The Eastern Catholic Rites

1 – The Eastern Catholic Rites

            Christianity in the early centuries spread rapidly throughout the ancient Middle East and Europe. The countries which were located East of the Mediterranean Sea had their own liturgies celebrated in their local languages. The Fathers of the Church labeled these churches as Eastern Rites  while Rome, located west of the Mediterranean Sea  represented the Western (Latin) Rite. The major original Eastern Rites were Antiochene, Alexandrian, Byzantine and later Armenian.

            Each of the Eastern Rites are divided into sub-divisions which use, for the most part, their own language and have their adaptations of their mother rite.  For the Antiochene Rite, it uses Aramaic as its principal language and is divided into east and west. It receives its name after the town of Antioch where for the first time the followers of Christ were named Christians around the year 40 A.D. (Acts 11:26). The East Antiochene Rite includes the Chaldean-Assyrian and the Malabrese Rites. The West Antiochene Rite is made of the Syrian, Malankarese and the Maronite Rites.  The Alexandrian Rite uses Coptic as its principal language for celebration of its liturgies and is sub-divided into the Coptic and Ethiopic Rites.  The Byzantine Rite uses Greek as its principle language.

2 – The Eastern Catholic Churches

            The Catholic Church is currently comprised of twenty-two autonomous churches which enjoy a status of relative independent self-governance vis-à-vis the Roman Pontiff with whom they are in full communion and who person universal communion is realized.

            The following is a list of the Eastern Catholic autonomous churches arranged according to the tradition which they observe:

I – Alexandrian: 1- Coptic, 2- Ethiopian

            II - Antiochene: 3- Malankar, 4- Maronite, 5- Syrian

III – Constantinopolitan: 6- Albanian, 7- Belorussian, 8- Bulgarian,
9- Greek, 10- Hungarian, 11- Italo-Albanian, 12- Melkite, 13- Romanian, 14- Russian, 15- Ruthenian, 16- Slovac, 17- Ukranian, 18-Chroatian,19-Serbian, 20-Slovenian, 21-Bosnian,

           20-Macedonian,   21-Montenegrian

            IV - Armenian: 19- Armenian

            V – Chaldean: 20 – Chaldean, 21- Malabar, 22- (Latin-Western Rite).

The following is a list of the Eastern Catholic autonomous churches organized according to their hierarchical status:

          I – Patriarchal churches

1.      Armenian Church

2.      Chaldean Church

3.      Coptic Church

4.      Latin Church

5.      Maronite Church

6.      Melkite Church

7.      Syrian Church

II - Major Archiepiscopal Church

8.  Ukranian Church

III – Metropolitan Churches

        9. Ethiopian Church

10.  Malabar Church

11.  Malankar Church

12.  Ruthenian Church

IV – Episcopal and other Churches

13.  Albanian Church

14.  Belorrusian Church

15.  Bulgarian Church

16.  Greek Church

17.  Hungarian Church

18.  Italo-Albanian Church

19.  Romanian Church

20.  Russian Church

21.  Slovak Church

22.  Croatian Church   

23. Serbian  Church

24. Slovenian Church

25. Bosnian Church

26. Macedonian  Church

27. Montenegrian  Church