The importance of the Eastern churches, and the need to be united with the Roman Catholic Church, is not something just discovered but the very being of the Church. Whatever our steps towards unity, they are but a going back to the beauty of the true image of the Church before made ugly by history. Besides, the universal Church has an indelible mark of the East especially in formulating, developing and defending the Christian doctrine.

For our understanding of Jesus as divine as God the Father we owe to Athanasius from the Church of Alexandria; our attempt to understand three Divine Persons in one Godhead, we owe to the Cappadocian Fathers: St Basil, Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nanziuzus; for profound study in understanding the Bible we owe a lot to Origen of Alexandria; what a huge contribution of the East!

Liturgically, the East has always had a variety of rites and liturgical traditions; rites developed according to the culture and language of the people. In the West despite the different liturgies that have mushroomed over history there has been a tendency to narrow to one -uniformity. Even the Eucharistic prayer for long time has been only one. Talking of inculturation, the East always remains source of inspiration not only for the variety but also for the beauty of the people expressing the worship and piety in symbols that are truly theirs and proper to them.

Monasticism is another child of the Eastern Church. And special in the East, monastic life is not simply for few enclosed professionals but an inspiration to the daily life of every faithful.

With such common stock, the division is violence to the very identity of the Church. Only we can understand the attempts of the various popes toward unity of East-Western Churches.

During the pontificate of Leo XIII whose dedication earned him the name Oriental Pope the 1893 Eucharistic Congress took place in Jerusalem where respect and acceptance of oriental rights were the major issues. His consequent Encyclical Orientalium Dignitas sanctioned the works and proposals made at the congress. He exhorted Catholics to be familiar and be nourished by the ancient tradition of the Eastern Churches. Why? “…in that part of the world that the first action for the redemption of the human race began….”

In order to promote the study of Eastern churches, Benedict XV created the Pontifical Oriental Institute in 1917. He also founded the Sacred Congregation of the Oriental Churches as Eastern Catholics resented being considered mission territory when under Propaganda Fide.

In 1959, John XXIII had announced the Second Vatican Council, in which unity of Christians would be one of the top issues, leading churches from hostility to friendly relations. The spirit of the council was expressed in his new approach that “the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity”. That was true! Vatican II would in fact be the council without condemnations. Later, John XXIII founded the Secretariat for promoting Christian Unity, the mentality of Latinising and absorbing was over and there was recognition of Eastern Churches.

Since Vatican II there has been a new understanding that the union of the Catholic Churches of the East and the Roman Catholic Church must not be at the cost of those oriental churches losing what is properly eastern. The council called on these churches to renew their rites; getting back to the disciplines, customs that really speak to the people. And so many catholic Eastern churches have undergone some renewal –getting back to their original rites.

Considering the earlier Latinising mentality, listening to the words of the Decree on Eastern Churches, Orientalium Ecclesiarum; one simply cannot but marvel at such revolutionary yet beautiful change of heart: “There exists an admirable bond of union, such that the variety within the Church in no way harms its unity; rather it manifests it, for it is the mind of the Catholic Church that each individual church or Rite should retain its traditions….”     The Vatican II refuted the false impression of one rite appearing superior to others. All the churches, East and West, are all equal and have the same rights and obligations in proclaiming the Good news in communion with the Pope.

For John Paul II unity implied restoring the Church to its full health, which was a priority in his pontificate; “so that the Church might breathe again with both its lungs.” That was the point of his Ut Unum Sint (that they may be one), the first encyclical ever on Ecumenism.

Knowing that this division has been largely due to selfish interests, John Paul II struck the right cord when he called for both personal and ecclesial conversion of heart, and therefore, the need for self-emptying like Christ did.        John Paul II was aware of how limited the Church had been in its dealings and self-understanding; whatever attempts made in the past for unity were determined by the mentality of the times and the self-conception of the Church.

Like what Charles Lavigerie, founder of the Missionaries of Africa, had said a century before; John Paul saw unity that lay first in the total respect for the other’s dignity without the superiority complex of seeing the Latin rite as being more complete and better expression of the fullness of doctrine.

