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The Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church

A fellow blogger recently asked what the differences were between the Catholic Church and the Byzantine Church. Rather then simply answer this specific question I decided that it might be more appropriate to explain the relationship among the various rites within the Catholic Church. Most of us, who are Catholic in North, South, or Central America belong to the Roman rite. Therefore we are called Roman Catholics, but there are others that are equally Catholic but not Roman by "rite". So what is the difference? Do the different rites have different beliefs?

I will start by quoting Vatican II:

THE PARTICULAR CHURCHES OR RITES
2. The holy Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, is made up of the faithful who are organically united in the Holy Spirit by the same faith, the same sacraments and the same government. They combine into different groups, which are held together by their hierarchy, and so form particular churches or rites. Between those churches there is such a wonderful communion that this variety, so far from diminishing the Church's unity, rather serves to emphasize it. For the Catholic Church wishes the traditions of each particular church or rite to remain whole and entire, and it likewise wishes to adapt its own way of life to the needs of different times and places.

3. These individual churches both Eastern and Western, while they differ somewhat among themselves in what is called "rite," namely in liturgy, in ecclesiastical discipline and in spiritual tradition, are none the less all equally entrusted to the pastoral guidance of the Roman Pontiff, who by God's appointment is successor to Blessed Peter in primacy over the Universal Church. Therefore these churches are of equal rank, so that none of them is superior to the others because of its rite. They have the same rights and obligations, even with regard to the preaching of the Gospel in the whole world (cf. Mark 16:15), under the direction of the Roman Pontiff. - Vatican II, Orientalium Ecclesiarum (Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches)

The document does note three differences that I wanted to go over: (1) liturgy, (2) Ecclesiastical discipline, and (3) Spiritual Tradition.

(1) Liturgy - Within the various Eastern rites, the main liturgical difference is found in the use of language in the liturgy.

Today, the various Eastern Rites are organized under the four
eastern patriarchates. (The following information was gleaned from
the Catholic Almanac.) The Alexandrian Rite is officially called
the Liturgy of St. Mark. (St. Mark is traditionally considered the
first bishop of Alexandria.) Their present liturgy contains
elements of the Byzantine Rite of St. Basil and the liturgies of
Sts. Mark, Cyril, and Gregory Nazianzen. This parent rite includes
the Coptic Rite and the Ge'ez Rite. The Coptic Rite, which is
situated primarily in Egypt, reunited with Rome in 1741 and uses
the Coptic and Arabic languages in its liturgies. The Ge'ez Rite,
based primarily in Ethiopia, Jerusalem, and Somalia, reunited with
Rome in 1846 and uses the Ge'ez language in their liturgies.

The Antiochene Rite is the Liturgy of St. James of Jerusalem. This
parent rite includes the following rites: The Malankar Rite is
located in India, (some members of whom) reunited with Rome in 1930,
and uses the Syriac and Malayalam languages in its liturgies.

The Maronite Rite, located primarily in Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt,
and Syria but with large populations of the faithful also in the
United States, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and Canada, has
remained united with Rome since the time of its founder St. Maron,
and uses the Syriac and Arabic languages in its liturgies.

The Syrian Rite is located primarily in Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and
Syria, with healthy communities in Asia, Africa, Australia, and
North and South America, reunited with Rome in 1781 and uses the
Syriac and Arabic languages in its liturgies.

The Armenian Rite, technically a distinct rite, derived from the
Antiochene Rite and is an older form of the Byzantine Rite.
Although it uses a different language, this rite is technically
called the Greek Liturgy of St. Basil. This rite has jurisdictions
primarily in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine,
France, Greece, Romania, Armenia, Argentina, and the United
States. The Armenians reunited with Rome during the Crusades, and
the ritual liturgical language is Classical Armenian.

The Chaldean Rite, also technically a distinct rite, also
originated from the Antiochene Rite. This rite is also divided
into two rites: The Chaldean Rite, located primarily in Iraq,
Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and the United States,
reunited with Rome in 1692, and uses the Syriac and Arabic
languages in the liturgy. The Syro-Malabar Rite, located in India,
claims to have originated with St. Thomas the Apostle, and uses
the Syriac and Malayam languages in the liturgy. Although the
Syro-Malabar Rite was never in formal schism, for centuries no
communication occurred between them and Rome until the time of the
missionaries in the 1500s.

The Byzantine Rite, the largest Eastern Rite, is based on the Rite
of St. James of Jerusalem with the later reforms of St. Basil and
St. John Chrysostom. These rites employ the Liturgy of St. John
Chrysostom. This parent rite comprises many rites, which are
themselves highly ethnic oriented. The Albanian Rite, centered in
Albania, reunited with Rome in 1628 and uses Albanian as its
liturgical language. The Belarussian (formerly titled
Byelorussian) Rite, centered in Belarussia with large populations
in Europe, North and South America and Australia, reunited with
Rome in the 1600s and uses Old Slavonic as their liturgical
language. The Bulgarian Rite, centered in Bulgaria, reunited with
Rome in 1861 and uses the Old Slavonic language in the liturgy.
The Croatian Rite, based primarily in Croatia with a significant
population in the United States, reunited with Rome in 1611 and
employs Old Slavonic as a liturgical language. The Greek Rite,
which is centered in Greece and Turkey with congregations also in
Asia Minor and Europe, reunited with Rome in 1829 and uses the
Greek language in the liturgy. The Hungarian Rite, situated in
Hungary with significant populations throughout Europe and North
and South America, reunited with Rome in 1646 and uses Greek,
Hungarian and English in their liturgies. The Italo-Albanian Rite,
mainly in Italy with congregations in North and South America,
never separated from Rome and uses the Greek and Italo-Albanian
languages in the liturgy. The Romanian Rite, centered in Romania
with a significant population in the United States, reunited with
Rome in 1697 and uses Modern Romanian in their liturgy; in 1948,
they were forced to join the Romanian Orthodox Church in Romania,
but since the fall of communism, the Catholic Romanian Rite has
regained :independence. The Russian Rite, located mainly in Russia
and China with congregations in Europe, Australia, and North and
South America, reunited with Rome in 1905 and uses Old Slavonic as
a liturgical language.

