In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the sacraments, just as liturgical services, blessings and dedications, are perceived as an inseparable whole. As part of the study of the indicated topic, particular attention was paid to the issue of marriage in the Eastern Catholic Churches, which were analysed from the theological and canonical perspective. During the work on the article, the analytical and synthetic method was used, which allowed the development of the indicated topic in a complementary way and additionally demonstrated a number of coherent moral and legal aspects for members of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The analysis of the available sources and the study of the collected materials in the Diocese of Prešov, where the research was conducted, allow us to conclude that in the studied environment, married life is an important culture-forming value. However, there were also some negative conclusions indicating that the intensity of social changes, stress, shortage of the social system and difficulties in the labour market have a direct impact on the durability or breakdown of marital relations. In relation to the above, an analysis of the number of contracted and disintegrated marriages in the archeparchy of Prešov was carried out. The conducted study1 indicates directions for further research: qualitative analysis of pre-marriage courses or a comparison of the marriage law of the Western and Eastern Catholic Churches, taking into account the statistical data of the proceedings for nullity of marriage.

This article surveys the modes of ethical upbringing in African and Western Catholic education in an effort to appreciate the fact that moral living is not universal, but contextual, given the different contexts in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The data collection tool employed is document analysis. It engages four Catholic moral theologians, three of whom are Africans, namely, John Samuel Mbiti of Kenya, Laurent Magesa of Tanzania and Benezet Bujo of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fourth moral theologian, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), is an epitome of Western Catholic moral reflections. African refers to what is related to the continent of Africa in terms of various cultures, traditions, customs, descent, ethnicity, nationality, languages, literature, art, music, spirituality, and history (Mbiti, 1969). Western Catholic refers to the Roman Catholic Church, whose supreme head is the Pope, as opposed to the Eastern Catholic Churches (O’Collins and Farrugia, 2020, p. 2). Froebel (1886) defines education as an activity, “that raises man to a free, conscious living in accordance to the divine. It guides man to clearness about himself and in himself to peace with nature and to union with God” (p. 3)

The Church of Christ is unity in diversity. Around the great centers of diffusion, the rites have been gradually defined as “the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of the history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested” (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches can. 28 § 1). At the same time, the necessity of the existence of the sacred ministry for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments is the basis for the establishment of the hierarchy of bishoprics that are formed ontogenetically and diachronically around the primary diffusion center, recognized as the Mother Church or, starting from the IVth–Vth centuries, as the Patriarchates. The tensions between dissident factions culminated in the Ecclesiastical Schism of 1054, which separated Eastern Christianity from the Roman Church. The restoration of the unity of the Constantinopolitan Churches of Central and Eastern Europe began with the Union of Brest–Litovsk (1595–1596), which generated a process of gradual entry of the territories of the Eastern Churches into unity, in 1700 reaching Transylvania. The Greek Catholic Churches fought a pioneering struggle in asserting their own traditions in order to restore the unity of the Church. The Eastern churches that re-entered the unity of the Catholic Church faced a change of ecclesiological paradigm, being in a permanent struggle to preserve their own specificity and to affirm the unity. The signatories of the Union Acts rejected “the Uniatism” from the beginning, a fact accepted today within the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, the canonical evolution and the treatises of Greek–Catholic theology being the result of a process of experimentation “from within” of unity and catholicity in the context of the modern and contemporary era. The United Churches have paved the way for the restoration of unity between East and West, being obligated to grasp different forms of canonical manifestation of unity in the absence of a Patriarchate in communion with the Church of Rome, during which they offer a reflection that fully grows through a theology of restoring the unity of the Church, benefiting today from the ecclesiological paradigm shift of Vatican II and by the conceptual tools provided by the traditions and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