I’m marked by the viewpoint of John Paul II that unity will not be a mere agreement of leaders but the very awareness of the communion, the very nature of the Church. Indeed, history testifies: when leaders met and signed documents of agreement for re-union the whole thing was a flop when the people at the grassroots were not involved. This gives me confidence in the little an ordinary Christian can do. There is power that can order the change of history and restore the church to the beauty of its true image. But no one will work for what he doesn’t know. Yes, we know but often only the half. We should be interested in the other part as well. Our commitment is a matter of our faith. We declare: I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; yet, the church is divided and there are parts of this Apostolic Church we simply ignore or know very little about. This can render the declaration of our belief superficial. However, it’s not too late to live what we profess.

 

 

 

In the efforts to restore unity, the Roman Catholic Church repeatedly expressed its esteem for the religious heritage of East and the need to respect its rites especially by the exhortations of the various popes. The practice however has been different over the history.

Latin Missionaries worked to restore unity that for some meant conversion of Eastern Christians.  Some went even to the extent of denying Eastern Catholics were fully Catholics as long as they never followed the Latin rite.

To think differently in that era of heroic propagation of the Latin rite was certainly revolutionary, if not rebellious. Charles Lavigerie, Bishop of Algiers and founder of the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), had a different approach to the same unity. He was not pleased with the attitude of the Latin Missionaries to the Oriental Christians.

He knew the East by his earlier work even before founding the Society, as Director of the Work for the Schools of the East in 1856, Consulter for the Section for the Eastern Rite in February 1862, and Member of the Commission for the Missions and the Discipline of the Churches of the Middle East. He realised that the Church was more than the Latin Church. This rewarded him with a kind of openness quite innovative at the time.

He was marked by the division between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox which he attributed more to misunderstanding and prejudices than to issues fundamental to faith. For him, the Latin Church needed to esteem the Oriental rites and accept honestly the diversity. In his biography François Renault quotes the instruction of Lavigerie to the White Fathers: “You must react against the attitude of contempt for Eastern traditions, which is an offence to charity as well as opposed to the real interests of the churches in the East. The Policy of Latinization is one of the most lamentable mistakes of which the Latin clergy in the East have been guilty.” (Renault, PP.315-316). Like St Paul who became all things to all men the White Fathers would have to ‘orientalise’ instead of Latinizing the oriental Christians.

But how would Lavigerie realise his vision? How would he penetrate the East?

The opportunity came when he secured for his Society the custody of St Anne Basilica on behalf of the French government. The White Fathers arrived at St Anne in 1878.  Totally opposed to the latinization, in his letter Lavigerie was quick to instruct them to respect the Oriental ways:  “….There is only one method that can bear fruit in the East…. Accept and respect in the Orientals everything with the sole exception of vice and error.”

Another opportunity presented itself in 1880 when Gregorios Yussef, Partriach of Greek Melkite Catholic Church asked the White Fathers if they would train the priests of his rite. That was providence for Lavigerie; for had he not thought of establishing a school where children of all rites would be welcomed?

In his intention to train the children in their own rite and give them education that would empower them to be relevant to the needs of their place among their own people, Lavigerie went to the extent of proposing that the White Fathers themselves celebrate mass in the eastern rite but permission was not given.

In January 1882 the Minor seminary started, then the Major seminary in 1886. The Minor seminary was later transferred to Lebanon. Owing to the political consequences of the six-day war of June 1967 for the Arab students, the major seminary was also moved to Lebanon shortly after which the administration of the two seminaries was passed back to the Patriarch. In 85 years, the White Fathers left the legacy of about 330 priests, 30 bishops and two patriarchs for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

What the White Fathers did was quite radical at the time. Féderlin who was involved in the preparation of the Eucharistic Congress of Jerusalem gives this testimony in his letter to the Papal Legate: “That a Latin Cardinal and Latin Missionaries have allowed themselves to do what was never seen before done in the East; devoted themselves to help the Greek Church and its rites while many of the other Latin Missionaries aimed at creating Latin parishes with oriental Christians –the opposite”.

