itäkatoliseen

Itäkatolinen refers to Eastern Catholic Churches, which are twenty-three distinct particular churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. These churches are in the Eastern tradition of Christianity and recognize the authority of the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter. They retain their own theological, liturgical, and spiritual patrimony, which developed in the East, distinct from the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church.

The origins of the Eastern Catholic Churches can be traced back to the early centuries of Christianity when the Church was united. Over time, due to historical and theological developments, divisions occurred between East and West. The Eastern Catholic Churches represent those communities that, while maintaining their Eastern liturgical rites and theological traditions, eventually reunited with the See of Rome.

Common Eastern traditions found in Eastern Catholic Churches include the Byzantine, Alexandrian, Armenian, Syriac, and Chaldean rites. Their clergy can often be married, a practice that differs from the Latin Church's discipline of celibacy for priests. These churches are found throughout Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, often serving communities with ancestral ties to these regions. Despite their distinct identities and rites, they share the same fundamental Catholic faith and sacraments as the Latin Church.