The Second Vatican Council and its Decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum played a significant role in the life of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Vatican II became a moment of unity as all the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops, including the newly released from exile Josyf Slipyj, gathered in Rome. The bishops had the unique opportunity to form a synod of bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. This synod would help to unite the UGCC faithful scattered around the world into one ecclesial structure and preserve their Eastern Catholic identity in the diaspora. The laity, theologians, and most bishops were in favor of convening the UGCC synod of bishops. However, many challenges arose after the council, as the Vatican Curia did not allow the Ukrainian bishops to form a synod. The decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum brought a new perspective to the understanding of the Eastern Catholic Churches and their ecclesiology. The decree was actively used in UGCC discussions to support the convocation of a UGCC synod. Unfortunately, the Vatican did not confirm the legal character of the document, and its canonical power with respect to the UGCC synod was questioned. This paper will analyze the discussions and argumentation of the Ukrainian patriarchal lay movement, theologian Victor Pospishil, bishops, the Roman Curia, and their role in the convocation of the UGCC synod in 1980.

This article examines the complex process of establishing a unified structure for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) within the post-World War II diaspora, focusing on the formation of the Bishops’ Conference and the concurrent pursuit of the recognition of patriarchal status. Building on earlier inter-diocesan meetings, efforts to create a coordinating body for the dispersed UGCC episcopate gained momentum in the 1950s, culminating in the establishment of the Episcopal Conference. However, these conferences progressively revealed significant internal disagreements, particularly concerning the scope of the Conference’s authority and its relationship with the Roman Curia. The release of Josyf Slipyj from Soviet imprisonment and his subsequent exile in Rome, coupled with the proclamation of the Decree on the Eastern Catholic Churches, dramatically altered this dynamic. Slipyj’s advocacy for ritual jurisdiction clashed with the Roman Curia’s desire for centralized control and the divergent views of individual bishops. Significantly, the growing activity of the laity, characterized by persistent demands for autonomy and patriarchal status, and fueled by disillusionment with Vatican policies, played a crucial role in shaping the UGCC’s trajectory. This analysis underscores the intricate interplay of canonical, political, and personal factors that influenced the UGCC’s attempts to forge a coherent identity and assert its rights in the post-war diaspora.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is an Eastern Catholic Church that lives according to the Ukrainian–Byzantine Christian theological, liturgical, canonical and spiritual tradition and is in full and visible communion with the successor of Peter. Unity with the Roman Apostolic See has become one of the most important foundations of the UGCC’s identity, enriching its church life and strengthening its ecumenical ministry. As a sui iuris Church in the “family” of Catholic communion, the UGCC actively develops its ecumenical commitments with the Orthodox Churches and Protestant ecclesial communities. In this article, we will briefly examine how the UGCC developed its communion with the Bishop of Rome and how communion with the Apostolic See was a blessing for this Church, but at the same time sometimes became a threat to its existence in times of persecution by totalitarian regimes. We will also present the current religious context in which the UGCC operates, analyze some of its most important ecumenical initiatives and examine its participation in the development of interfaith dialogue in Ukraine. We will consider the challenges that the Russian invasion has brought to the UGCC and other religions in Ukraine, and how the UGCC, by developing communion with Rome, manages to witness the Gospel of life in the difficult circumstances of war and death.

Abstract: The article focuses on the origins of Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox identities in the early modern and modern Slavic East. The concept of confessionalization can serve as a helpful tool in exploring questions of ecclesial identity. Applied to the Slavic East, the confessionalization paradigm helps to uncover both continuities and discontinuities in post-Byzantine religious history, approached in a comparative East-West perspective. The article critically engages with contemporary scholarship on the subject and seeks to contribute to a rethinking of some of the most common assumptions about the world of Eastern Christianity and the place of the Eastern Catholic churches in it. The approach of the article bridges history and ecclesiology.

