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Cover: Ven. Andrei Rublev, 1410, Holy Trinity prefigured in the 3 angels’ visit to Abraham. ©/ Wikimedia Commons.Inside Cover: Holy Fire Orthodox ceremony celebrating the Feast of the Resurrection, in the Church of the Anastasis, site of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem. © Gali Tibbon, Getty Images.Pg. 3: Syriac Cross detail from the Rabbula Gospels. See caption on pg 21.Back Cover: Marvelous mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (“Ruler over All”) from the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, 1261 AD.©/ Dianelos Georgoudis, Wikimedia Commons.

Compiled ByThe Eastern Catholic Pastoral Association of So. Ca. (ECPA)300 South Flower StreetOrange, CA 92868fr.bakh@johnmaron.org

Main EditorRev. Antoine Bakh

Layout & AssistanceEliane Rached Cury

Published By The Eastern Catholic Pastoral Association of Southern California (ECPA)

Compliments Jay & Rola Semaan

Copyrights© ECPA, 2nd Edition, May, 2016ECPA gives permission to copy this booklet for instructional purposes only, but not to sell.

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CONTENTSIntroduction

Part I — HistoryThe Concept and Origin of the ChurchApostolic Church DevelopmentThe Metropolitan Centers The Five PatriarcatesEarly Heresies and CouncilsDivisions that Still Remain Today

Part II — Catholic Churches in CommunionThe Roman TraditionThe Byzantine TraditionThe Alexandrian TraditionThe Antiochian (West Syrian) TraditionThe Chaldean (East Syrian) TraditionThe Armenian Tradition

Glossary of TermsTimeline of the Communion of Churches Catholic Churches in CommunionPopulation of Non-Catholic Eastern ChurchesPopulation of Catholic ChurchesMapBibliography

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INTRODUCTION

PART I - HISTORY

This booklet summarizes the development of all the Catholic churches in communion with one another that today manifest the same oneness that existed at the time of the Apostles through their common bond with the Successor of Peter. It is hoped that through this outline the reader will be able to view the splendor of the One Church shining forth through its multifaceted expressions within the communion of churches

The Church has many names: “the Bride of Christ”, “the Kingdom of God”, “the Mystical Body of Christ”, etc. (Rev. 21:9, Lk 17:21, Mt 16:16, Eph 4:12.) All Christians have an experience of what a church is and many have studied its great effect on human history. Yet, when we consider the grand view of creation from beginning to end, there is a deeper meaning to the concept of Church. The Fathers of the Church, that is, the bishops and teachers of the early church, taught that the Church is very ancient; it is the first of all that came to be, and the reason for which God created the universe1! The Church exists wherever Truth exists. It is that part of creation which will endure to the end and which will become glorified. (2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 6:15. Rev. 21:5)

In the book of Genesis, beginning with Adam and Eve before the fall, we see the image of a harmonious church-family under God, namely, a “paradise”. For a short time Adam and Eve lived in obedience to the only law commanded them. (Gen. 2:17) They were familiar with hearing God move about in the Garden. (Gen

3:8). Luke refers to Adam as “son of God” (Lk 3:38) The Bible refers to this kind of family-bond/contract as a covenant. The sin of Adam and Eve broke the unique covenant God made with them; it seemed then that God’s plans for his church-family to include the human race would be destroyed. But God cannot be defeated by evil. Although our first parents and their descendants, fell into sin, God had a plan to bring all peoples and nations back to him.

Concept & Origin of the Church

1Jurgens, W.A., The Faith of the Early Fathers, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 1979, Vol. I, 82, 435

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The One Church and the Communion of Churches

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The story of Noah and his faithful family confirms for us God’s desire to maintain a covenant with the human race and to preserve the world from destruction. God later formed a covenant with Abraham and his clan. God then renewed this covenant with Isaac, then Jacob (Israel,) who had twelve sons that formed the twelve Tribes. Under Moses, the covenant agreement of the Law formed at Sinai encompassed a nation. Then, under King David, the covenant people became a kingdom.

Somehow each successive covenant expanded to include more and more people as God’s plan to redeem all of mankind matured. Yet these covenants were constantly broken because they depended on weak human beings. Finally, through the long awaited Messiah (Christos in Greek), a completely new, eternal covenant was established that fulfilled all past covenants. The New Covenant formed the Church gathered from among the nations - the church catholic!

The word catholic was used since at least the year 110 AD by St. Ignatius2, Bishop of Antioch, to designate that church which is spread out all over the world and is for all people, versus the church of the one nation- Israel. The word catholic is from the Greek catholikos, meaning universal. This new covenant cannot be undone because it is based in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who lives forever. All who wish to enter into this new

covenant-family of God, must be united to Jesus Christ. The collective body in union with Christ is called the Church. It includes the angels and the faithful departed who have gone before us. The mission of the Church is to baptize all nations into Christ. Jesus commanded his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt. 28:19-20)

Apostolic Church DevelopmentAfter Pentecost, the Apostles received great power (Acts 2), impelling them to evangelize not only the tribes of Israel but all peoples. Leaving Jerusalem, many went out into various regions of the world. Since they were Hebrews, the liturgical form they used followed the custom of the Temple and the synagogues: they gathered, sang psalms, said prayers, had Scripture readings and a homily. They also carried out the commandment Christ gave them at the Last Supper, forming a uniquely Christian way of worship through the “Breaking of the Bread”, namely, the Eucharist, or Thanksgiving. The celebration of the Eucharistic Communion was for them, and would be for all the apostolic churches, the very heart of Christian life and worship.

2. Escorted by prison guards to Rome in 110 AD, St. Ignatius wrote to the Church there asking them not to try to prevent his martyrdom for “I am God’s wheat, and I will be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.” Ibid 53a. He also mentions the Presidency of the Church of Rome.

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Although the Apostles along with other evangelists and their successors went to many places, the areas that accepted Christianity most readily were the cities. Metropolitan areas especially became strong centers of Christianity and influenced the surrounding areas.

The early church spread anddeveloped in unique ways that were characteristic to the metropolitan areas. Various liturgical traditions, sometimes referred to as Rites, evolved according to the language, culture, and outlook of the people of the different areas of the world.Although all shared the common faith of the Apostles, each metro-politan church developed its own way of expressing that faith in worship, and of explaining it in theological writings. Churches in the surrounding areas had to receive approval for the ordination of their bishops. The metropolises became magnets that strongly influenced everything around them, including church practice and civil politics. The bishop of these centers was called a patriarch (a formal way of saying “father”) or pope (a familial way of saying “father”).

