www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Italo-Greek Church

While puttering around the WWW today, I read a reference to the Italo-Greek Rite being a western rite, along with the Mozarabic and the Abrosian rites. Is this a correct statement, are the Italo-Greeks part of the western Patriarchate? Or are they more like the other Byzantine Catholics?

Neil

The Italo-Greeks are Byzantine Catholics.

See:

http://www.eastern-christian-churches.net/library/books.asp?bookid=1&chapid=50

Thank you, and thank you for the interesting site.

Neil

Neil, You may be interested in this site and the links offered there: http://www.byzantines.net/OurLadyofGrace/

Dear Neil,

The Italo-Albanians have a most beautiful tradition. I worshipped with them for almost two years.

Also see www.abbaziagreca.it [abbaziagreca.it] and search the "Eparchy of Lungro" and the "Eparchy of Piagna degli Albanesi."

In Christ,
Andrew

sicily at one time used to have alot of byzantines there thus there was the byzantine rite i guess b4 the normans came and the latin rite.

Yes, yes, regarding Sicily (and all of Southern Italia up to Benevento)! They were all Greek/Byzantine Rite. Magna Greaca covered much of it in pre-Christian times.

Many Latin Rite families in these regions still treasure ancient icons, the origin of which they are at a loss to explain.

There are still nine Greek-speaking villages in Salento, a part of the Province of Lecce in the Region of Puglia.

In Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Campagna, and Sicily there are 40-50 Albanian/Arberesh-speaking villages.

The religious history there is fascinating! And the Italo-Albanians stand as the unique example of Eastern Rite Christians who were never told to reject Eastern Communion and accept Western Communion. They arrived (in the late 1400s) before the idea of a true break in communion had taken hold. They simply fell under a different Patriarch in their new home.

In Christ,
Andrew