Portugal, although it continues to be used occasionally;

(d) Dominican , the Rite of the Order of Friars Preacher (OP);

(e) Carmelite, the Rite of the Order of Carmel; and

(f) Carthusian, the Rite of the Carthusian Order.
 
Amadeus said:
…
a) Mozarabic, the Rite of the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), although it is now restricted to the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Toledo, Spain, and six parishes which sought permission to adhere to it;
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I believe that fairly recently, the Benedictine Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, at least, was also granted indult to use it.
(d) Dominican , the Rite of the Order of Friars Preacher (OP);

(e) Carmelite, the Rite of the Order of Carmel; and

(f) Carthusian, the Rite of the Carthusian Order.
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Two small comments if I may:

(1) I think there should be a (g) to include the Cistercian usage.

(2) The Carmelite usage is currently (and unfortunately) in a coma.
 
malphono said:
I believe that fairly recently, the Benedictine Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, at least, was also granted indult to use it.

Two small comments if I may:

(1) I think there should be a (g) to include the Cistercian usage.

(2) The Carmelite usage is currently (and unfortunately) in a coma.
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I think the Cistercians have chosen to celebrate Mass according to the Roman Rite since after Vatican II, retaining only their Liturgy of the Hours.

As to the Carmelites, they decided to abandon their traditional rite in favor of the Roman Rite in their General Chapter in 1971. However, I think Rome has not officially reacted to it?
 
Amadeus said:
I think the Cistercians have chosen to celebrate Mass according to the Roman Rite since after Vatican II.

As to the Carmelites, they decided to abandon their traditional rite in favor of the Roman Rite in their General Chapter in 1971. However, I think Rome has not officially reacted to it.
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(1) The Cistercians retain the option by Abbey. One example is very recent, (within the past 6 months) when the Abbey of Mariawald (OCSO) reverted to the ancient Cistercian usage.

(2) Which is why I said the Carmelite usage is in a coma. Actually, (and I could be wrong about this), I think in that General Chapter the Carmelites “went provincial” meaning that the option was localized. For a time after 1971, I recall that the Carmelite usage was still alive in Italy, at least in some places.

The actual situation may be similar to the rescript that allows the traditional Dominican usage on the authority of the Prior Provincial, except that no Carmelite Provincial has done so. I do know that there is some interest in resurrecting it, but whether that will bear fruit or not remains to be seen. Of course it’s all academic now since it is, for all practical purposes, moribund.
 
malphono said:
(1) The Cistercians retain the option by Abbey. One example is very recent, (within the past 6 months) when the Abbey of Mariawald (OCSO) reverted to the ancient Cistercian usage.

(2) Which is why I said the Carmelite usage is in a coma. Actually, (and I could be wrong about this), I think in that General Chapter the Carmelites “went provincial” meaning that the option was localized. For a time after 1971, I recall that the Carmelite usage was still alive in Italy, at least in some places.

The actual situation may be similar to the rescript that allows the traditional Dominican usage on the authority of the Prior Provincial, except that no Carmelite Provincial has done so. I do know that there is some interest in resurrecting it, but whether that will bear fruit or not remains to be seen. Of course it’s all academic now since it is, for all practical purposes, moribund.
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Thanks, malphono!

It’s good to know that there are new developments in this regard.
 
Ronyodish and Amadeus,

Thank you both for the corrections.

BTW, isn’t there some way to edit my post so I can include these corrections?

God bless.
 
BTW, isn’t there some way to edit my post so I can include these corrections?
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Ignatius,

There is a time limit on posts that can be edited. After you post, the system lets you go back and edit, but only for a short time.

If you want, you can always make a new post and include in it a modified version of your earlier post.

God bless,

Rony
 
Ignatius said:
Ronyodish and Amadeus,

Thank you both for the corrections.

BTW, isn’t there some way to edit my post so I can include these corrections?

God bless.
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Dear Ignatius:

After submitting your post, there appears an “edit” button below it which allows you to edit your current post.

Once that “edit” button disappears, your opportunity to edit is gone. Although I have not counted the minutes allowed by this Board for you to edit. 😃
 
Dear sister Mary,
mlz said:
I’m full of questions at this site since I’m learning about Catholicism and don’t know what Eastern Catholicism is? Is it different from Roman Catholicism? ( Is it similar to how say there are different Lutheran churches?! )
Click to expand...
Aside from all the learned posts already given, I would like to add the following:
Within what is commonly termed “Eastern Catholicism,” there is a further and legitimate (IMHO) differentiation of which you should be aware- there is the Eastern Tradition (primarily Byzantine, slavic), and there is the Oriental Tradition (primarily Syriac, Armenian, Coptic, Indian).

Easterns and Orientals share many things in common distinct from the Latins; at the same time Orientals and Latins share many things in common distinct from the Easterns. And Orientals would not Traditionally engage in the debates that Easterns and Latins do (e.g., the theological debates about Essence/Energy, the issue of leavened/unleavened bread, etc.).

Blessings,
Marduk
 
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