Is the Eastern Orthodox Church part of the Catholic Church?
Full Question
In my reading, I saw mentions of Eastern-rite Catholics, and in other places, I saw Eastern Orthodox Churches. Are they not the same, and are they part of the Catholic Church?
Answer
Eastern-rite Catholics are part of the Catholic Church and are in full communion with the Pope. However, the Eastern Orthodox Church is not part of the Catholic Church. The two major Churches have been separated since 1054. The rift was both theological and political, and both parties made mistakes.
The two parties share a long history and even today share a whole lot in common in faith. However, since the split from the legitimate authority of the Pope, they are no longer Catholics.
There are still ongoing talks to heal old wounds and restore full communion between the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church has a number of self-governing Churches in full communion with the Pope. One of those is the Roman Catholic Church or the Latin rite. You can read more about this here. It is a very interesting topic.
When denying the primacy of the rock upon which Christ built the Church, it’s ultimately making stuff up as you go along. It operates under the fundamental principle of Protestantism, and will end up with split upon split as they have…over 30K and counting. Every one of these conversations is about authority, not the details of the argument. The bible cannot interpret itself, thus schism, divorce, and split will be part of the nature of those who choose to be their own authority.