The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches: Ancient traditions in communion with Rome
When the Catholic Church is mentioned, many think exclusively of the Latin Church, to which the vast majority of the world’s Catholics belong. However, the Catholic Church is actually composed of 24 “sui iuris” or autonomous Churches: the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.
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The Catholic Church comprises the Latin Church and 23 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches. These communities preserve ancient liturgical, spiritual, linguistic, and ecclesial traditions while remaining in full communion with the pope. 1
The Eastern Catholic Churches belong to five principal liturgical traditions: Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine. Their worship may use languages including Coptic, Syriac, Ge’ez, Armenian, Arabic, Church Slavonic, and other local languages. 1
Many are minority Churches in countries where Islam or Eastern Orthodoxy predominates. Several have experienced persecution, war, communist repression, displacement, or large-scale emigration. 1
Eastern Catholic Churches generally have strong synodal structures. Their bishops’ synods govern significant areas of ecclesial life, make pastoral and legislative decisions, and participate in the election of bishops. In patriarchal and major archiepiscopal Churches, the synod also elects the patriarch or major archbishop, subject to the relevant Roman norms. 1
The article reports that Pope Leo XIV recently changed the canon law governing Eastern patriarchal Churches. Under the reported reform, bishops may convene a synod independently of the patriarch and seek the patriarch’s removal by a two-thirds vote, although the pope retains final approval. 1
The Coptic Catholic Church traces its origins to the ancient Church of Alexandria, traditionally associated with St. Mark. Based mainly in Egypt, it celebrates the Alexandrian rite in Coptic and Arabic and is headed by the Coptic patriarch of Alexandria. 1
Its liturgical Coptic language represents the final historical stage of ancient Egyptian, linking the Church’s worship to a cultural tradition extending back more than three millennia. 1
The Ethiopian Catholic Church preserves the Ge’ez Alexandrian tradition and incorporates distinctive African cultural elements into its worship. Celebrations may include instruments such as drums and sistrums. 1
The Eritrean Catholic Church became a distinct autonomous metropolitan Church in 2015. It shares the Ge’ez tradition with the Ethiopian Church but has its own hierarchy and maintains a strong Eastern liturgical identity. 1
The Armenian Catholic Church follows the tradition of the Armenian people, whose kingdom officially adopted Christianity in 301. Its liturgy is traditionally celebrated in Classical Armenian and includes distinctive practices such as the drawing and opening of a curtain at particular points in the service. 1
The Church gradually entered or restored communion with Rome during the Middle Ages and is led by the patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians. 1
The Maronite Church traces its origins to communities associated with St. Maron in Syria and Lebanon. It is the only Eastern Catholic Church described in the article as having maintained uninterrupted communion with Rome. 1
Led by the Maronite patriarch of Antioch, it uses Syriac alongside Arabic and other modern languages. Its liturgy retains Aramaic elements associated with the linguistic environment of Jesus. 1
The Syriac Catholic Church emerged from groups within the Syriac Orthodox Church that entered communion with Rome in the 17th and 18th centuries. It preserves the West Syriac tradition through ancient hymns, prayers, and liturgical expressions. 1
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church developed among Christians in Kerala, India, and entered communion with Rome in 1930 under Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios. It combines West Syriac worship with Indian cultural customs, including ceremonial umbrellas and floral decorations during some celebrations. 1
The Chaldean Catholic Church originates in the ancient Church of the East and is historically centered in Mesopotamia, especially present-day Iraq. It entered communion with Rome during the 16th and 17th centuries and is headed by the patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans. 1
It uses the East Syriac or Chaldean rite and preserves Eastern Aramaic in its liturgy. Its communities are associated with some of Christianity’s oldest traditions in the region. 1
The Syro-Malabar Church traces its origins to the St. Thomas Christians of India, who traditionally identify their evangelization with the apostle St. Thomas. It follows the East Syriac tradition and is a major archiepiscopal Church with millions of faithful in India and abroad. 1
The article identifies it as the second-largest Eastern Catholic Church, after the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. 1
