Introduction on Eastern Catholicism: An Expression of the Universal Church

Photo: Meeting of the Eastern Rite Catholic Bishops of Europe, Oradea, 16-19 Sep. 2024

The Eastern Catholic Church is an ancient branch of the Catholic Church, that has and continues to exist alongside the Latin rite tradition, with both being part of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. While the Latin rite branch of the Catholic Church consists of one rite, the Eastern Catholicism consists of many different churches, which include rites such as the Byzantine, Maronite, Melkite and Chaldean rites.

Each of these and the other rites each hold on to a distinctive theological, spiritual and liturgical tradition. While the traditions differ in worship and practice, both are correct and in acknowledging their diversity St. Pope John Paul II, in Orientale Lumen stated “The Christian East has so much to say to the Christian West and vice versa. The unity we seek is not absorption but communion in truth and love.”

Photo: Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom at Westminster Cathedral on 28th October. Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk (pictured above), Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Within their proper traditions, the Latin Rite follows the Roman Missal, celebrating the Novus Ordo or the Tridentine Latin mass, Eastern Catholics on the other hand celebrate the Divine Liturgy, consisting of different forms of which are some as the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil and Mar Addai and Mar Mari. Furthermore, when it comes to their differences of theology and spirituality, Eastern Catholicism emphasizes divinization and mysticism, seeing salvation as a journey into becoming one with God, while Latin tradition, which also recognizes the mystical aspect of the faith would more often focus on the scholastic and systematic expressions of the faith.

Eastern Catholicism traces its roots to the earliest Christian communities that were established in regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, flourishing in lands that were heavily influenced by Syriac, Coptic and Greek traditions. On the other side, the Latin Church developed mainly in the Western Roman Empire. Although they differ in tradition, worship and liturgies, this is seen not as a opposition of one another but rather as two different expressions of the same faith.

Pope Benedict XVI, stated:

“The Church breathes with two lungs – East and West – and must learn anew to draw upon both in order to experience her fulness.”

He points out the danger of solely focusing on one tradition over the other, and points to the importance of recognizing both traditions as being a necessity for the universal Church to be enriched spiritually. This goes to what Christ instructed the apostles “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).   

Although both the Eastern Rite Churches and the Latin Rite are in full communion with the pope, the Eastern Churches have a different governance system consisting of patriarchs, metropolitans and hold yearly synods to discuss matters of their respective church, with all of the decisions being made in full communion with the pope but still holding on to a certain autonomy when it comes to internal affairs.

Much more can, and will be said about Eastern Catholicism, the hope of this article was to serve as an introduction to the vast and diverse communion of the Catholic Church. In embracing both traditions Catholics are able to gain a fuller appreciation of the Church’s tradition and grow in their understanding of the One God, discovering a deeper way to live and practice the faith. The mission is clear, both traditions are expressions of a proclamation of the Gospels, bringing people into Communion with Christ.