THE P RTAL
July 2015
Page 10
Unity in Diversity
Dr Harry Schnitker continues his examination
of the various “Rites” of the Catholic Church
In this month’s article we continue our examination of the various and varied liturgical uses and rites in
the Catholic Church, or rather, in the Catholic Churches. Before we move on to the Oriental Rite Churches,
let us first examine the various liturgical traditions within the Latin Rite Church.
What do we actually mean when we talk about
the Latin Church? Effectively, this is shorthand for
the Western Patriarchate. Before the Orthodox and
Catholic Churches finally split in 1054, there were
five major patriarchates, each with its own territorial
jurisdiction: Alexandria covered Africa, Antioch,
Asia, Jerusalem, the Holy Land and Constantinople,
north-western Asia and south-eastern Europe. Rome
covered the remainder of Europe.
Until 1054, this was not an issue. Europe’s southern
and eastern flanks were covered by Islam, and
the division between the only two patriarchates
not controlled by Muslim rulers, Rome and
Constantinople, were fairly clearly defined (although
there were disputes, too complicated for the purpose
of this article). Africa and Asia were beyond the reach
of either Rome or Constantinople, and the Americas
had not been discovered.
the authority of the Pope
The Great Schism changed all this. Suddenly, Rome
laid claim to be the only true Patriarchate, with
universal jurisdiction. From 1099 and the calling of
the Crusades, Rome began to exercise control over
Christians who had, hitherto, belonged to one of
the other four patriarchates. What to do with these
became a major question. Unlike Muslims or other
non-Christians, conversion was not really possible.
Instead, Rome very gradually developed a system
whereby existing non-Latin Churches, or, to be more
precise, Churches whose liturgical use was other
than that of Rome and who were found in lands
previously controlled by the other patriarchates,
would retain their own Church structure, but
would recognise the Pope as the ultimate source of
authority.
The process was slow, and whereas some Churches,
such as the Armenian Catholic and Maronite Churches
sought contact from the time of the Crusades, others
awaited the splits in Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe, or
the arrival of European colonial adventurers in such
places as India and Ethiopia. Below is a list of all these
Churches, and the dates of their union with Rome.
contents page
Alexandrian Rite
Coptic (1442/1741/1895) Its counterpart is the
Coptic Orthodox Church, which is Egypt’s largest
Christian Church.
Ethiopian (1626/1961) The Ethiopian Orthodox
Church is in Communion with the Coptic Orthodox
Church, and is the largest Oriental Rite Church in the
world.
Eritrean (2015) This Church was split from the
Ethiopian Catholic Church by Pope Francis in
recognition of its separate nature.
Antiochian Rite
Maronite (1182) The Maronite Church does not
have an Oriental Rite counterpart as it was considered
heretical by the Orthodox Patriarchs in Antioch.
Maronites would not recognise 1182 as the starting
date of their union with Rome, although this is when
relations were formalised.
Melkite (1729) This has its counterpart in the great
Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, and also covers the
Orthodox Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Alexandria.
Syrian (1444/1677) This grew out of what is
sometimes called the Jacobite Church, the Middle
Eastern sister Church of the Egyptian Coptic Church.
Syro-Malankarese (1926) One of two Indian
Churches with their roots in the first century A.D. It
split from the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.
East Syrian Rite
Chaldean (1553/1830) The largest Christian Church
in Iraq, it grew out of the Nestorian Church.
Syro-Malabarese (1498/1896) The other Indian
Church, which had a fraught relationship with
Latinising tendencies in Rome.
Armenian Rite
Armenian (1198/1742) The Armenian Church is the
second oldest non-Latin Rite Church in the Catholic
Church.
These are the non-European Churches united with
Rome. Next month the spotlight will fall on the large
family of Byzantine Rite Churches in Europe.