However, the White Fathers’ work for the promotion of Eastern rites was not limited to the seminary. At the International Eucharistic Congress of Jerusalem in 1893 they created awareness of the Eastern churches and defended their rites, a point monumental in the West’s attitude towards the East.

Oriental liturgies and the importance of safeguarding them were principle issues of this Congress. The White Fathers’ knowledge and work in this field enabled them a strong voice both in the preparation and during the Congress. Father Pierre Michel who had been professor at St Ann’s seminary was involved in preparing the issues for discussion and was one of the speakers at the Congress. He represented not only the views of the White Fathers at St Anne but also the very mind of their founder, Cardinal Charles Lavigerie.                                   

The Encyclical Orientalium Dignitas by Leo XIII written after the congress confirmed and sanctioned officially the thesis of Fr Michel and the Work of the White Fathers at St Anne.

Pierre Michel lamented the shallowness of unity as conceived by many missionaries most of whom confused the unity of rite with unity of faith.  He deplored that each one went on to work for unity as he understood, if not misunderstood it, meaning to absorb the East into the Roman Church. He proposed what he called a ‘wise line of conduct’ that involved respect for oriental rites. There was so much ignorance of the East by the West, even among those who worked there.

Another White Father of St Anne, Antoine Delpuch, worked at the creation of the Roman Congregation for the Eastern Churches, and later became the first Rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute.

Then Pierre Duprey was called from St Anne to work in Rome at the Secretariat for the Unity of Christians as Assistant Secretary. And he played a role to prepare the pilgrimage of Pope Paul IV in Holy Land in 1964, especially for the encounter with the Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Benedictos of Jerusalem; a meeting significant for the reconciliation of Rome and Constantinople. Bishop Pierre Duprey died last May in Rome.       The White Fathers in Jerusalem have continued the ecumenical work.  Since 1951 they published a review Proche-Orient Chrétien (Near East Christian) till 2015 when it was passed to St Joseph University in Beyrouth, Lebanon. The review aims at creating further awareness of the Eastern Churches. Besides, its former editor Father Frans Bouwen, is a member of various international ecumenical Commissions.

 

The Byzantine Mass consists of three parts: preparation, liturgy of the Catechumens and liturgy of the faithful. Let’s first have a glance at the place of the celebration in the Melkite Catholic Church.

The Church is orientated toward the East, divided into three parts. The narthex was usually the place for catechumens from where, through the Royal Gate, is the nave; the space for the congregation. At the eastern end is a wall, iconostasis decorated with icons, which separates the nave from the sanctuary. The middle entrance to the sanctuary is called the Beautiful Gate through which only the clergy pass. There is another door on either side; north and south doors. The altar is situated in the centre of the sanctuary where the priest offers the Sacrifice facing the East.

The liturgy starts with the recitation of the psalms. Then the priest pays homage to the icons of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He implores for mercy; asking for strength to celebrate the Holy Mysteries without blemish. He puts on the liturgical vestments. And then, washes his hands.

Next, the priest takes bread in his left hand and making three times the sign of the cross with the Holy Lancet; he cuts the bread (leavened bread, often offered by a family) and pours wine into the chalice. Then he incenses the gifts; that is the end of the preparation that takes place on the side altar in the northern wing called prothesis.

The Liturgy of the Catechumens begins with the invitation by the deacon to pray for different intentions such as: peace in the world, salvation of souls, the bishop of the area, the government, travellers, and the sick, etc. Then follows what is called the Little Entrance.

The priest takes the Book of Gospels in both hands and holding it high, he comes out through the North door, torches being carried before him and two ripidia. The procession goes to the entrance of the Church and then back to the front.

Wisdom! The priest invites the faithful, Let us be attentive! Then the reader takes the Reading, called the First Lesson. Strikingly symbolic is when the priest reads the Gospel. Some of the faithful stand below the Book of Gospels, their heads inclined in the listening disposition; some even support the Book. The Liturgy of the Catechumens ends with the homily.  In the early centuries they left the celebration.