The Five PatriarchatesJerusalemIn the first two centuries the major metropolitan centers were Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. Jerusalem also began as an influential Christian center, but in 70 AD the city was completely demolished along with the Temple by the Romans during

“Rock of the Multiplication” 5th cent. Mosaic, in the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, on which Jesus is said to have multiplied the five loaves and two fish, symbolizing the Eucharist. ©/ Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons

The Metropolitan Centers

the First Jewish-Roman War. One million Jews were killed. After it was rebuilt, it was again completely destroyed in 135 AD during the second Jewish revolt. Unfortunately, Jerusalem, the first church, never recovered enough to preserve its own distinctive tradition. Today, the small Christian presence in that city is made up of all the other main traditions of the church.

The growth of early Christianity came at the great price of thousands of Martyrs. Severe persecution, torture and executions of Christians subsided after the edict of toleration which Emperor Constantine granted Christians at Milan in 313 AD. After that, Bishops began to feel free and had more ability to codify the Liturgy in order to preserve the essence of Christian worship from heresy. By this time several patriarchates and liturgical customs had developed. These served to enrich the Tradition of the one Church.

AntiochIt was in Antioch that the word Christian was first used (Acts 11:26) and where both Peter and Paul

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The Colosseum in Rome where some Christians were martyred. Dennis Jarvis, flickr

3. Jesus spoke Aramaic because after the Assyrian conquests in the 8th century BC it eventually became the common language of the area. Syriac is the later Aramaic after Christ. Syriac is to Aramaic what modern English is to early English.

preached. Antioch was heavily Hellenized and its people spoke Greek, but it was also a cross-roads for the Semitic and Greek cultures. Some, especially with ties to the countryside, also spoke Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic3, which was the language of Jesus; these people had more of a cultural affinity with Edessa (in present day Syria) which became an influential Christian center almost immediately from the second century on. From Antioch and Edessa the gospel reached Persia (present day Iran and parts of Iraq) whose most important city was Seleucia-Ctesiphon. According to tradition, this area, along with India, was evangelized by St. Thomas the Apostle. Later on, Christianity reached China through the Aramaic-speaking people. There it began to thrive for several hundred years,

but due to persecution and the fact that it could not take root within the culture, it eventually died out after the tenth century, long before Marco Polo set foot there. Similarly, Christianity reached the Arabian peninsula and was only beginning to take root among some tribes just before the Islamic conquests.

AlexandriaAccording to tradition, Alexandria was evangelized by a disciple of St. Peter, St. Mark the Evangelist, author of the gospel which bears his name. It quickly became a strong Christian center and took the faith into all of Egypt and Ethiopia, an area already acquainted with Judaism and which had received the gospel since the time Philip spoke with the Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the queen (Acts 8:26-39).

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it that the Apostle Bartholomew evangelized Armenia, also in Asia Minor. In 303 AD it became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as the official state religion. The Apostle Andrew is credited with evangelizing the small port city of Byzantium, which in 330 AD was rebuilt and fortified by the Emperor Constantine to become the new capital of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. Upon his death it was renamed Constantinople.

The church of Constantinople was hailed as the New Rome and instantly attained patriarchal status, gaining such honors as to rank second only to Rome. Its influence became great throughout the Greek-speaking Eastern Empire and beyond, into new evangelical frontiers both north and east. The Christian emperors also became more and more involved as patrons of the Church

RomeRome was the final evangelical mission of Peter. It is the tradition of the church that Peter became the first bishop there and that both he and Paul were martyred in that city. The Bishops of Rome henceforth had the distinguished honor of being the successors of Peter, the head of the apostles (Mt. 16:16-19, Acts 15:7), and were therefore recognized as having primacy. Also, the fact that Rome was the center of the Roman Empire, caused the church there to have a prestigious place among all other churches.

ConstantinopleIn the first century, Christianity reached Asia Minor where St. Paul preached and sent several letters which have become part of Scripture. Asia Minor is also the place of the Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Tradition has

12th century icon at Mount Athos of the embrace of St-Peter and St-Paul. According to tradition, the two saints embraced before being taken for execution. © Velissarios Voutsas, IML Image Group Ltd, Alamy

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and attempted to settle disputes by taking sides on theological matters and even by choosing who would be the Patriarch in Constantinople. Henceforth, political friction between four metropolitan areas, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch would increasingly trouble the church. At times political disputes even erupted into the theological sphere causing myopia and needless misunderstandings that also led to bitter divisions.

Heresies in the church are as old as the time of the Apostles. St. Paul had to contend with the Judaizers. These were a group of fundamentalist Jews who, having become Christian, insisted that all Christians must hold onto the Law given to Moses (see Galatians). The Apostles and other bishops put an end to the controversy by the decision they reached at the Council

held at Jerusalem (Acts 15).

The early church also had to deal with the Gnostics4 who denied that Jesus had a human body. They grew in number and threatened the orthodoxy (true faith) of the church. John the Apostle, contending with them, wrote, “...every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist....” (1 John 4:2-3) This group grew larger after the death of the Apostles and took on various forms. The Gnostic sects that developed were especially dangerous because they denied the humanity of Jesus, and the goodness of the material creation, and because they composed their own liturgies and scriptures such as the so-called Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas, and many other “gospels” they simply made up apart from the historical reality. Every variety of belief sprouted to “suit every ear.” Most of these sects died out after a few hundred years.

The greatest heresy, the Arian5 Heresy, took its name from Arius, a priest in Egypt, who said that the Son of God was created as the first of all creatures and was not eternally begotten. This teaching caused great uproar, especially since Arius had some bishops as sympathizers, and it caused divisions among christians all over the world. As a result, a great council was held at Nicea in 325 AD. It was an impressive

St. Clement, bishop of Rome, 3rd successor of St. Peter, 90-99 AD, Basilica of St. Paul in Rome.Pontifical Archeological Commission

4. From the Greek “Gnosis” “to know.” Gnostics believed that a person is saved by knowing certain secrets that are revealed to the elect. Gnostics mixed Christianity with various philosophies and mythologies.5. Germanic tribes had converted to Arianism before becoming Catholic, hence the Nazi term, Arian Race.

Early Heresies & Councils

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gathering of all the bishops of the world or their representatives. Like the Council of Jerusalem, in Acts 15, this council was held with the belief that the Holy Spirit would guide them to all truth as Jesus said (John 16:13). The council of Nicea proclaimed the ancient faith of the Apostles, which is still proclaimed every Sunday, “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father...” Those who did not accept the decrees of the council were excommunicated. Arianism spread far and wide, lasting hundreds of years until it finally died out in the middle ages.

