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The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous particular churches of the Catholic Church, in full communion with the Pope in Rome.
- 18 million
- Eastern Christianity
At the Council of Chalcedon, the dioceses of Thrace, Pontus, and Asia were absorbed in order to legitimize Constantinople as the see of St. Andrew, the brother of Peter. Currently, there are 16 Eastern Orthodox Churches and 15 Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite. 10. The Patriarchal Melkite Catholic Church.
Nov 7, 2023 · The short answer is that the Eastern Catholic Churches believe everything that the Roman Catholic Church also affirms. We share the same Faith! If we didn’t share the same Faith, we’d have no grounds for communion with one another.
- What Percentage of Catholics Are Roman vs. Eastern Catholics?
- Different “Rites” of Catholicism
- History of Eastern Catholicism
- Sacramental Differences
- Eucharist and Divine Liturgy/ Mass
- Icons and Eastern Catholics
- Can Eastern Catholic Priests Get Married?
- The “Two Lungs” of The Church
- Resources For Eastern Catholics
Although much, much smaller in number than Roman Catholics, these Catholics are Eastern Catholics, members of one of the 23 “sui juris” (or “self-governing”) Eastern Catholic Churches that exist in full communion with the Pope of Rome, and have their own unique hierarchy, spirituality, and customs. According to the most recent data, Eastern Catholi...
While Roman Catholics are considered part of the “Latin Church” and use the Roman Rite, each of the Eastern Catholic Churches use one of five different Eastern Rites: 1. Alexandrian Rite 2. Armenian Rite 3. Byzantine Rite 4. East Syriac Rite 5. West Syriac Rite. This means that things like the liturgy and other liturgical customs will be quite diff...
The history of how these Eastern Catholic Churches came to exist can be a bit complicated. After the Apostles received the great commission to “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), they went to various parts of the world. The Church became established in places like Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Patriarchs...
One example of the difference in Eastern Catholic practice versus Roman Catholic practice is that in most Eastern Catholic Churches, the Sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation (the Eastern Catholic term for Confirmation), and the Holy Eucharist are ordinarily administered at the same time, one after the other, to infants. Infants are baptized with full...
Another difference is reception of Holy Communion. Roman Catholics are welcome to receive Holy Communion at Eastern Catholic parishes, and attending a Divine Liturgy (the Eastern Catholic “Mass”) on Sundays or Holy Days will fulfill a Roman Catholic’s Mass obligation.But it might be helpful to know that, while Roman Catholics use unleavened bread t...
Another Eastern Catholic practice that differs from Roman Catholic practice is our use of iconography instead of statutes or other forms of sacred art. Icons are sacred images of holy people or holy events, and they are filled with rich symbolism. Each color, shape, object, and form presented in an icon has a very specific and meaningful purpose, a...
You may also notice that many Eastern Catholic priests are married men.This can be jarring at first for Roman Catholics, who are used to priests being celibate! This long-standing tradition in the Eastern Churches arose from apostolic times, and has continued into the modern day. It’s important to note that a priest does not marry after ordination,...
The Christian East and West are sometimes seen as “two lungs” of the Church, both needed for the full health and well-being of Christ’s Church on earth. Though Eastern Catholic traditions are different from those of the Roman Catholic Church, those differences can still exist in harmony and unity with one another, and the Eastern Churches are consi...
The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous, self-governing particular churches in full communion with the Pope. Together with the Latin Church, they... © 2020 EasternCatholics.org .
Eastern Catholic Churches. The Catholic Church is actually composed of 24 churches — one Latin (Roman), which comprises perhaps 98% of all Catholics worldwide, and 23 "Eastern" or “Oriental” churches. All recognize the authority of the papacy, but within the parameters of a shared creed, each church has its own forms of liturgy, devotions ...
May 7, 2016 · This essay will serve as an introduction for those Roman Catholics who are not very familiar with the Eastern Catholic Churches. Oftentimes, when one passes one of these churches, you’ll hear the comment “Wait, it doesn’t say ‘Roman’ Catholic….
