These Eastern Catholic churches adhere to the Byzantine liturgical, spiritual and theological traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy, from which they derive. Because of the Greek origin of that tradition, most of these churches prefer to call themselves “Greek Catholic,” which was their legal name in the Austrian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and other states of Eastern Europe. Although this term has largely fallen out of use in the United States, where many parishes are called “Byzantine Catholic,” the older term “Greek Catholic” is still used in the homeland of most of these churches. The two terms are used here interchangeably.
From the Orthodox Church
Last Modified: 02 January 2007