Because of various political tensions and theological misunderstandings, divisions which began in the fifth century are still with us.

When Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, said in a homily on Christmas day that we ought not call Mary the Mother of God, as was customary, riots broke out in the streets. This led to a General, Church-wide council in 431 AD at Ephesus6. The controversy was serious because failing to call Mary God-bearer implied a dichotomy in the identity of Jesus. The Council proclaimed that Mary is the Theotokos (Bearer of God) thereby

6. A city where the Virgin Mary is thought to have lived when she was with John the Apostle.

Divisions that Still Remain Today

The Good Shepherd, early 3rd century, Catacombs of St. Callistus. Pontifical Archeological Commission

affirming the ancient belief in Christ as a single person.

A segment of the East Syrian Church did not agree with the Council and was subsequently excommunicated. This included Christians in the Persian Empire, the long-time arch-enemy of the Roman Empire. From there the Nestorian form of Christianity spread further east. Today, however, it is generally agreed that these sad divisions came about as a result of political tensions and a lack of clear communication across two distinct world views.

In 451 AD the Council of Chalcedon was held to resolve another great controversy which began in Egypt over the identity of Christ. Eutyches, an Egyptian monk, taught that Christ had one nature. Today we understand that the term nature answers the question “What is it?” While the term person answers the question “Who is he?” For example- Who is he? …Jesus. What is he? …human and divine. However,

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the terms nature and person were not at all clear at that time. We are only able to understand what is meant by these words today since the Christological reflections that developed as a result of the council assigned their definition. The council taught that Christ is one divine person possessing two natures: divine and human, united together, but distinct, not mixed.

Three sections of the Church were separated when they did not accept the council of Chalcedon; they were referred to as Monophysite (One Nature). These came to be called the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox church, and the Antiochian Syrian Orthodox church. These followed the Patriarch (Pope) of Alexandria. Today, however, it is largely agreed that the division that now exists is a matter of semantics and does not touch on the essence of the faith. These churches agree that Christ is both divine and human, although they use the term special nature to express the union of the two. However, the growing political friction at that time, especially between Constantinople and Alexandria, fueled the controversy. Christians fought with great resentment over this issue, even to the point of shedding blood.

In the early 7th century a great war was fought between the Byzantine and Persian Empires that totally bankrupted them both. This led to the lightning sweep of Arab Islamic fighters against the Persian Empire and vast parts of the Byzantine Empire; in particular, the Christian territories that had been divided

against each other. Antioch and Jerusalem fell in 637. Then, in 641, Alexandria surrendered without a fight, eager for liberation from Constantinople. Henceforth, Islamic dominance would calcify the Christian controversies that plagued the divided Patriarchates of Antioch and Alexandria, and their former influence on the rest of the Church outside their realm would wane.

Lastly, the Great Schism between East and West took place in 1054; the great majority of the churches in the East became separated from the West. The rivalry was between the Church of Rome, which holds the primacy, and the Church of Constantinople, the New Rome. Since the 5th century, the Western Empire was in anarchy due to constant invasions from Germanic tribes and Islamic forces. Rome had declined in prestige and political influence. But Constantinople held out, even against the greater blows of the Islamic invasions, while also holding out against the attacks of the Northern tribes. Because of the complex political climate, tensions built to a breaking point between Rome and Constantinople until each excommunicated the other in 1054. At that time the controversies were not yet deep-rooted, not until the sacking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Henceforth, the divisions that may have been healed with a little resolve became very bitter and still remain with us today

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Left: 1965 Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople embrace. © CATHOLICPRESSPHOTO Right: May 25, 2014: Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople embrace in Jerusalem, while the back-drop commemorates the 1965 historic event. © ServizioFotograficoOR/CPP

PART II - CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN COMMUNION

Complicated are the historical circumstances which led each particular church to either continue communion with Rome, or to separate, only to later reunite, at least in part. These historical circumstances involve centuries of shifting relationships of churches with one another, intricately inter-woven and influenced by linguistic, political, economic, and cultural variations. Below, the history of each of the 24 churches in communion with the Bishop of Rome will be dealt with briefly. They are categorized into 6 main Traditions. A Tradition is a particular religious family that has its own liturgy, theology, spirituality and laws. They are: the Roman, the Byzantine, the Alexandrian, the Antiochian, the Chaldean and the Armenian.

History: The Roman Tradition is rich in variety. The prestigious influence of the city of Rome, the influence of the popes, a common Latin scholastic language and the cohesion of the Western Empire’s infrastructure, were some of the factors that contributed to a tradition spanning a large geographic area and encompassing a multitude of cultures. At the time of the Apostles, Greek was the language of the learned. Eventually Latin prevailed throughout the West, even as Rome declined. As the Germanic tribes conquered the western lands, people who wished to be educated had to learn Latin. Several liturgical rites developed. In the Roman Tradition there is only one Latin or Roman church. This is largely due to the centralizing influence of the

The Roman Tradition

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Pope of Rome within his patriarchal territory in the West and also due to the fact that unity eventually prevailed over all the early heresies and divisions until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

Liturgy & Spirituality: Latin liturgical tradition is ancient and has elements from both the Greek and Syriac traditions. Its essential form is influenced by monasticism from the 5th century to the middle ages. Until the liturgical reform of the late 20th century Latin chants were commonly used. Today the Latin liturgical tradition is characteristically diverse. Its basic form is highly adaptable to the multitude of cultures and languages of each local diocese. The Liturgy can be solemn or simple, depending on local custom. Today, the spirituality of the Latin Church can be characterized by its openness and inclusivity to a diversity of

possible approaches to God within the Christian tradition.

Various liturgical rites belonging to the Roman Tradition developed throughout the centuries but today are used sporadically. Some of these include: Ambrosian: Celebrated in the Archdiocese of Milan and surrounding areas.

Mozarabic: Celebrated through the eleventh century in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. This liturgical rite has Moorish influence. It was suppressed and became nearly extinct, confined to occasional celebrations in the Cathedral of Toledo and nine churches. In 1993 its use was restored to all regions of Spain and wherever its celebration is desired. Many Hispanic customs for weddings, baptisms, and Holy Week are derived from this rite and its derivative, the Braga Rite of Portugal.

The Basilica of St. Peter was built over the spot where the Apostle was buried. Нурлан Саяt, Wikimedia Commons

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Gallican (Rite of Lyon): This rite developed as one of those Gallican group of rites which were practiced from about the 5th century in Gaul. Today this rite is no longer in use. The Catholics of the Anglican Usage is noteworthy of mention as a recently established Ordinariate.