The liturgy of the faithful begins with the Great Entrance. The Priest goes in procession this time carrying the Gifts to be consecrated. He goes round singing loudly: May the Lord God remember us all in His kingdom, at all times, now and always and forever and ever. The faithful turn to the procession, heads inclined and make the sign of the cross.

In the sanctuary the priest, facing the East with his back to the people, begins the Eucharistic prayer.  It is preceded by some prayers, a kiss of peace and the creed. Then follow the preface, Sanctus and words of consecration. The invocation of the spirit (epiclesis) comes after, and then the Lord’s Prayer.

For Communion, holding the paten and the chalice up the priest comes at the entrance to the Sanctuary, inviting the faithful: Approach with fear of God, with faith and with love! And the people answer: Amen! Amen! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! The Lord is God and He has appeared to us! Infants too are given communion. At the end the priest blesses the people with the paten and the chalice. Then follow the prayer of thanksgiving and dismissal.

The remainder of the bread, blessed but not consecrated, is distributed to the people.  The Greek Melkite Catholic Church follows a single-year cycle, not a Three-year cycle like in the Latin rite. The four gospels are distributed at different times of the year; some fixed at some feasts of the Liturgical year, which starts in September. The ordinary Sundays of the year are named after the Gospel text used; hence, you have the Sunday of the Pharisee and Publican, Sunday of the Prodigal son, Sunday of the Samaritan Woman etc.

Among the remarkable liturgies in this byzantine rite is the Good Friday ceremony: the Burial of Christ. The funeral and the burial are enacted. This long ceremony begins in a sombre mood but lightens as it progresses in the hope of the Resurrection. At a point the coffin of Jesus, borne shoulder-high by four bearers, is taken round in procession inside the church.

Lighting candles is another noticeable practice of the faithful in the Eastern Churches. It’s often the first thing one does on entering the church. There is always a container with many sockets where the faithful place their candles. Candles are lit for prayer intentions. To light a candle for someone means you will pray for them and the candle is the symbol of that prayer.

The byzantine Liturgy is quite traditional, full of symbols and gives somewhat a taste of the celebration in the early centuries of the Church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Byzantine Rite is the liturgical rite used by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches and some Eastern Catholic churches that originated in the city of Constantinople, today called Istanbul.

Owing to its supremacy as the new Capital of Roman Empire, Byzantium (Constantinople) became important Christian City, so much that its liturgical tradition spread throughout the Middle-East. Fourteen Churches follow the Byzantine liturgy. We look at two of them: The Melkite Greek Catholic and the Italo-Albanian byzantine Catholic Churches.

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church

Melkite comes from the Syriac word for imperial, originally used pejoratively by the non-Chaldeans for Middle-Eastern Christians who accepted the authority of the Council of Chalcedon and the Byzantine Emperor.

The Greek element signifies the Byzantine Rite heritage as its liturgy is similar to that of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic refers both to the church’s acknowledgement of the authority of the Pope and its belonging to the Universal Church, hence the name –Greek Melkite Catholic Church. It traces its origins to the Christian communities of the three Apostolic Sees: Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.

A number of factors have shaped both the history and character of the Church.

Firstly, the controversy of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 divided the Christian Community between those who did and those who did not accept the decree of the council. Mainly Greeks in the Cities, nicknamed Melkites, accepted the Council while mostly Syriac-Arabic or Coptic-speaking population of the countryside refused.

Secondly, through wars of conquest of 636 that took the Melkites out of their Byzantine-controlled homeland into Muslim hands led to the adoption of Arabic language and culture. There was fusion of Arabic and Greek cultures.

