Uniates are a popular term for naming Eastern Christians who recognize the authority of the Roman papacy. In Ukraine and Belarus, this term became generally accepted after the Brest Church Union (1596), when some Orthodox residents of Western Russia united with Rome, adopting Catholic dogma, but at the same time retained their Byzantine rite and canonical features. In Catholic and Uniate scriptures, those who rejected the union were often called "separation." The term “Uniates” has acquired a negative connotation in Orthodox polemical literature, Ukrainian folk oral literature (Duma) and some classical Ukrainian writings (primarily in the poems of Taras Shevchenko). Nowadays, Ukrainian Catholics have opposed the term both for ecclesiological reasons and because of the derogatory connotations characteristic of the works of opponents of the union. Nevertheless, many Uniates accepted this, resigned to such a label.
Terminology
The term “Uniate,” as mentioned earlier, is applied to the Eastern Catholic churches that previously belonged to the Eastern or Eastern Orthodox churches or, in rare cases, to the Assyrian church of the East. This term is sometimes considered censure, but despite this, it was often used by Roman and Eastern Catholics until the second Vatican Council. Official Catholic documents no longer use the term because of its negative reputation for criticizing the Uniate Church. According to John Erickson of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, the term “Uniate,” once used with pride in Roman communion, has long been considered derogatory. The "Eastern Rite" is also no longer held in high esteem among the Uniates, since it created the illusion that the Uniates are some kind of "wrong" Catholics, different from their Western counterparts.
The Second Vatican Council confirmed that Eastern Catholics form part of the United Catholic Church and should serve as a bridge between the West and the East. The Uniates noted this, rejoicing at such a favorable attitude to themselves from Rome. Today, this term is used in all languages of the world to refer to Greek Catholics.
Historical background
Before the Uniate Church arose, the Catholic Church experienced a great deal of conflict with the Eastern (Orthodox) Church.
The intercourse of Christian churches was disrupted due to differences in matters of faith, according to which each side accused others of heresy or a departure from the true faith ("orthodoxy"). The sacrament was violated due to disagreement with the authorities and the legitimacy of the election of a particular bishop. In these latter cases, each side blamed the other for a split, but not for heresy.
Great schism of churches
The split between East and West occurred in the context of cultural differences between the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West and the rivalry between the Churches in Rome, which demanded primacy not only in matters of honor, but also in matters of authority, and in Constantinople, which required parity with Rome in the matter Church management. The rivalry and lack of understanding caused controversy, some of which are already evident in the acts of 692. At the Florence Council (1431-1445), these disputes about Western theological traditions and customs were included in the Nicene Creed.
The split of the united Christian Church into the Catholic and Orthodox has traditionally been dated back to 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael I Kerularius, and the Papal Legate, Humbert Silva Candida, mutually excommunicated each other (in 1965, these mutual exiles were canceled by both Rome and Constantinople). Despite this event, for many years both Churches continued to maintain partnerships and did not seem to be aware of any formal or final break.
However, alienation continued to increase. In 1190, the Eastern Orthodox theologian Theodore Balzamon, who was the patriarch of Antioch, wrote that "not a single Latino should be communed unless he first declares that he will abandon the teachings and customs that separate him from us."
Later, the Patriarchate of Constantinople was abolished in 1204 by the Catholic armies of the Fourth Crusade, and in two decades, in 1182, a massacre of Latins (i.e. Catholics) took place in Constantinople. Thus, in the XII-XIII centuries, both sides began to openly quarrel, and each of them reserved the right to be called the true abode of Christ. Over time, it was customary to refer to the east side as the Orthodox Church and the West as the Catholic Church.
The emergence of the Uniate Church
After the fall of Constantinople, people appeared in Europe who wanted to restore the unity of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In 1438, the Florence Cathedral was held, at which a long debate took place, dedicated to the theological differences between the two churches. The reason for this debate was the desire of some cardinals and theologians to restore church unity.
Several European Orthodox churches eventually connected themselves with Rome, forming the Eastern Catholic churches. Catholic Rome accepted them, not demanding that they accept the customs of the Latin Church, so that they all have their liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary heritage, determined by culture and historical circumstances. The Uniate priest, for example, wears the same garb as the Orthodox ministers.
Uniates in Ukraine and Belarus
Preliminary attempts to come to an alliance with the Catholic Church have been made several times. The most famous attempt was the signing of the Florentine Union by Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev, which technically united the Ruthenian Orthodox Church.
In the years 1588-1589. The Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah II traveled to Eastern Europe, in particular to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, where he finally recognized the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow from 1458 and consecrated Patriarch of Moscow Job. Patriarch Jeremiah II deposed Metropolitan Onsiforus of Kiev Divochka and, with the approval of the King of Poland, Sigismund III, consecrated Michael Rochosa as the new Metropolitan of Kiev, Galich and All Russia.
In the years 1595-1596, a number of Western Russian dioceses, under pressure from the Polish-Lithuanian authorities, decided to break off relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, recognizing the authority of the pope. This decision was supported by the king of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund III Waza, which outraged some bishops and prominent nobles of Russia, as well as Zaporizhzhya Cossacks. These events gave rise to the beginning of the format "Uniates - Orthodox", which was beneficial to the Polish-Lithuanian nobility.
Other Eastern Catholic Churches
Uniate Catholics are not the only representatives of the “hybrid” faiths formed after the adoption of Catholic norms by some Orthodox Christians. For example, the Maronite Church (Middle East) is considered the only one of the Eastern Catholic churches that has always remained in full communion with the Holy See, while most other churches united from the 16th century onwards. However, the Melkite Catholic Church and the Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church also require constant communication with the Pope, like real Catholics.
Full communion is a mutual sacramental exchange between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Roman Church, including the Eucharistic interaction. On the other hand, the liturgical traditions of 23 eastern Catholic churches, including the Byzantine, Alexandrian, Armenian, East Syrian and West Syrian, are shared with other East Christian churches: Eastern European Orthodox, Balkan Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East and the so-called Ancient Church of the East . Although some theological problems separate the Eastern Catholic churches from other Eastern Christian (primarily Orthodox) churches, they allow members of the latter to the Eucharist and other sacraments, guided by the laws of the Eastern canon.
It is noteworthy that many Eastern Catholic churches take a different approach to sacred celibacy than the Latin church does, and allow ordained married men to the priesthood (although not to the bishopric).
Eastern Catholic churches originate in the Middle East, East Africa, Eastern Europe and India. However, since the 19th century, the diaspora has spread to Western Europe, America, and Oceania, in part because of the persecution by local Orthodox Christians and, above all, Muslims.