The Latin Church - The Bishop of Rome is the successor of St. Peter, and as such is the Pope of the entire Church. The Latin Church is the largest by far of all other churches combined. It has a long history which spans the greater part of the globe. Until the second Vatican Council the liturgical language was Latin. Beginning in the 5th century, when the Germanic tribes became victorious over the Western Roman Empire, they settled in various areas over the course of several hundred years. They eventually mixed with the indigenous local peoples and were converted to

Christianity. These evolved into the modern nations of Europe. Likewise, when the Americas were discovered, the indigenous peoples eventually converted and today comprise a large part of the Latin Church. A series of tragic divisions of the church occurred in the 16th century, forming the Lutheran, Calvinist (Reform,) Anglican and Presbyterian denominations. Since then, thousands of other protestant denominations have splintered off that have lost their original Apostolic succession. That is, they do not have a valid priesthood. Many efforts are being made to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and to bring healing to the divisions that remain in Western Christianity.

The world population of the Latin Catholic Church is over 1.2 billion.

The Hagia Sophia (The Great Church of Holy Wisdom), of Constantinople, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, was turned into a mosque by the conquering Muslim Turks. © Alan Oddie, PotoEdit

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The Byzantine TraditionHistory: The word Byzantine comes from the name of the ancient port city, Byzantium, later named Constantinople. Today it is known as Istanbul (from the Greek expression Eis tin Bolin which means towards the city.) Since the time of Alexander the Great (d. 323 BC) Greek had become as universal as English is today. Constantinople became the vanguard of the ancient Roman Empire and of Eastern Christianity until around the time of the birth of Christopher Columbus!

Liturgy & Spirituality: The Liturgy of the Byzantine Tradition owes much to the splendor of the royal court of the Byzantine Empire with its elaborate rituals, processions, chants, icons, and mosaics. An icon screen dividing the Holy Place from the nave creates a sense of mystery. At communion time, the body and blood of Christ are

Interior of St. Anne Greek Melkite Catholic Cathedral, North Hollywood, Ca. Courtesy St. Anne Cathedral

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mixed in a chalice and given to the faithful with a spoon. But Melkites give communion by intinction. Byzantine spirituality emphasizes the unknowable mystery and majesty of God. Yet God does not remain distant; on the contrary, we are each called to share in the divine nature through Christ. God remains unknowable in his essence while communicating his love. We participate in his very life by communing with him through his body, the church.

All fourteen Churches listed below use the Byzantine liturgical rite but have their own variations and history.

Albanian ChurchChristianity came to Albania before the 4th century. Since then most Albanians have become Muslim. After the East-West schism of 1054, a small group became Catholic in the 16th century,

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but soon after disappeared. In 1920 another small group became Catholic. In 1967 the government of Albania outlawed all religion. Today Albanian Byzantine Catholics have become dispersed and numerically are only a few hundred.

Bulgarian ChurchThe Bulgarian Catholic Church had its beginnings in 1861. Today a small community remains of approximately 10,000 mostly in Bulgaria whose bishop resides in Sophia.

Byelorussian ChurchThe Byelorussian Catholic Church had its beginnings at the Union of Brest in 1596. Today they number a few thousand.

Croatian Church Although most Croatians belong to the Latin Church, some use the Byzantine Liturgy (these were Orthodox who, by 1613, entered into communion with Rome). In 1777 a permanent diocese was established in Kirževci. In 2001 & 2002 the Serbian and Macedonian Apostolic Exarchates were established whose faithful used to be under the church of Križevci, Croatia.

Georgian ChurchGeorgians adopted Christianity early in the 4th century through the ministry of a woman, St. Nino. The church originally rejected the Council of Ephesus but accepted it in 607. In 1905 a small group was established as the Georgian Catholic Church.

Greek ChurchToday’s Greek Orthodox Church is independent of the Patriarch of

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Melkite-Greek Church Also referred to as Roum Catoleek. It is erroneous to translate this literally as Roman Catholic since Roum really refers to New Rome, Constantinople, the new capital of the Roman Empire. Melkite comes from the Syriac Malko which means King, in reference to the Emperors who supported the Council of Chalcedon. The early Melkite Tradition included Syriac speaking Christians and Syriac liturgical usage. At the time of the

Constanatinople. In the second half of the 19th century a small group of Greek Orthodox from Constantinople (Istanbul) became Catholic. Today they number a few thousand.

Hungarian Church The Hungarian (Magyars) received their faith from Byzantium but sought the jurisdiction of the Latin Church until 1696. The influx of refugees from Byelorussia and Serbia increased in number and melded with the local population. In 1912 a diocese was created for them. Today they number about 261,000.

Italo-Albanian ChurchSince Sicily and southern Italy were heavily Greek in culture at the time of the early church, many of the people of those regions adopted the Byzantine Liturgy. But as the centuries passed, the region came more and more Latinized. The Byzantine influence on the region nearly disappeared. However, in 1453, the fall of Constantinople brought a new wave of immigrants from Albania, most of whom were Byzantine Christians. Thus the faithful now number 62,212. There is no Orthodox counterpart.

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the Western liturgical tradition. The area however gradually adopted the Byzantine usage, although culturally and linguistically it remained Western. After the Great Schism between East and West, Romanian Christians became Orthodox. In the beginning of the 18th century some reunited with Rome. After 1948 the Romanian Byzantine Catholic Church was outlawed by the totalitarian communist government, and all the bishops, and many priests, monks, nuns and faithful died in prison and in the gulags (forced labor camps). Today, Romanian Orthodox number 23 million, while Romanian Catholics number 512,726.

Russian ChurchOne of the last of the Byzantine Catholic Churches to be formed is the Russian Greek Catholic Church. In the nineteenth century some prominent figures and intellectuals in Russia became

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Islamic invasion Byzantine liturgical influence gradually increased until the Melkites finally adopted Byzantine liturgical usage by the thirteenth century, along with Greek and later Arabic vernacular.After the schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054, the Patriarch of Antioch did not immediately break off relations with Rome. There are many examples of sacramental sharing in the centuries that followed. A distinct Catholic/Orthodox hierarchy emerged in 1724 when a patriarch having clear Catholic sympathies was elected. Those opposed to Catholic communion elected their own candidate.

