| |
|
Western (or "Latin-Rite") Catholic bishops are subject directly to the Pope, but each Eastern-rite Catholic bishop is subject indirectly to the pope via one of six Catholic "patriarchs of the east", who sit in Alexandria, Antioch, Antelias, Baghdad, Beirut, and Damascus. (There is a seventh "patriarch" of the east in Jerusalem, but his church follows the Latin Rite, as his title is honorary, not juridical.)
These churches accept Catholic dogma, but retain their own hierarchies and liturgies, and follow some laws and customs that differ from those of Western church. They are subject to the "Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches" promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1991. For example, their priests need not be celibate, and their parish priests, rather than diocesan bishops, normally confirm parishioners, using the chrismation rite rather than the rite used in the west.
It should be noted that not all the "Western" churches follow the Roman rite, in fact, several Italian dioceses have their own rites and usually the orders will have their own rites (Dominicans, Jesuits).
| Table of contents |
|
2 List of Eastern-Rite churches 3 See also |
According to Catholic Tradition, the Catholic Church, in the fullest meaning of the term, includes apostolic churches (those having their authority handed down by the apostles) who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). This communion was lost over various theological disputes over what constitutes true belief (orthodoxy) vs. false opinion (heresy). When communion is lost, the situation is termed a "schism," meaning a "break," or "brokeness." Schism can also come about without heresy--for example, over jurisdictional or political disputes.
From the Catholic perspective, the following were the major schisms damaging or reducing the Catholic Church:
1-the Nestorian controversy, producing a Nestorian Church, once spreading over several dozen dioceses from Syria to China, producing a "Nestorian Church" or "Church of the East." This church is now quite small.
2-the Monophysite controversy, producing a "Monophysite" or "Oriental Orthodox Church" especially in Egypt/Ethiopia and Syria.
3-the Great Schism between Rome and "New Rome" (Constantinople)over political power and theological issues, including Roman primacy, the filioque, bread for communion and marriage/divorce. Those who did not side with Rome today are termed "Orthodox Churches" or the "Orthodox Church."
From a Roman perspective, these controversies developed on Eastern lands, and involved Eastern Churches using Eastern liturgies and theology. Those Eastern Churches who refused to acknowledge this schism continued to be Catholic. Those Churches who overcame the schism with Rome through various contacts and agreements were elevated to a fully Catholic status, and are also now called Eastern Catholic Churches.
Today the Eastern Catholic Churches are an important (and controversial) religious minority. They make up 2 percent of Catholic faithful, and less than 10 percent of Eastern Christians.
Among the larger Eastern Catholic Churches:
-the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of Kyiv(Kiev)/Halych, formerly called Ruthenian, which also included at one time, the Church in Belarus'.
-the Maronite Catholic Church, centered in Lebanon.
-the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of India (St. Thomas Christians)
-the Melkite Catholic Church centered in Syria, and extending to Lebanon and Israel for Arabs following the tradition of Constantinople.
-the Romanian Greek Catholic Church of Transylvania.
Historical background
List of Eastern-Rite churches