During the funeral of Blessed John Paul II, there was a special moment when a group of bishops in elaborate and very distinctive vestments gathered around his coffin and sang prayers in Greek. Those who know Modern Greek realised that they had very unusual accents and that few of them were native speakers of Greek, but it was their common language on that important day. They were the Catholic bishops of the Eastern Churches. The Patriarch of Constantinople (who leads the Orthodox Church) was so impressed that he rushed forward to pray with them.
The names sound exotic: Maronite, Ruthenian, Chaldean, Syro-Malabar, Melkite and so many others. Their worship looks different to ours in the Western Church and their priests dress differently: bearded, wearing flowing robes and often keeping their heads covered. These are the Eastern Churches, more than twenty of them: Catholic, but not ‘Roman’ Catholic. They have their own Canon Law. The Eastern Churches are very diverse, but, like us, they are in communion with Our Holy Father the Pope.
There is a Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in the Mayfair district of London. Apart from the times when Mass is being celebrated, it is closed. That points to another difference, because the Eastern Churches do not have our custom of visiting the Blessed Sacrament – churches are for shared worship, not for private prayer. All the Sacraments of Christian Initiation are given to babies and at the same time: baptism is by total immersion; after baptism, the baby is given Holy Communion (consecrated wine on a spoon) and is confirmed. Our celebrations of First Communion and Confirmation are not part of the Eastern tradition, because a baby becomes fully a member of the Church.
Visiting an Eastern Catholic Church, we notice that the Mass is much longer than ours, that the clergy, who are sometimes behind an icon-covered screen, sing nearly every word. Our next surprise is realising that many of the priests are married men. Most of the Eastern Churches do not have a tradition of priestly celibacy. Seminarians who wish to marry must do so before ordination to the diaconate. Today’s questions about ‘priests being allowed to marry’ do not arise, but bishops must be celibate, because celibacy is seen as part of the episcopal vocation.
Maronite Catholics are to be found in Lebanon, Chaldean Catholics are in Syria and Iraq, Syro-Malabar Catholics in India, Greek Catholics in Ukraine and Ruthenian Catholics in eastern Hungary and Eastern Slovakia. There are many millions of them and nearly all of them have recent or current experience of suffering and persecution.
Ukrainian and Ruthenian Catholics came into communion with Rome in 1598. Living at one of the cross-roads of Europe, they were potential victims in all the conflicts that have plagued that part of the world. Their allegiance to Rome angered many of the Russian Orthodox Church, who called them ‘Uniates’ (a term that they dislike and which sounds as negative to them as ‘Papist’ does to us). The Russian emperors destroyed the Eastern Catholic Church in Belarus during the 19th century and forced it into the Orthodox Church. Stalin tried to do the same: Eastern Catholics were persecuted savagely in every Communist country, but became an underground Church, were strengthened by the example of so many martyrs among them and re-emerged, often as vibrant communities, after the fall of Communism.
At present, the Catholic communities in the Middle East are suffering from the hostility of the Islamists (Muslim extremists). Islamists believe that all Christians should obey Muslim rather than civil law and that they must be second-class citizens. Converts from Islam to Christianity face the death penalty.
The Maronite Catholics in Lebanon have become a minority. The Christian communities in the Holy Land have seen a sharp fall in their numbers. It is in Iraq, however, that some of the world’s most ancient Christian communities have suffered most. There is a long tradition of Dominican priests and nuns working with the Chaldean and other Catholic groups. Catholic farmers have been hunted out of southern Iraq and now live in the Kurdish-controlled areas of the north, where they have housing, but no work. Churches have been burned. Many priests and lay Catholics have been murdered.
It is hardly surprising that many Christians from the Middle East have emigrated. Some have gone only as far as Greece, where they have re-invigorated old Greek Rite parishes. Many others have gone much farther, so there are now regular Masses in Arabic in churches as far apart as Australia and California. The more educated these Catholics, the more likely they are to seek a more secure life away from their homelands.
The deep faith and the rich liturgical tradition of the Eastern Catholic Churches have combined with a remarkable spirituality. Their fidelity and devotion enrich the whole Catholic Church. Their very existence is encouraging, because it shows us that diversity can come with being Catholic and that rewards come from perseverance.
We Western Catholics know very little about the Eastern Catholic Churches. Those among them who suffer today have a great need of our solidarity with them. We need to be aware of their sufferings, their faith and their endurance, which are some of the spiritual gifts that they offer to us. They need our prayers and we need theirs.