Today the Melkite Patriarchal seat is in Damascus with residences in Raboueh (Lebanon) and Cairo. The Patriarch has the title of Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem. (East being the boundaries of ancient Anatolia.) The faithful are mostly Arabic speaking from all the countries of the Middle East. Melkites living outside of their native lands today make up the greater portion. There are eparchies (dioceses) and churches in North and South America, Australia, and various parts of the world. There are 1,685,296 Melkite Catholics worldwide. The Antiochian Orthodox Church called Roum Orthodox is their more numerous counterpart with about 2.5 million faithful.

Romanian ChurchChristianity in Romania has been traced back to Apostolic times. In the 3rd century it took root in the form of

Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene located on the Mount of Olives, near the Garden of Gethsemane in East Jerusalem. cc Sustructu, Wikimedia Commons

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Catholic. However, it was illegal to be a Russian Catholic until an edict of tolerance was issued in 1905. Small Catholic groups then began to form in St. Petersburg and Moscow as well as in Kursk and Harkhov. They called themselves the Catholic Old Believers. In 1917, with the Bolshevik takeover, the Catholic Exarch who had been appointed that same year was imprisoned and his flock subsequently scattered. Today there are small communities in Paris, Brussels, the Hague, Rome, Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aries, El Segundo, New York, and San Francisco, with a combined population of about 3,500, with possibly more in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church has 150 million faithful, the largest by far.

Ruthenian ChurchThe Ruthenians are of the Carpatho-Ukraine region. They are related to the Ukrainians and speak mostly a different dialect of the same language but consider themselves ethnically Ukrainian, Slovak, and Rusyn. Some Ruthenians came into formal communion with Rome in the 17th century. Today the Ruthenian Catholic Church numbers 571,827.

Slovakian ChurchThe Slovaks have been closely linked to the Ruthenians, in fact, indistinguishable until national awareness arose in mid 19th century. Catholic Slovaks were outlawed by the Communists until 1968. Today there are about 210,767 Slovak Catholics worldwide including about 30,000 in Canada. In the United States they identify themselves with the Ruthenians.

Codex Petropolitanusl 9th Century Gospel of Luke. One example of thousands of such Biblical manuscripts of the Byzantine text type, some of which ultimately gave rise to the King James English Bible in the 16th century. ©/ Wikimedia Commons.

Ukrainian ChurchAlthough Christianity among the Ukrainian people is ancient, the Rus-Ukraine Nation did not convert in mass until 988 following the conversion of Prince Volodymyr. The divisions of 1054 would later affect this area of the world. The Union of Brest in 1596 began reestablishment of communion with the Orthodox of Ukraine. By the 18th century two-thirds of the area of Western Ukraine was Catholic. In the 19th century the Russian Czar officially suppressed Catholic Churches, but many communities still flourished in the area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Poland. Under Communism, the Ukrainian Catholic Church was oppressed and forced to join the Russian Orthodox. Most bishops and many priests died in prison while others were exiled. But the events of 1989 have brought the Ukrainian Catholic Church out from its underground existence. Numbering 4,418,570 faithful, the Ukrainian Catholic Church constitutes the largest Catholic Church in the former Soviet Union and the largest Eastern Catholic Church in the world.

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The Alexandrian TraditionHistory: Saint Mark the Evangelist is credited with founding the church in Alexandria. Eventually, all of Egypt, present-day Sudan, and much of Ethiopia became Christian until the seventh century when Islam dominated North Africa. But it was not until the middle ages that Christians ceased to be in the majority. During the first few hundred years of Christianity Alexandria was very active theologically having only the school of Antioch as a competitor. The Alexandrian Tradition also gave the Church one of its greatest treasures, Monasticism. After the example of Saint Anthony the Great (251-356 AD), thousands flocked to the desert to experience and learn this way of life.

But there were also tensions. Alexandria provided grain for Constantinople, which had grown in dominance over Alexandria. Both cities had cultural and language differences as well as arguments over trade. Egypt, after all, was once an empire itself. Now it was subservient to Constantinople. The Hellenization of the Coptic Liturgy was resisted for the most part, and the Coptic language (a mixture of the old Egyptian and Greek) and way of worship prevailed. This rivalry fueled the religious controversies which ended in division after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The greater part of the Alexandrian Patriarchate divided from the rest of the church. Those who accepted the Council faded away during the long period of Islamic domination. In 1442 at the council of Florence an agreement of unity was reached but did not materialize in practice.

The Alexandrian Tradition had only one Church until the 20th century when the southern part of the Coptic Church attained independent status and became known as the Ethiopian Church.

Liturgy & Spirituality: The Liturgy of the Alexandrian Tradition closely resembles the Byzantine Liturgy with its processions and chanting but has less speculative poetry and symbolic splendor. It is highly penitential, contemplative, long, and solemn. The clergy wear slippers in the holy place. The faithful remove their shoes before going up to communion. Men and women go separately into side rooms that are open to the sanctuary to receive communion. Leavened bread is used. The liturgical language is Coptic, but the vernacular is also used.In the early church Alexandria emerged as a center of spirituality with an emphasis on faith, fasting and constant prayer. Through the influence of monasticism Alexandrian spirituality is highly penitential. There are strict fasts throughout most of the year. Charity, meekness, constant prayer, and a simple life

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St. Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Hanging Church (El Muallaqa,) is one of the oldest churches in Egypt. cc Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons

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are encouraged. There is a strong emphasis on the divinity of Christ and the otherness of God.

Coptic ChurchThe Muslim Arab invaders referred to the indigenous peoples of Egypt as Gypt (Copt) from the Greek word Egyptos meaning Egyptian. Copts take pride in the ancient tradition that Mark the Evangelist founded the See (Seat) of Alexandria, and take even more pride in that Egypt is part of the Holy Land since it was the country of refuge for the Holy Family. Missionary activity from the Coptic Church spread in all directions and was particularly successful southward, reaching deep into Nubia where Christianity eventually became extinct due to Islamic persecution and conquest.

Around the middle part of the 18th century, Franciscan and Jesuit influences resulted in a small number of Coptic Orthodox becoming Catholic. In the 19th century a Coptic Catholic Patriarchate was established. Today the Coptic Catholic population is 173,688, a fraction of the overall Coptic Orthodox population of about 15 million, and has churches in Canada, USA, Australia, and various other countries.

Ethiopian (Geez) Church Although there were Christians there from Apostolic times, large scale conversions, including that of the King, did not take place until the 4th century when the Coptic, St. Frumentius, evangelized the area. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church became an integral part of Ethiopian life, so much so that it became the state religion right up to

A priest at Na’akuto La’ab church, Lalibela, Ethiopia, with an old manuscript depicting the miracles of Mary. © Sean Sprague

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the time of the Marxist revolution in 1974, which put an end to what was claimed to be the most ancient line of Monarchical succession going back to King Solomon!