The third significant moments were the attempted reunions of the East and the West at the second of Council of Lyons (1274) and the Councils Florence1439). Though that led to no lasting unity, the call and need for union remained influential in some individuals; contributing to the existence of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

The election of Cyril VI by the Melkite bishops of Syria as the new Patriarch of Antioch in 1724 is another turning point. Because of Cyril’s leanings to the West, Jeremias III, patriarch of Constantinople, annulled his election and excommunicated him. Sylvester, a Greek monk, was imposed onto the See of Antioch. But his dictatorial style of rule caused so much divisions that Melkites chose to acknowledge Cyril VI as Patriarch.

On the other hand, in 1729 Pope Benedict XIII recognized Cyril as the legitimate Patriarch of Antioch and welcomed him, and his followers, into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. That marked the beginning of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church that existed alongside the Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch.

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch was recognised by the Ottoman Empire as a distinctive religious community within the Empire in 1835 and Pope Gregory XVI confirmed Maximos with a title that the Melkite Patriarch still holds today, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem.

Among the prominent figures of the Melkite Church is Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh who participated in the Vatican II where he argued strongly in defence of the Eastern tradition of Christianity.

He embarked on restoring the traditional rite especially by removing Latinized forms of liturgy. The Melkite Church went back to practices such as administering the Eucharist to infants following their baptism and confirmation done on the same occasion.

Gregory II Joseph is another prominent Melkite Patriarch who promoted the collegial type of Church governance. For that reason he opposed the interpretation of some Western Fathers of the dogmas of the Primacy and the Infallibility of the Pope at the Vatican I.

His ecumenical openness is evident in entrusting the formation of the priests of his rite to Latin priests –Missionaries of Africa. At the 1893 Eucharistic Congress of Jerusalem he spoke strongly for the need to respect the rights of Patriarchs and the Oriental rites.

Unlike the other oriental churches, the Melkite Church is not a national church. The Church is found in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, America, Europe, and Australia. It is headed by Patriarch Gregorios III. He resides in Damascus, Syria.

 Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church

Since early centuries there existed a byzantine community in southern Italy and Sicily because of the connection with Greece. As it was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Rome this community was latinised and was fast losing its liturgical heritage. But when it passed to the patriarchate of Constantinople in the 8^th century it recovered its byzantine tradition though that would be only up to 11^th century when through conquest again fell under Roman rite to its decline as its bishops were replaced by ones who discouraged its byzantine rites.

The arrival of Albanian refugees in the 15^th century revived this community. While those from the north of Albania, the Latin community, was absorbed into the local community; the orthodox group from the south preserved their byzantine tradition thereby stimulating this Italo-Albanian Community. But they always had problems with local bishops who wanted to impose the Latin rite. Fortunately, Pope Benedict XIV (1742) emphasised the equality of rites, both byzantine and Latin rites. In so doing, this community was protected.

Today there are two Italo-Albanian dioceses in Italy, besides; there is a monastery, the only surviving of its hundreds of monasteries, Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, which enjoys its independent status with its Abbot exercising authority among the monks and the few faithful around like a bishop of a diocese. The Italo-Albanian Byzantine Church is located in Southern Italy with members of about 64 000.

From Ur of the Chaldeans Abraham wandered with his family and flocks into the Land of Canaan at the command of the Lord. He is the father of nations: the Israelites, and the Ishmaelites. Here’s found the Chaldean Church, also called East Syrian Church.

The Mesopotamian region was evangelized in the second half of the first century. According to tradition, on his way to India St Thomas the Apostle established Christianity in Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Persia, and left Thaddeus, one of the seventy apostles, and Maris in charge.

The antagonism between the Byzantine Empire and Persia threatened the ties of the Church of the East that belonged to the Patriarchate of Antioch. In the 5^th century, there was a theological controversy about the nature of Christ. According to one school the two natures of Christ, human and divine are separate. And Mary was mother only to the human person of Christ, thus not a mother of God. Nestorius, Archbishop of Constantinople, favoured this.

Emperor Theodosius summoned a Council at Ephesus in 431 to address the issue. The Council affirmed the union of two natures in one person Jesus Christ and Mary was declared Mother of God, Theotokos.

