# Greek Catholic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697 "2003-04-23T22:19:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/1 "2003-04-23T22:19:39Z")
At a meeting today someone insisted there is a Greek Catholic church. Everyone else pretty much agrees he’s been sniffing too many magic markers in the supply closet and he’s probably thinking of the Greek Orthodox church but he insists he’s talking about a different church. Is there such a thing? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/2 "2003-04-23T22:24:45Z")
Maybe he means this one: [Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church](http://www.ugcc.org.ua/eng/). ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/3 "2003-04-23T22:41:27Z")
Many of the eastern rites of the Catholic Church use the words “Greek Catholic” to describe themselves, such as the [Melkite Greek Catholic Church](http://www.mliles.com/melkite/). A list of some other web pages can be found [here](http://home.nyc.rr.com/mysticalrose/eastlink.html). And [here](http://www.petersnet.net/research/retrieve_full.cfm?RecNum=2729) is an overview of the eastern rites today. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/4 "2003-04-24T01:28:29Z")
Greek Catholic churches are what are known as “uniate” churches. You can find some information about them in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=140008&highlight=uniate) thread (which covers a few other interesting topics as well.) Uniate churches generally follow practices similar to the Orthodox Church, but are in communion with the Pope, and are part of the Catholic Church. ---
**Author:** ![LanceUSMC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@LanceUSMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LanceUSMC)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/5 "2003-04-24T01:37:45Z")
The Greek Orthodox Church is sometimes called the Greek Orthodox Catholic Church. They Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox (as well as Russian Orthodox) Church have a lot in common, as they are related: The Orthodox church accepts the early traditions of Christianity, including the same sacraments as the Roman Catholic church - although in the Orthodox church infants receive the Eucharist and confirmation - and the episcopate and the priesthood, understood in the light of Apostolic Succession. Married men may become priests, but bishops and monks may not marry You can read more at the following link: [http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/orthodox.htm](http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/orthodox.htm) I got a lot of this before from a friend who belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/6 "2003-04-24T03:10:48Z")
It’s too simple to say “the same sacraments as the Roman Catholic church”. For example, in Orthodoxy, marriage is a full sacrament. Rome seems to waffle on this matter. Orthodoxy does NOT have “confirmation”. We do chrismate at baptism, but it is seen as part of the overall baptism, not a “confirmation” of the baptism at the “age of reason”. ---
**Author:** ![LanceUSMC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@LanceUSMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LanceUSMC)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/7 "2003-04-24T03:18:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dogface \* > \*\*It’s too simple to say “the same sacraments as the Roman Catholic church”. For example, in Orthodoxy, marriage is a full sacrament. Rome seems to waffle on this matter. Orthodoxy does NOT have “confirmation”. We do chrismate at baptism, but it is seen as part of the overall baptism, not a “confirmation” of the baptism at the “age of reason”. \*\* I was quoting what the website said. Lance ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/8 "2003-04-24T05:19:29Z")
Wow, thanks so much for the information. We’ll have to tell our co-worker that he’s marginally less full of shit that we thought 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/9 "2003-04-24T05:33:50Z")
> [@](#): > > For example, in Orthodoxy, marriage is a full sacrament. Rome seems to waffle on this matter. Waffle? I am aware that the sacramental nature of marriage was not _explicitly_ noted before the thirteenth century, but I am aware of no back-pedalling after that time. (I am also not aware that the Eastern church _explicitly_ declared it a sacrament (_mysterion_?) any earlier.) Do you have any specific references? ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/10 "2003-04-24T15:29:41Z")
Demanding _explicit_ declaration of such things doesn’t fit. Orthodoxy is not a legislative, legalistic, Western-style Church, where evertyhing has to be _explicitly_ spelled out with all the little bitty i’s dotted and all the little bitty t’s crossed. It is the Tradition that it has always been a Mystery of the Church. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-catholic/170697/11 "2003-04-24T17:23:46Z")
So there was no waffling? I am not demanding anything. I noted the first explicit reference (meaning no more than the use of the word _sacramentum_ in conjunction with marriage) occurred in the thirteenth century. Do you happen to have a citation for the first occasion where marriage was mentioned in connection with _Mystery_ in Eastern writings?