The Ethiopian Church had its beginnings among the Coptic Orthodox and it received independent status from Alexandria in 1950, thus becoming an autonomous church. At the Council of Florence communion was achieved with the Ethiopian Church but it could not take hold because of the forced introduction of Latin liturgical practices. This caused resentment and finally reversion to a state of division. In the 19th century missionary activity resumed, and in 1960 a Catholic Metropolitan See was established.

Eritrean Church In 2015, Pope Francis reorganized the Catholic Church in Eritrea, detaching it from the Catholic Church in Ethiopia and raising it to the rank of a Metropolitan Church. Today there are 88,114 Ethiopian Catholics and 159,826 Eritrean Catholics, while the combined Orthodox population is 48 million.

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The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic (East Syriac script.) ©/ Dangelo, Wikimedia

The Antiochian Tradition(The West Syrian Tradition)From the Antiochian Patriarchate there evolved two Semitic traditions: The West Syrian Tradition also referred to as the Antiochian Tradition, and the Chaldean (East Syrian) Tradition.

History: When St. Peter and other Apostles founded the early church community in Antioch the city was a major metropolis. It quickly became the center of Christian activity for hundreds of miles away. However, The Patriarchate of Antioch suffered from two main divisions. The first occurred in 431 when bishops from all over the world gathered in Ephesus to settle a dispute regarding the personhood of Christ. They affirmed that Mary can be called Mother of God. This title was not accepted by some bishops and a schism occurred which led to the formation of a separate Chaldean-Assyrian Church. The second schism occurred in 451 following the Council of Chalcedon which stated that Christ had two natures, divine and human. A portion of the Syriac Church along with a portion of the Alexandrian and Armenian Church rejected the Council. They were called Monophysites (adherers of one-nature,) since they believed that Christ had only one divine-human nature. The Syriac-speaking Monophysites were later also called Jacobites. They eventually elected their own Patriarch of Antioch and claimed rightful Apostolic succession. Today this Church is called Syrian Orthodox, whereas the portion of this Church that has come into communion with Rome is called Syrian Catholic. The remaining Christians in the Antiochian Patriarchate supported Chalcedon and remained in catholic communion

largely due to the influence of a group of monasteries; among the largest and most influential was the Monastery of Saint Maron.

During the Islamic conquests of the 7th century, the Patriarch of Antioch resided in Constantinople because Antioch was too dangerous. The Emperor would appoint the Patriarch. But there occurred a period of vacancy. As a result, a portion of the Catholic bishops of the Near East, under the influence of the Monastery of Saint Maron, decided to elect their own Patriarch as rightful successor. This was St. John Maron. He moved the See to the more secure mountains of Lebanon. His election, and that of his successors, was not recognized by the remaining bishops. They instead awaited an appointment from the Emperor. When finally one was appointed, he continued to reside in Constantinople as did his successors. For this reason and because of political, economic, geographic, and other factors, the Chalcedonians who followed the Emperor-appointed Patriarch began to employ elements of the Byzantine liturgical tradition increasingly from the 7th century until the 13th century when the Byzantine Liturgy was used in its entirety. Because of their Byzantine usage they

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are today referred to as Greek-Melkite or Roum Catholic, or Roum Orthodox. The remaining Catholic Chalcedonians retained the Syriac-based Antiochian liturgical tradition along with some Edessan influence. They came to be called Maronite because of the influence of the Monastery of Saint Maron in preserving allegiance to the 5th century Council and because of the monastery’s influence in the election of St. John Maron in the 7th century.

Liturgy & Spirituality: The liturgy is among the most ancient, having Jewish roots. It is highly influenced by Monasticism in its simplicity. Some churches have a veil separating the inner sanctuary as in the ancient temple; it opens during the Eucharistic celebration. Although some icons are used these are not ornate. There are processions, chants, and songs. Eucharist is given by intinction. The prayers are poetic and scriptural. They are filled with imagery showing the fulfillment of the Old Testament in Christ. Syriac spirituality emphasizes paradox in order to depict the essence of God. Though unknowable he has made himself known to the simple and pure of heart. Thus, Mary held in her arms the one who holds the whole universe. In the early church, Antioch competed with Alexandria as a spiritual center. But its emphasis was on the humanity of Christ. God became “one of us” that we may be as he is.

Maronite ChurchThe only Catholic body in the Near East that retained its Syriac characteristics after the schisms in the Patriarchate of Antioch. It later came to be referred to as Maronite because it aligned itself closely with

the monastery of Saint Maron and its many sister monasteries. The existence of this monastery, among the largest in the Near East, having 800 cells, was a critical factor in preserving the ancient Apostolic Syriac Tradition within the Catholic Communion. It was named after a priest-hermit, Maron, d. 410 AD. He lived in the mountains of present-day Syria in the region of Apamea along the Orontes River. When he died, his disciples later built the monastery in his memory. The monks of this monastery and dozens of sister monasteries were zealous evangelizers. Until the early Middle Ages, the Maronites were numerous throughout the Near East where monastic evangelization became very successful, but especially in the mountainous areas of Lebanon which became a fertile home for the Gospel, and from the 7th century on, a refuge for Maronites during the terrible persecutions when St. John Maron, a Maronite bishop, was elected as Patriarch, and moved the Antiochian

One of the oldest depictions of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection is found in the Rabbula Gospels, 586 AD. Such Syriac art inspired early Byzantine iconography.© Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles.

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See to the Lebanon mountains. Henceforth, the Maronites would shape the culture and history of Lebanon and its surrounding areas.

Outside of Lebanon there are today 3 Eparchies in Syria, an Eparchy each in Cyprus, Egypt, Europe, the Holy Land, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and two in the USA. The Maronite Church, never broke communion with Rome and has no Orthodox counterpart. The population is 3,358,504.

Syrian (Syriac) ChurchThe Semitic minded Edessa and Aleppo and the surrounding areas in Syria staunchly resisted Hellenization and the influence of Constantinople. Many of these rejected the Council of Chalcedon (451). Under the efforts of Jacob Baradai, the non-Chalcedonian movement gained strength and hence this Church was referred to as Jacobite (a term rejected by the Syrian Church). Negotiations for the reestablishment of communion began in the 12th

century, and unity documents were signed at the Council of Florence in 1442, but nothing materialized. In the 17th century Latin Catholic missionary activity and Maronite influence succeeded in persuading many Syrian Christians to enter into communion with Rome. Ever since, a Catholic

Patriarch has been elected along side the non-Chalcedonian Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church. The Church suffered terribly during the chaos of World War I under the Turks and again under ISIS. There are 207,740 Syrian Catholics mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, the Americas and Australia.