The Georgian Rite, based in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia,
reunited with Rome in 1329, severed ties in 1507, then in 1917
broke with the Russian Orthodox Church and again reunited with
Rome as the Georgian Byzantine Rite. The rite has struggled for
survival ever since, especially during Communist oppression; the
Georgian language is used in their liturgy. The Slovak Rite is
based in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Canada, and uses Old
Slavonic in its liturgy.
- Eastern Rites: A Family Tree, Fr. William Saunders

(2) Ecclesiastical discipline - There are several differences in "disciplines" that should be noted:
1. Sacraments - Eastern Catholic Churches administer the Sacrament of Confirmation at Baptism while the Western(Roman) Church confirms its members at various ages (commonly age 12-15 in the US).
2. Married Clergy: Not a single 'practicing' priest in the Church has EVER married; there have only been instances of married men who later became ordained. If a priest were to leave the Priesthood and later married, it is a different situation since the priest has had his faculties (ability to administer sacraments) suspended by the Church when he left the Priesthood.

In the West:
- Due to various reasons, the Western Church instituted the discipline of only unmarried men being ordained (except for some Protestants who have entered the Church in recent years)
- In the early years of the Church, it was difficult to find a single man in his 40-50s who would make a good Bishop: therefore, some married men were consecrated Bishops. However, married clergy in both Rites have always followed guidelines concerning conjugal relations between themselves and their spouses and the celebration of the Mass, etc. In addition, both Rites have always mandated that if a married priest is consecrated a Bishop, he must live like "brother and sister" with his wife.

In the East:
- Except for the decision of the Holy Father for only unmarried men to be ordained in the Eastern Catholic Church in the US and Canada, the Eastern Church has always allowed the possibility of married men being ordained to the Priesthood.

(3) Spiritual Tradition - The "spiritual" practices or traditions likewise differ:
1) Fasting - In the West: Form of fasting was typically reducing amount of food consumed, due to bland, non-varied meals from day to day.
- Normal day in the West was having two full meals; fasting days had one full meal and one lighter meal.
- For a majority of Western Church members, meat (and even fish) was not common to see on the dinner plate.
- Abstain from meat every Friday during the year.
- Fast (depending on your normal meals) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday

In the East: Form was actually an "abstinence" from favorite kinds foods, since the Eastern economy was much wealthier and had a larger variety of foods.
- Abstain from certain foods every Friday during the year (similar to the Roman Church)
- Strict Fast on first Monday of Lent, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (no foods that contain animal products OR come from animals, such as eggs, milk, cheese and butter)

2. The Cross - Western Church uses single horizontal bar to symbolize the Cross Christ was crucified on. Eastern Church uses three horizontal bars (longest in the middle) to symbolize:
Top bar: Plate hung by Pilate reading INRI ("Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews") in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
Middle bar: The wood of the Cross carried by Christ.
Lower bar: Footrest on a cross (which only causes more pain when used by one who is crucified); later slanted.
Use of the three-barrred Cross is very ancient, appearing in an icon of Our Lady of the Passion (one of the oldest icons).

3. Holy Days/Feast Days Held in Importance in the Eastern Churches:
- Lent begins on the Monday of the week of Ash Wednesday, not Ash Wednesday itself
- St. George the Martyr - April 23
- Protection of Our Lady - October 1
- St. Nicholas - December 6

4. Religious Symbols - Mosaics and icons are the common adornment to Churches and homes in the Eastern Church, while the Western Church has preferred the usage of statues.

5. Theologians - Western Church Fathers focused and speculated on ethical problems, sin, free will, grace, satisfaction and justification. Eastern Church Fathers only used philosophy when revealed truths were attacked from within in heresy/error, or from outside in dealing with pagan philosophy. Occasionally used rules of deductive reasoning but always stressed Faith, which was considered the highest philosophy.

(Most of the above information was taken from resources found in EWTN's Q&A section.)

Dispite the various differences between the Western and Eastern churches, all remain Catholic and united under the Successor of Peter, the Pope. All reflect the depth of tradition that is active within Catholicism. I highly recommend anyone who has access to a local Byzantine or other Eastern rite church to visit them. I have been to several Byzantine Masses and have found them to be extremely solemn, spiritual, and beautiful.

I hope this article helps in answering any questions some of you have had in reference to the differences that exist between the various Eastern rites and the Western (or Roman) rite of the Catholic Church.

In Christ,
Joe