Eastern Catholic Theology in Action. Essays in Liturgy, Ecclesiology, and Ecumenism ed. by Andrew J. Summerson and Cyril Kennedy (review)

Abstract One of the most enduring criticisms of papal infallibility is that it seems to set the pope apart from the Church. Much has already been done to correct this impression, but the current ‘synodal moment’ offers a unique opportunity to substantially further this ecclesiological integration. Along such lines, the present article first proposes that the teachings on infallibility in Lumen gentium be read through the chapter on the People of God (LG25 through LG12), thereby treating the pope as a member of the faithful and drawing out the charismatic dimension of infallibility. The article then pivots to exploring the widely overlooked Eastern Catholic reception of Vatican I. Specifically, it details the dogmatic importance of a clause added to Pastor aeternus by two patriarchs as part of their conditional acceptance – something drawing from a deeper tradition of synodal examination of papal teaching. These two sections converge to reveal a more synodal infallibility at the level of initial discernment and reception. More so, these genuinely synodal elements of papal infallibility are discovered as existing within the previous tradition. Elements that, going forward, can fruitfully be given a new hermeneutical priority.

정통과 보편 사이에서: 동방 가톨릭교회 전통과 예전에 관한 연구

The article, based on a generalization of historical facts, examines the active status of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in the system of Eastern Catholic Churches (ECC) by clarifying the specifics of their emergence and development, reveals the special role of the UGCC in ecumenical communication between the Eastern Catholic Churches, and outlines the prospects of this movement in the process of establishing and strengthening relations between Catholics and Orthodox in Ukraine and around the world. The authors propose to use the results of the study to correct the Ecumenical Concept of the UGCC, complementing the strategy of the UGCC in matters of interfaith communication with concrete steps in cooperation with the ECC.

The paper deals with the dismissal of members from religious institutes, secular institutes and societies of apostolic life (called “societies living in common without vows” in the 1917 Code of Canon Law) following its changes from the beginning of the 20th century to 2023 in the law of the Western Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, with an emphasis on the legislation under the pontificate of Pope Francis. It deals with the changes in the legal nature of the dismissal procedure, the modifications of obligatory and optional dismissal, esp. in view of the decentralization of the procedure, and specially the modification of dismissal by the act itself (ipso facto), responding to the need to address the hitherto unsolvable situation of members who have left their community and avoid communicating with their superiors, also with analogy to the extraordinary method of dismissal from the clerical state in the case of clerics who have not exercised legitimately sacred ministry for at least five years and do not communicate with their superiors.

ABSTRACT: As a consequence of canonical accommodations on the part of the Apostolic See, both the Eastern Catholic and Latin Churches in the United States are now being served by married presbyters, some with families. The provisions in both codes are general and necessitate ad hoc decision-making by bishops, leading to potential inequity and injustice. To address this, a system of best practices is needed for evaluating candidates; determining appropriate offices and functions for married presbyters; defining the role of spouses in the formation, ordination, and appointment process; and addressing issues of remuneration, housing, and benefits. This study aims to clarify certain canonical principles, identify key issues, and propose potential options.

The Effect of the Union Themed Conference Held in the Vatican in 1894 on the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches and its Reflections on the Ottoman State ÖZ Bu çalışmanın amacı 1894 yılında Vatikan'da gerçekleşen birleşim temalı konferansın Doğu ve Batı Kiliseleri açısından önemini farklı boyutlarıyla ortaya koymaktır. Papa XIII. Leo'nun Haziran 1894'teki davet mektubuyla başlayan bu süreç hem Batı kamuoyunda hem de Osmanlı'da önemli yankı uyandırmıştır. Konferansa katılacak olan dini liderlerin Osmanlı topraklarında yaşayan Doğu Katolik Kilisesi/Uniat mensuplarından olmaları Osmanlı Hükümetinin de konuya hassasiyet göstermesine neden olmuştur. Osmanlı Arşiv Belgelerinde "Şark Kiliseleri Meselesi, " "Şark ve Roma Kiliselerinin Birleştirilmesi" başlıklarıyla ele alınan konferans gündemi, dönemin Batı kaynaklı gazetelerinde ise daha çok "Kiliseler Birliği, " "Papa ve Doğu Kiliseleri" başlıklarıyla gündeme konu olmuştur. Konferansa ve onun amaçladığı hedeflere her bir kesim kendi zaviyesinden bakarak ona göre bir pozisyon almıştır. Bazı çevreler, kiliselerin birleşimine yönelik çabaları dini liturji bağlamında yorumlarken, diğer başkaları ise girişimlerin Papalığın merkezi gücünü kuvvetlendirmeye yönelik olarak değerlendirmiştir. Osmanlı Arşiv Belgeleri ve dönemin gazeteleri ışığında yapılan bu çalışmada, 1894 yılının kasım ayında Vatikan'da gerçekleşen konferans, öncesi ve sonrası ile birlikte ele alınmıştır.