The Chaldean Tradition(The East Syrian Tradition)While the West Syrian Tradition was influenced by the later Byzantine Tradition, the Chaldean Tradition was hardly touched due to the Persian Empire’s hostility with its ancient arch-rivals in the West. Chaldeans and Assyrians lived in ancient Persia but also in the “in-between” lands of present-day Iraq that was always a battle ground that vacillated between the two great empires. The designation of this tradition by the linguistic term, East Syrian, is disputed.

Chaldean ChurchNot only did the area of ancient Babylon & Assyria resist the influence of Constantinople, but it also rejected the Hellenizing influence of Antioch from the beginning. Its liturgy developed from Palestinian Christianity through Antioch and Edessa with minimal Greek influence. The Mesopotamian region was

August 20, 2014, photo of historic visit of five patriarchs to Erbil, Iraq, at the height of the terrible persecutions which killed thousands of Christians and other minorities, and caused hundreds of thousands to flee their ancestral homeland in Iraq & Syria.From Left: Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorius III Lahham, Syriac Orthodox Church Patriarch Ignatius Ephrem II, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Youna, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Chaldean Patriarch Louis Rafael Sako.© AINA, www.aina.org/releases/20140826162613.htm

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St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Palayur, Kerala, India, is believed to be established (in 52 AD) by St. Thomas the Apostle as the oldest of his seven churches. © Raj Singh, Alamy

evangelized in the second half of the 1st century by Mar (saint) Addai and Mar Mari. In the 4th century Seleucia-Ctesophone became the ecclesiastical center, and self-governance was proclaimed in 424. Chaldeans and Assyrians adopted Nestorianism in 486 soon after the Council of Ephesus in 431. This division reflected a political and theological tension with Byzantium. The Chaldeans and Assyrians continued their missionary activity in Persia, India, and China, particularly from the 8th to the 13th century, but their activities were curtailed in the 14th century following the conversion of the Mongolian invaders to Islam. Communion with the Church of Rome began in the 16th century and has continued with more and more success. The Muslim Turks inflicted cruel persecutions upon the faithful during World War I, killing 200,000. Recent persecution has also decimated the church. The Chaldean Catholic Church has 602,058 members. It exists in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey,

Lebanon, Egypt, Europe, USA, Australia, Indonesia, & other areas.

The Christians of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar & Malankar ChurchesMalabar is a region in Southwest India in Kerala. According to local tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle evangelized the area and was martyred there. Therefore, Christians there are called St. Thomas Christians. They had little contact with other churches of the Roman Empire, but developed hierarchical and liturgical relations with the Chaldean-Assyrian Church with added Indian traditions. With the arrival of European missionaries in the 15th century, the relationship with the Chaldean-Assyrian Church was stopped. By 1600 European Bishops governed. But in 1653 a major division took place when one group accepted the Antiochian non-Catholic tradition, marking the beginning of the Orthodox Church in India. They became known as Syro-Malankara. In 1930, a group from this church under

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the leadership of Archbishop Mar Ivanios reestablished communion with the Catholic Church and the Holy See accepted it as a separate Catholic Church. Like the Syrian Church, the Malankara Catholic Church employed the Antiochian Liturgical Rite. Today this Malankara Catholic body constitutes about 22% of the overall Malankara Christian population of 2 million. The other branch of the Malabar Church that had broken communion with Rome retained the Assyrian liturgical usage. The great majority, however, returned, and by 1992 the Church was raised to the status of Major Archiepiscopate. Today it comprises over 92% of the Malabar Christian population of over 4 million.

History: Tradition attributes the evangelization of Armenia to the Apostles Jude and Bartholomew. Ancient Armenia lay outside the borders of the Roman Empire, in part of what is today eastern Turkey, between the Black and Caspian Seas and the bordering areas of Iran. In the 10th century the area of Cilicia was also populated by Armenians. Armenia became the first State to adopt Christianity in 303 AD after King Tiridates III was converted to Christianity by St. Gregory the Illuminator, who came from Cappadocia. It is a daughter church of Antioch.

Liturgy & Spirituality: The Armenian liturgical tradition is highly influenced by the Antiochian and Byzantine traditions. A curtain separates the inner sanctuary. It is

The Armenian Tradition

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Geghard Monestary, Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by St. Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. cc Oleg Sidorenko, flickr

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opened during the celebration of the Eucharist. A high platform elevates the sanctuary from the main body of the church. The priest wears a crown to signify Christ the king. Unlike the Byzantine Liturgy, unleavened bread is used.

The Armenian ChurchFor political, cultural and theological reasons the Church of Armenia rejected the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and split from the rest of the Catholic Church. The Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia established communion with Rome during the crusades; but when both the Crusader and the Armenian Kingdoms collapsed, communion was broken. In 1439, at the Council of Florence, a decree of reunion was published but did not materialize. In 1740 an Armenian Catholic Patriarch was elected and later became established in Lebanon. The brutal genocide by Turkey during World War I killed over 1.5 million. Since then, Armenians became scattered all over the world. Of the approximately 9 million Armenian Christians, about 6% are Armenian Catholic

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Anaphora: The Eucharistic Prayer also referred to as the Canon.

Antioch: The ancient metropolis in present-day Turkey where the name Christian was first used (Acts 11:26.)

Apostolic: Having roots that reach back to the Apostles.

Aramaic: The language spoken by Christ.

Arian: A heresy named after its founder, Arius, a priest in Egypt. Arians maintained that the Son of God was created the first of all things. The Council of Nicea condemned this belief in 325 AD.

Byzantine: Having ties to the capital city of Constantinople, whose former name was Byzantium.

Canon: Having official approval. For example: the Canon of Scripture, the Canon of the Mass.

Chalcedon, Council of: In 451 AD the bishops of the world met in the city of Chalcedon to decide on the issue of the natures of Christ. They said that Christ is fully man and fully God. He is one person having two distinct but united natures, divine and human.

Gnosticism: A class of heresies in the first few hundred years of the church that are characterized by their lack of adherence to all the major tenets of Christianity. They made their own scriptures, rejected the Old Testament, denied the humanity of Christ, believed that matter was evil, rejected Church authority, etc.