The Byzantine Catholic Churches include communities across Eastern and Central Europe, the Middle East, and the global diaspora. They preserve forms of Byzantine worship, particularly the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, while using languages such as Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Church Slavonic, and Ukrainian. 1
The Albanian Catholic Church is a small Byzantine-rite community in Albania whose history includes severe persecution under the country’s communist regime. The Greek Catholic Church consists of Byzantine Catholics in Greece, where most Christians belong to the Orthodox Church. 1
The Italo-Albanian Church serves Albanian communities in southern Italy and Sicily that settled there between the 15th and 16th centuries. The Monastery of Grottaferrata, founded near Rome in 1004, is described as Italy’s only remaining territorial Byzantine monastery. 1
The Macedonian Greek Catholic Church serves Byzantine-rite Catholics in North Macedonia and is among the smallest Eastern Catholic Churches. The Eparchy of Križevci serves Byzantine Catholics in Croatia, Serbia, and other parts of the former Yugoslavia, using Croatian, Church Slavonic, Ruthenian, and other local languages. 1
The Belarusian Catholic Church follows the Slavic Byzantine tradition associated with the Union of Brest of 1596. After periods of persecution and institutional disappearance, it now consists largely of small communities in Belarus and the diaspora. 1
The Byzantine-Slavic Catholic community in Bulgaria emerged in the 19th century, with Archimandrite Joseph Sokolsky’s reception into the Catholic Church in 1861 identified as a key event. Its Eparchy of St. John XXIII of Sofia was established in 2019, while Bulgaria also contains Latin dioceses. 1
The Hungarian Greek Catholic Church developed from Byzantine-rite communities in the Kingdom of Hungary and was elevated to metropolitan status in 2015. It is notable for the extensive use of Hungarian in its liturgy. 1
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church resulted from the union of part of the Romanian Orthodox Church with Rome in the late 17th century. It was outlawed under communist rule from 1948 until 1989, and seven bishops who died during the persecution were beatified by Pope Francis in 2019. 1
The Slovak Greek Catholic Church, related historically to the Ruthenian tradition, was restored after communist persecution and became a metropolitan Church in 2008. Bishops Pavel Peter Gojdič and Vasiľ Hopko are among its recognized martyrs. 1
The Russian Greek Catholic Church consists of small communities preserving the Russian Byzantine tradition. It suffered Soviet persecution, lacks a fully developed hierarchy, and has many members in the diaspora. 1
The Ruthenian Church traces its history to the Union of Uzhhorod of 1646 and is present in Slovakia, Ukraine, and the United States. Its North American communities developed a distinct identity centered on the metropolitan see in Pittsburgh. 1
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is described as the largest Eastern Catholic Church. Founded through the Union of Brest in 1596, it endured more than four decades of Soviet persecution and became the world’s largest underground Catholic Church during that period. It is led by a major archbishop based in Kyiv and has millions of faithful worldwide. 1
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church originated in 1724 from a division within the Patriarchate of Antioch. It has communities across the Middle East and the Americas, and its patriarch uniquely holds the titles of patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem. 1
Taken together, the 23 Churches span the Middle East, North and East Africa, India, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and immigrant communities around the world. Their identities are expressed through different rites, languages, spiritual traditions, and forms of governance, while their defining ecclesial bond is full communion with the pope. 1*
Eastern Catholic Churches maintain distinct traditions while in communion with Rome
Yes. The Eastern Catholic Churches are fully Catholic and fully united with the Pope, while preserving their own apostolic traditions, liturgical rites, spirituality, theology, canon law, and forms of governance. They are distinct sui iuris Churches—“self-governing Churches”—within the one Catholic communion.
This diversity does not weaken Catholic unity. Vatican II teaches that the variety of Churches and rites actually manifests the Church’s unity, and that each should preserve its traditions “whole and entire.”
Examples include the Maronite, Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Melkite Greek Catholic, Chaldean, Syro-Malabar, and Coptic Catholic Churches. Their differences may include the Divine Liturgy, fasting practices, ecclesiastical discipline, liturgical language, and structures led by patriarchs or major archbishops. These traditions are regarded as authentic treasures of the universal Church, not merely tolerated variations.