The article deals with the development of the Ukrainian Orthodox movement on the North American continent during the interwar period. It began with the mass conversion of Greek Catholics to Orthodoxy and led to the establishing of two separate church communities in Canada and the United States. The first UOC-USA parishes were founded in 1919, mostly by former Ukrainian Catholics from Galicia or Orthodox from Transcarpathia and Bukovyna. In 1924 Archbishop Ioan Teodorovych of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox church, formed in Kyiv, was dispatched to serve as a hierarch for the new churches in the United States and Canada. The UOC-USA grew quickly, and by 1932 it included 32 parishes and 25 priests. Large numbers of Ukrainians who had formerly belonged to the Russian Orthodox church and the Ukrainian Catholic church joined the newly formed Ukrainian Orthodox church in Canada. After 1924 the UOCC insisted on retaining its administrative independence under Rev Semen Sawchuk as church administrator and president of the consistory. By the end of 1928 the church had approximately 64,000 followers, organized in 152 parishes served by 21 priests. The church, priests, and faithful refused to join the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA because they questioned the canonicity of Archbishop Ioan Teodorovych's episcopal consecration. Rev Yosyf Zhuk (a Catholic priest from Galicia) was selected as the church's bishop in 1931 and he was succeeded by Bishop Bohdan Shpylka (consecrated in 1937) under the jurisdiction of the patriarch of Constantinople. Some priests and faithful, however, questioned the canonicity of Ioan Teodorovych’s episcopal ordination and formed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America under the jurisdiction of the patriarch of Constantinople. The Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese was founded in 1938 when a group of 37 Ruthenian Eastern Catholic parishes, under the leadership of Fr. Orestes Chornock, were received into the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The study The ecclesiological and canonical significance of the Holy Beatification Liturgy of the 7 Greek Catholic Martyrs Bishops, presided by the Holy Father Francis in Blaj, Romania, on 2 June 2019, analyzes the multiple meanings of the historical event in Blaj, which reflects in the ecclesiological, canonical, liturgical and ecumenical areas. Starting from this event, the author reiterates the mission of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the world today, commencing with the adherence to the biblical truth of Petrin Primacy and concluding with the attitudes of forgiveness and collegiality in the relationships between churches. REZUMAT: Studiul Semnificația ecleziologică și canonică a Sfintei Liturghii de beatificare a celor 7 Episcopi Greco-Catolici Martiri, prezidată de Sfântul Părinte Papa Francisc la Blaj, în România, la 2 iunie 2019, analizează multiplele semnificații ale evenimentului istoric de la Blaj, care se reflectă în sfera ecleziologică, canonică, liturgică și ecumenică. Pornind de la acest eveniment, autorul reiterează misiunea Bisericilor Orientale Catolice în lumea de astăzi, plecând de la adeziunea la adevărul biblic al Primatului Petrin și încheind cu atitudinile de iertare și colegialitate în relațiile dintre Biserici. Cuvinte-cheie: Papa Francisc, Blaj, Biserici Catolice Orientale, beatificare, ecumenism, drept canonic.