Constantinople: The metropolis founded as the New Rome and named after its founder, Emperor Constantine, the first pagan emperor to favor Christianity.

Coptic: Egyptian. The Greek Egyptos shortened to gypt became Copt.

Council: A gathering of bishops to make official decisions.

Eparchy: The Greek form of the word Diocese, the territory of a bishop.

Ephesus, Council of: In 431 AD the bishops of the world proclaimed that Mary can be called the Mother of God, thereby affirming the identity of Christ as one person. This council condemned the doctrine of Nestorius who said that Mary cannot be called Theotokos, the God-bearer.

Eucharist: The Thanksgiving offering usually referring to Holy Communion.

Hellenized: Resembling Greek culture.

Heresy: An explicit rejection of a truth officially proclaimed by the church.

Liturgy: All public worship but usually the Eucharistic celebration.

Monophysite: One nature. A heresy condemned in 451 AD by the Council of Chalcedon.

Nicea, Council of: In 325 the bishops of the world proclaimed that Christ was “begotten not made, one in substance with the Father, God from God, Light from Light”. They condemned Arius who said there was a time when God was not a Father and when the Son did not exist.

Orthodox: True faith, upright worship.

Patriarch: The bishop of a diocese that has great influence and authority over other surrounding dioceses and whose authority is officially recognized by the whole church.

Patriarchate: The geographic domain of a patriarch’s authority.

Rite: Ritual.

Schism: A division that is not due to heresy.

Syriac: The evolved form of Aramaic from the early church until today.

Theotokos: God-bearer. A title officially affirmed by the council of Ephesus in 431 AD.

Tradition: A venerable practice that has become part of the identity of a society or a family of societies. This term can also apply to the unchangeable Apostolic teaching.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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Cat

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27

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††ECPA

NON-CATHOLIC EASTERN CHURCHES240 million

150,000,00023,000,00015,000,00011,500,00010,000,0003,500,000 3,500,0002,500,000 1,500,0001,200,0001,000,000

140,0001,500,000

32.2 million19,500,000 2,400,0002,000,000

800,000 9,070,000

85.3 million48,000,00015,500,000 8,000,0006,600,0002,500,0002,000,000 1,500,0001,200,0001,000,000

12 million 7,200,000 3,200,0001,250,000 960,000

INDEPENDENT CHURCHES OF THE BYZANTINE TRADITION Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarchate of MoscowRomanian Orthodox ChurchChurch of GreeceSerbian Orthodox ChurchBulgarian Orthodox ChurchGeorgian Orthodox ChurchGreek Orthodox Church of Constantinople, Patriarchate of ConstantinopleGreek Orthodox Church of Antioch, Patriarchate of AntiochGreek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Patriarchate of Alexandria & All AfricaOrthodox Church in AmericaPolish Orthodox ChurchGreek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Patriarchate of JerusalemOther (Albania, Cyprus, Czech, Slovak)

CHURCHES OF DISPUTED STATUSUkrainian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Kiev)Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox ChurchMacedonian Orthodox ChurchUkrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Other (Greece, Romanian, Bulgarian, Italy, Montenegrin, Old Believers, Greek Old Calendarists, True Orthodox Church, etc)PRE-CHALCEDONIAN CHURCHESEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchCoptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (Pope of Alexandria)Armenian Apostolic ChurchSyriac Orthodox ChurchEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church Malankara Orthodox Syrian ChurchArmenian Orthodox Church of CiliciaJacobite Syrian Christian ChurchOther (Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, of Jerusalem, others)

PRE-EPHESUS, EAST SYRIAN CHURCHESMar Thoma Syrian ChurchAssyrian Church of the East (Also called the Catholic Church of the East)Ancient Church of the EastMalabar Independent Syrian Church

SELF-GOVERNING CHURCHES WITHOUT INDEPENDENT STATUSUkrainian Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow)Moldovan Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church Outside RussiaOther (Bessarabia, Ohrid, Estonian, Finnish, Chinese, Japanese, Latvian, W Europe)

1.76 million1,100,000

500,000 100,000

60,000

Population estimates are based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations_by_number_of_members#cite_note-patriyarkhat.org.ua-137 as viewed as of May, 2016.

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POPULATION OF CATHOLIC CHURCHES

LATIN— ROMAN TRADITION 1.25 Billion1. Roman (Latin) Church 1,254,000,000

GREEK— BYZANTINE TRADITION 7.79 Million2. Ukrainian Church 4,418,570

3. Melkite-Greek Church 1,685,296

4. Ruthenian Church 571,827

5. Romanian Church 512,726

6. Hungarian Church 261,100

7. Slovakian Church 210,767

8. Byzantine Church of Italy (Italo-Albanian) 62,212

9. Church of Croatia, Serbia & Montenegro* 51,641

10. Bulgarian Church 10,000

11. Greek Church 6,020

12. Russian Church 3,500

13. Byelorussian Church 3,000

14. Albanian Church A few hundred

15. Georgian Church A few hundred

CHALDEAN— (EAST SYRIAN) TRADITION 4.7 Million16. Syro-Malabar Church 4,121,096

17. Chaldean Church 602,058

ANTIOCHIAN— (WEST SYRIAN) TRADITION 4 Million18. Maronite Church 3,358,504

19. Syro-Malankar Church 445,381

20. Syrian (Syriac) Church 207,740

ARMENIAN TRADITION .73 Million21. Armenian Church 736,956

COPTIC TRADITION .42 Million22. Coptic Church 173,688

23. Eritrean Church 159,826

24. Ethiopian Church 88,114

Catholic Churches populations are based on The Annuario 2015, Vatican City.Numbers in italics are ECPA estimates.

* Croatia 18,260, Serbia 22,058, Macedonia 11,323.

Please Note: Charts on pg 26-29 are color-coded to show various communions as they are traditionally grouped. Due to dialogue today, these communions are subject to change between one particular non-Catholic Eastern church and another.

29

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ECPA

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Theotokos of Vladimir, Holy Protectress of Russia. Painted inConstantinople around 1130 AD. ©/ Wikimedia Commons

31

Annuario Pontificio, Vatican City, Vatican, 2015.

Roberson, Ronald G., The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey, Edizioni: Orientalia Christiana, Rome, 7th edition, 2008.

Faris, John D., Eastern Catholic Churches: Constitution and Governance, St. Maron Publications, NY, 1992.

National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Eastern Catholics in the United States of America, Washington, DC, United States Catholic Conference, 2000.

Jurgens, W.A., The Faith of the Early Fathers, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 1979, Vol. I-III.

RSVCE, Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2006.

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