Ruthenian Catholic Church

The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church or Ruthenian Church is one of the Greek Catholic churches. Therefore, it is in union with the Roman Catholic Church and recognizes the Pope as their spiritual leader. Has its headquarters they Uzhhorod (Ukraine). The language of the liturgy is a Slavic.

History

The origins of the church are in the ostkarpatischen regions Carpathian Ukraine, Eastern Slovakia and northeastern Hungary. On April 24, 1646 65 Orthodox priests known in the Church Union of Uzhhorod to the Catholic Church. Some 100 years later, there was almost no Orthodox believers more in this area.

In the following centuries the Ruthenian Catholics had no own structure, were but the Ruthenian priests as chaplains of the Latin priests and their bishop in Mukachevo. Ritual only as Vicar of the Latin Bishop of Eger Only the request of the Empress Maria Theresa brought Pope Clement XIV in 1771 mean that the Ruthenian Church in Mukachevo received their own eparchy. Seven years later, they got their own Seminary in Uzhhorod.

After the Second World War, the Ruthenians were systematically persecuted by the rulers of the Soviet Union, the seminary closed in 1946 and zwangsuniert the church in 1949 with the Russian Orthodox Church. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the communities flourished again; In 1997 there were in the Eparchy of Mukachevo 264 parishes and 141 priests. 1995 could be set up in Uzhhorod a new seminary.

The Ruthenian Catholic Church has to defend himself constantly of the appropriation by the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In addition, the years of the substrate have led to alienation and separation, so its Exarchate in Prešov is since 1996 the seat of a new, Slovak Greek Catholic Church.

Characteristics

Today about 663,000 believers live in the USA, Ukraine, Hungary and the Czech Republic. They are divided into four Metropolitanates.

Important people

  • Michael Joseph Dudick (1916-2007), Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic 1968-1995
  • Theodore Romzha (1911-1947), Bishop of the Eparchy of Mukachevo 1944-1947
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Eger Rusyns Pittsburgh Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Mukacheve
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