The study Divine Liturgy Byzantine presided by the Holy Father in Blaj, on June 2, 2019. Liturgical significance proposes the event analyzed as a precise model of Eucharistic concelebration involving different officials of different rites. In the present case, Holy Liturgy was presided by the Holy Father Pope Francis, celebrated by the Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church in Romania and concelebrated by other Eastern Catholic Bishops - Byzantine, Maronites - but also by Latins Bishops, present at Blaj. REZUMAT: Studiul Dumnezeiasca Liturghie bizantină prezidată de Sfântul Părinte la Blaj, la 2 iunie 2019. Semnificația liturgică, propune o analiză a momentului care este văzut ca un model precis de concelebrare euharistică ce implică clerici din diferite rituri. În cazul de față, Dumnezeiasca Liturghie a fost prezidată de Sfântul Părinte Papa Francisc, celebrată de Arhiepiscopul Major al Bisericii Greco-Catolice din România și concelebrată de alți episcopi orientali catolici - bizantini, maroniți - dar și de episcopi latini, prezenți la Blaj. Cuvinte-cheie: Liturghie Bizantină, Biserici Orientale Catolice, Papa Francisc, Celebrare liturgică, România.

Since the end of the nineteenth century (i.e., for over 150 years), many studies that presented and analysed the structural systems and forms of wooden Orthodox churches. Various researchers classified and named elements and forms of these church buildings differently – especially so in the case of the individual parts of the churches. The author has investigated the structures and forms of wooden Orthodox Eastern Catholic churches since 1989. The research problem presented in this paper is architecture – the structure and form of Greek Catholic wooden churches that have survived their turbulent histories in Poland and Ukraine.

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Lo status dei cattolici orientali in Germania - 2.1. I fedeli della Chiesa ucraina - 2.2. Gli altri cattolici orientali - 3. Facoltà dei parroci latini di sposare coppie orientali? - 4. Chiesa di appartenenza dei figli di matrimoni misti - 4.1. Efficacia anche nella sfera giuridica latina? - 4.2. La situazione prima del motu proprio De concordia inter Codices - 4.3. La situazione dopo il motu proprio De concordia inter Codices - 5. Conclusioni.
 The Status of Oriental Catholics in Germany. A current challenge for the coordination of the two Codes
 ABSTRACT: According to an estimate by the Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference, about 200,000 members of fourteen different Eastern Catholic Churches currently live in Germany. A first large migratory wave with a lasting impact up to today emerged with members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the first decades of the 20th century. Lately, due to migration from Syria and Iraq starting in 2015, a larger number of Eastern Catholics - estimated by some in the five-digit range - have arrived in Germany. The change brought about by migration poses new challenges for pastoral care and canon law in Germany. The Ukrainians have their own jurisdiction in the form of an Apostolic Exarchy. All other Oriental Catholics have been entrusted to local Latin ordinaries by a decree of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches according to can. 916, § 5, CCEO. Therefore, the solution of many legal questions requires a synopsis of both codes. Do Latin parish priests have the authority to celebrate marriages for Oriental couples per se? To which church do children from a mixed marriage belong? The motu proprio De concordia inter Codices did not answer all questions and has also brought new ones.

The author of the paper starts by describing the most fundamental elements of a parish, by emphasizing the fact that during the last decades the Catholic Church, especially in the West, has had to face the question of how to organise the pastoral care of the faithful with a decreasing number of priests. This is not just a mathematical question concerning the appropriateness of the ratio of the number of parishes to the number of priests. The author emphasizes the fact that there are also some principles that the Catholic Church tries to maintain. Some of them are formulated in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and have been integrated into the Canon Law of the Catholic Church. The norms of canon law have two dimensions. They are structured in an Eastern part, with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, promulgated in 1990 and applying to the Eastern Catholic Churches, and in a Western part, contained in the Code of Canon Law of 1983 which is in force for the Latin Church. When it comes to basic principles in the field of pastoral care, both Codes are pretty similar. Apart from them, some other documents have been published by the Holy See. We will refer to these in due course. The present study will treat successively two questions. First, that of the principles according to which pastoral care should be provided. Secondly, the question of the different models envisaged by both Codes.