What are the Eastern Catholic churches?

The Eastern Catholic churches are an active branch of Catholicism but are distinct from the Roman Catholic Church. In other words, the Eastern Catholic churches are Catholic, but they are not Roman Catholic. They do not follow the Latin tradition but have their own liturgical, theological, and cultural traditions. At present, there are twenty-three Eastern Catholic churches, representing five different rites, that can be called Eastern Catholic. They are in full communion with the pope and have papal permission to use different liturgies. The Eastern Catholic churches are also called Eastern-Rite Catholic churches.

The history of Eastern Catholicism can be linked to the expansion of Christianity beyond the Roman Empire. Some of these churches trace their apostolic origins to disciples other than Peter. Many of these churches represent amalgamations with the Eastern Orthodox Church, keeping their Eastern traditions while accepting papal supremacy. Each church within Eastern Catholicism is autonomous and takes care to preserve its own traditions, language, and history.

Eastern Catholic churches hold to the same dogmas as the Roman Catholic Church. The theological emphasis may be a little different, but the basic theology is the same. Eastern liturgies are richer in symbolism and mysticism than those of the Latin rite, and the rituals are more elaborate. Sometimes different terminology is used. For example, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as it is called in the West, is called Holy Qurbono in some of the Eastern Catholic churches.

Church documents speak of a “lawful variety” within the Catholic Church. Catholics embrace the diversity: “In the study of revelation East and West have followed different methods, and have developed differently their understanding and confession of God’s truth. It is hardly surprising, then, if from time to time one tradition has come nearer to a full appreciation of some aspects of a mystery of revelation than the other, or has expressed it to better advantage. In such cases, these various theological expressions are to be considered often as mutually complementary rather than conflicting” (Unitatis Redintegratio, Second Vatican Council, III.i.17, 1964).

The Eastern Catholic churches are distinct and self-governed by their own law and liturgical practices. This autonomy is seen in their various hierarchical structures involving patriarchs, major archbishops, and metropolitans. The twenty-three sui iuris in Eastern Catholicism are as follows:

Alexandrian Rite
Coptic Catholic Church
Eritrean Catholic Church
Ethiopian Catholic Church

West Syrian (or Antiochene) Rite
Maronite Catholic Church
Syriac Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Armenian Rite
Armenian Catholic Church
East Syrian (or Chaldean) Rite
Chaldean Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

Constantinopolitan (or Byzantine) Rite
Albanian Catholic Church
Belarusian Catholic Church
Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church
Byzantine Church of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (or Križevci Catholic Church)
Greek Byzantine Catholic Church
Hungarian Greek Catholic Church
Italo-Albanian Catholic Church
Macedonian Catholic Church
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Romanian Catholic Church
Russian Catholic Church
Ruthenian Catholic Church (also known as the Byzantine Catholic Church in America)
Slovak Catholic Church
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The Eastern Catholic churches claim 20 million are members worldwide. The largest sui iuris is the Syro-Malabar Church, and the Ukrainian Greek Church is the second largest.