Western rite orthodoxy: uniatism or right for freedom of liturgical expression?
Western rite orthodoxy: uniatism or right for freedom of liturgical expression?

Summary/Abstract: Are the Western Rite Orthodox churches a peculiar way of expression inside theorthodox church or do they happen to be reversed uniates? Not so many Christians areinformed about the existence of these communities. This article will deal with the historicaldevelopment, the situation of the specific parishes and the critics on this issue.Joseph Julian Overbeck a former catholic and protestant converted to Orthodox Christianity, was the first man, attempting to restore the Western Orthodox Catholic churchas it was before the Great Schism. Moreover, influential persons such as saint Tikhonand John Maximovic accepted and encouraged many Western Rite Orthodox schemes,which exist until today. Some of them are united to the canonical orthodox Churchesand some others are not. Modern theologians such as Kallistos Ware and AlexanderSchmemann eye the rite critically, while some others recognize the right of liturgicalmulticulturalism inside the Church.

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