uniate

Uniate is a historical term used to describe certain Eastern Christian communities that are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving their own Eastern liturgical rites, spiritual patrimony, and canonical discipline. The term originated in exchanges between Eastern Christians and Rome and is often considered outdated or controversial today, with many preferring the designation Eastern Catholic Church or the specific church name (for example, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church).

Historically, uniat movements began in the late 16th century when some Orthodox communities entered into union with Rome. The Union of Brest in 1595–1596 established what became the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; later, the Union of Uzhhorod in 1646 created the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church and related jurisdictions in parts of what are now Slovakia and Hungary. These churches are part of the larger family of Eastern Catholic Churches, of which there are 23 sui iuris churches. They typically use Eastern liturgical rites—most commonly the Byzantine Rite—while acknowledging the authority of the Pope and adhering to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

The term remains a subject of historical discussion and polemics. In contemporary Catholic and Orthodox discourse, “Eastern Catholic Churches” or the specific church names are usually preferred, to reflect their communion with Rome and their distinct liturgical and theological heritage without the pejorative connotations sometimes associated with the word uniate.