Nestorius was condemned but his teaching spread in Persia and Mesopotamia.

The Eastern Church gave in easily to the Nestorian heresy largely due to its revolt to the imperial Church of Constantinople. It rejected the decree of the Council in option for the Nestorian Heresy, forming what would be known Nestorian Church.

The Church that was governed by a Catholicos under the patriarch of Antioch became independent and the Catholicos assumed the title of Patriarch of the East. For centuries the Church flourished and spread throughout Persia, Tartary, Mongolia, China, and India. Isolated, it developed in its own ways, untouched by the rest of the Christian world.

In 634 Arab Muslims conquered the whole region of Mesopotamia and established Muslim rule. Subjected to persecution and repression, the once flourishing church faltered. Out of this Church some groups, known today as Chaldeans, came into communion with Rome. Its mother church is still called Assyrian Church.

The Chaldean and Assyrian Churches share similar liturgies of the East Syriac origin though the Chaldeans have modified them to conform to the theology of Ephesus and later Councils.

In November, 1994, Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and Pope John Paul II agreed on the unity of two natures in the person Jesus Christ and that Mary is the Mother of God.

Characteristic of the Liturgy of the Church of the East is the absence of words of consecration: This is my Body and This is my Blood. This made the Roman Catholic Church until 2001consider this mass invalid. The Cardinal for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then, Joseph Ratsinger, declared it valid so that in certain circumstances Roman Catholics can receive communion in this Church.

Chaldean Catholic Church

The Chaldean Catholic Church or Chaldean Church of Babylon is historically the former Nestorians that have come back into communion with the Catholic Church.

In the 15^th century the Chaldean Church decreed that the title of Patriarch could pass only to relatives of then-patriarch Mar Simon IV. In 1552, a group of bishops refused to accept the hereditary succession of a boy as Patriarch. They elected Mar John VIII Sulaqa, the superior of an abbey as Patriarch who sought communion with Rome. Since then there were two opposing patriarchs till Mar Simon XIII Dinkha broke communion with Rome in 1662. The Vatican appointed another to be in charge of the Chaldean Catholic Church.

In 1830 Pius VIII confirmed John Hormizdas as head of Chaldean Catholics, with the title Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans.

 

 Syro-Malabar Church

The Syro-Malabar Church is self-governing Catholic Church headed by an Archbishop, hence the name, Major Archiepiscopal Church. It is the largest group among the Saint Thomas Christians who trace their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who evangelised India in 52 A.D.

The Thomas Christians followed the liturgy of the Syrian Churches of Eastern rites and depended on the bishops from the East but only for spiritual affairs. The administrative head of the community was the local priest called Archdeacon who governed through Palliyogam system –a synod of the clergy and the laity.

This balance was upset only with the arrival of the Portuguese missionaries in 1498. They found St Thomas Christians only in Malabar who were friendly to them but later conflicts arose because the Portuguese Jesuits forced to Latinize these Christians and cut their connection with East Syrian Church. They introduced the Latin liturgy and practices among the Thomas Christians and a Latin bishop of Goa imposed himself on them beyond his jurisdiction, disregarding the local hierarchy. This forced communion with Rome managed only to fragment the Church.

The Thomas Christians revolted. In 1653 some of them took a Koonan Cross Oath by which they would no longer obey the Portuguese missionaries. And when an Antiochian bishop, Mar Gregorios, came to India the breakaway group led by Thomas who had succeeded Archdeacon George; welcomed him and embraced West Syrian Christianity. From this group originate the: Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church (Jacobite), Indian Orthodox Church, Marthoma Church, Syro Malankara Catholic Church.

The Syro-Malabar Church is that group that remained in communion with Rome. In 1923 Pius XI established the Syro-Malabar Church as an autonomous particular Church. Since then they have strived to restore the liturgy as it was before the arrival of the Portuguese. In 1957 Pius XII approved their renewed liturgy, based on the East Syrian tradition and John Paul II raised the Syro-Malabar Church to the status of a Major Archiepiscopal Church on 16 December 1992.