www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Ethiopian Catholic Church is now on Line in English

Shlomo Lkhoolkhoon,

Without much production I give you the Ethiopian Catholic Church [ecs.org.et] on line.

Poosh BaShlomo Lkhoolkhoon,
Yuhannon

Why aren't the North American congregations listed?

Shlomo,

There is only one congregation in the United States.

Poosh BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

Very nice. I am glad that information on our Ethiopian Catholic brothers and sisters is available.

Joe

Hi Yuhannon

Do you know about the organization of the Ethiopian Catholic Church? I read somewhere that the Latin-Rite clergy are in fact under the autonomous Eastern Rite Church is it true?

Aklie, the Ethiopian Orthodox who used to post here, told me that in the north of Ethiopia the Catholics strictly follow the Orthodox traditions and that they dennounce the Portuguese domination past, etc. while in the south of Ethiopia, the rites are all mixed and liturgical anarchy reigns.

I noticed that some of the Bishops are Italian? Are the Italian Bishops all Latin??

Shlomo Mexican,

All Catholic clergy are under the Ethiopian Ge'ez Catholic Church Hierarchy. Yes there are Italians in the hierachy, but that is because this Church is still young and not enough clergy is trained.

The "problem" is that like the Ukraine you have parishes that are sometimes Eastern and others that are Western. There is really no confussion, but just mixed areas.

Poosh BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

Unfortunately, the website to the Ge'ez Catholic parish in Washington DC is off-line.

Does anyone know of any online information regarding the Eritrean Catholic communities in the US?

Here in California, there are large Eritrean communities in Los Angeles and San Diego. Currently they are celebrating their liturgies in Roman Catholic parishes, unable as yet to organize into parishies. I understand that there is a priest who commutes between LA and SD to celebrate the liturgies, but have not been able to contact him.
I have not as yet had the opportunity to attend a Ge'ez liturgy.

Dakhet

Yes but in Ukraine, Roman Catholics and Ukrainian-Greek Catholics are separated in different jurisdictions I believe there's a Roman Archbishopric in Lviv for the Polish faithful.

Maybe that's the case of Ethiopia but to be truthful I didn't distinguish the Eastern Bishops from the Latin ones., or if all are part of the sui iuris Ge'ez Church.

I went to the only Ethiopian Rite Church in the USA for liturgy. I took some pics. The online info they had was vage to begin with.

The Liturgy was a weird hybrid Liturgy. It looked like a mix of Novus Ordo, Divine Liturgy, with a Black Southern Baptist music and electronic keyboard.

The Eucharist (Latin Rite style) was dipped into the Blood and then placed in the mouth. Quit strange.

I also noticed that most of the parishes who hold missionary activity are Latin-Rite?

Is the right to have missions exclusive to the Latin-Rite? This is very unfair.

For example, the Byzantine Catholic Church cannot establish missions in the USA to convert Protestants or create parishes in Mexico that attract unchurched people, but the Latin Church is holding missionary activities in Oriental Christian lands.

The right for missionary activity should therefore be given to the Ethiopian Catholic Church and not to the Italians. Is it that the Ge'ez Rite cannot attract the Oromos, the Gallas, the Afars?

If they are attracted to Christianity with masses celebrated in Italian why not in Ge'ez?

That's one of the things that make Uniatism very unatractive to me and many others.

Mexican

That is the million dollar question. That is why I am starting to believe that it is wrong to call Eastern Rite Christians "Orthodox in communion with Rome." The Latin Church does not and has not ever treated the Eastern Rite Churches as equals. I hope some one can prove me wrong. Until then I am beginning to see the Eastern Rite Churches as a great facade of the Latin Church.

I would like to go further and state in my opinion I don't see the Orthodox Churches ever coming into unity with Rome until Rome treats the Eastern Rite Churches as equals.

Ray,
Actually that is far from accurate. While it has not always been lived out, the Latin Church and in particular the Pope has been very solicitous to guarantee the Eastern Church maintain its full dignity.
Perhaps you might read all of the documents concerning the Eastern Church that has been published by Rome. They have been thoughtfully brought together in two volumes, called: Vatican Documents on the Eastern Churches Vol I and II, Eastern Catholic Publications, PO Box 146, Fairfax, VA 22030. An indeed interesting collection which I am sure will shed new light on the standing of the Eastern Catholic Church.
Stephanos I

The only thing I can think of which might prevent Greek-Catholics in the USA from opening missions and inviting the public to come in is the nationalism which plagues the Greek-Catholic Churches.

There are a few places where the offering of the Divine Liturgy in Spanish is proving successful.

Incognitus

Incognitus,

Actually, I was told that Canon Law forbid evangelization of the ECC's in the USA or outside there canonical territories.

Am I wrong?

Ray,
Canon Law? Could you be specific?

I heard a good one the other day from an anti Catholic. Did you know there is a special canon which alows a priest to lie to protect the church?
ROFL
Stephanos I