Dear Domilsean,
In fact, there is no way the Western Orthodox are even remotely "uniate."
The main reason they are not is because no one from the Eastern Orthodox Churches went out to actively "convert" them to Orthodoxy. If anything, the Western Rites are not exactly "flavour of the month" in a number of Orthodox jurisdictions.
These Western Riters sought Orthodoxy themselves, but wanted to keep their familiar traditions, whether Anglican or Roman Rite (I understand there is a Lutheran group that is in negotiations with the Antiochian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical group has a form of the Byzantine Rite in the AOC).
I've known a Western Rite Orthodox priest for years - he not only joined the Western Rite Vicariate of the AOC, he also brought his entire parish from the Episcopal church over (and has been instrumental in bringing over a number of other Episcopal parishes since!).
When I attended the Antiochian Orthodox conference here in Toronto, I spent most of the time with the Western Riters where I finally met Fr. Stephen Walinski as well! We had communicated by letter and email for years but when I saw him I said, "Father Walinski?" And he said, "Alex?"
Among those joining the two Western Rites of the AOC were: Old Catholics, Old Roman Catholics, Disgusted Anglicans, Lutherans, and yes, Roman Catholics who told me that they had it "up to here" with Rome . . . I told them I hoped their new Church wouldn't disappoint them in the same way . . .
I also met a former Ukrainian Catholic, now Ukrainian Orthodox, priest who was interested in the Western Rite. He had completed his theology in Rome with someone who later became a rather unpopular bishop of ours . . .
And then I came across a former friend from school who was a real PAPIST back then, but is now an Orthodox priest . . .
Couldn't believe it, so I joked with him, "How is your Orthodox beard, Big Guy?" He replied with a smile, "It's growing!"
What IS similar between EC's and Western Orthodox is that they have similar treatment by their "Big Mama Churches" with which they are in communion.
The Western Rite priests are constantly being told that the Western Rite "won't last" so they should just come over to the Eastern Orthodox Church now etc.
Another thing that "uniates" us is the way Western Orthodox, too, like to poke fun at . . . the Eastern traditions (just like EC's like to do the same with Latin ones
).
One Western Orthodox priest gave a report about two former Western Orthodox priests who "went over" to the Eastern Rite . . ."I guess they just liked the icons with the big eyes . . ." (!?).
Another pair of eager beaver Western Orthodox clerics talked about their "missionary tag team" and how they went through U.S. towns getting Old Catholic and Old Roman Catholic store-front churches to join the AOC Western Rite.
I met a couple in the hallway who spoke with a heavey Southern drawl . . . so just had to ask them, "Are you good people Orthodox?" "Yeas, we awrrre . . ." God love them!
In addition, the Byzantine Orthodox Church has an Assyrian Orthodox Rite, it has Chalcedonian Armenians and Georgians (although I believe these are Byzantinized).
Alex
