Rites of the Ukrainian Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is made up of many different Rites. Rites are the various forms of worship that developed within the Church as it spread through different cultures. All Rites hold to the same fundamental truths of Christianity, while they differ in how they express the faith. The diversity of the Rites does not undermine the unity of the Catholic Church; all are in union with the Pope of Rome.

The Catholic Church today consists of Eastern and Western Rites. This distinction originated after the split of the Roman Empire when local churches became closely related to the structure of the state. The Western Rites stem from the ancient churches in and around Rome. Of the Western Rites only the Roman remains in use today. The Eastern Rite churches stem from the ancient communities of Jerusalem, Constantinople (Byzantium), Antioch and Alexandria. Of these the Byzantine Rite is the largest. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is a particular church of the Byzantine Rite.

• More information on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

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