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((Short description|Catholic Church ecclesiastical community))
((Particular churches sui iuris))
A '''particular church''' (((lang-la|ecclesia particularis))) is an ecclesiastical community of followers headed by a [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]] (or [[Hierarchy of the Catholic Church#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law|equivalent]]), as defined by [[Catholic canon law]] and [[Catholic ecclesiology|ecclesiology]]. A [[Ritual family|liturgical rite]], a collection of liturgies descending from shared historic or regional context, depends on the particular church the bishop (or equivalent) belongs to. Thus the term "particular church" refers to an institution, and "liturgical rite" to its ritual practices.

Particular churches exist in two kinds:
# An '''autonomous particular church ''[[sui iuris]]''''': an aggregation of particular churches with distinct [[Catholic liturgy|liturgical]], [[Catholic spirituality|spiritual]], [[Catholic theology|theological]] and [[Catholic canon law|canonical]] traditions.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_orientalium-ecclesiarum_en.html |title=Orientalium Ecclesiarum |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref> The largest such autonomous particular church is the [[Latin Church]]. The other 23 [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] are headed by bishops, some of which are titled [[Patriarch]] or [[Major Archbishop]]. In this context the descriptors ''autonomous'' (((Lang-el|αὐτόνομος|translit=autónomos))) and ''sui iuris'' ([[Latin]]) are synonymous, meaning "of its own law".
# A '''local particular church''': a [[diocese]] (or [[eparchy]]) headed by a bishop (or equivalent), typically collected in a [[national polity]] under an [[episcopal conference]]. However, there are also other forms, including  [[apostolic vicariate]]s, [[apostolic prefect]]ures, [[military ordinariate]]s, [[personal ordinariate]]s, [[personal prelature]]s, and [[territorial abbey|territorial abbacies]].((refn|Particular Churches, in which and from which the one and only Catholic Church exists, are principally dioceses. Unless the contrary is clear, the following are equivalent to a diocese: a territorial prelature, a territorial abbacy, a vicariate apostolic, a prefecture apostolic and a permanently established apostolic administration. ([http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P1B.HTM#N ''Code of Canon Law'', canon 368])))

Liturgical rites also exist in two kinds:
# '''Liturgical rite''': a [[Catholic liturgy|liturgical rite]] depending on the tradition of an autonomous particular church ''sui iuris''. Catholic liturgies are broadly divided into the [[Latin liturgical rites]] of the Latin Church and the various [[Eastern Catholic liturgy|Eastern Catholic liturgies]] of the other 23 ''sui iuris'' churches
# [[Catholic order liturgical rite]]: a variant of a liturgical rite exceptionately depending on a specific [[Religious order (Catholic)|religious order]]
((Clear))

==Churches==
=== List of churches ''sui iuris'' ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="sortable"|
! Name
! Est.
! Rite
! Seat
! Polity
! Jurisdictions
! Bishops
! Members
|-
|[[File:Sertoth.jpg|20px]]
|'''[[Coptic Catholic Church]]'''
|1741
| rowspan=3 | [[Alexandrian Rite|Alexandrian]]
|[[Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt|Cathedral of Our Lady]], [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
|[[Patriarchate]] ||((nts|8)) ||((nts|13)) ||((sort|1=((nts|187,320))|2=187,320 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Eritrean Catholic Church]]'''<ref name="Eritrean Catholic Church">((cite web |url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/de/bollettino/pubblico/2015/01/19/0048/00098.html |title=Erezione della Chiesa Metropolitana sui iuris eritrea e nomina del primo Metropolita |publisher=[[Holy See Press Office]] |date=January 19, 2015 |access-date=January 19, 2015))</ref>
|2015
|[[Kidane Mehret Cathedral, Asmara|Kidane Mehret Cathedral]], [[Asmara]], [[Eritrea]]
|[[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|Metropolitanate]] ||((nts|4)) ||((nts|4)) ||((sort|1=((nts|167,722))|2=167,722 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Ethiopian Catholic Church]]'''
|1846
|[[Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, Adigrat|Cathedral of the Holy Saviour]], [[Addis Ababa]], [[Ethiopia]]
|[[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|Metropolitanate]] ||((nts|4)) ||((nts|4)) ||((sort|1=((nts|70,832))|2=70,832 ))
|-
|[[File:Igreja armênica católica.svg|27px]]
|'''[[Armenian Catholic Church]]'''
|1742
|[[Armenian Rite|Armenian]]
|[[Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminator|Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory]], [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]
|[[Patriarchate]] ||((nts|18)) ||((nts|16)) ||((sort|1=((nts|757,726))|2=757,726 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Albanian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|1628
| rowspan=14 | [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine]]
|[[Pro-Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Louis]], [[Vlorë]], [[Albania]]
|[[Apostolic administrator#Apostolic administrations|Apostolic administration]] ||((nts|1)) ||((nts|2)) ||((sort|1=((nts|4,028))|2=4,028 ))<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/salb0.htm|title=Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania, Albania (Albanese Rite)|website=gcatholic.org|access-date=2019-07-09))</ref>
|-
|
|'''[[Belarusian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|[[Union of Brest|1596]]
|''none''
|''none''<ref group="note">The Belarusian Greek Catholic Church is unorganized and has been served by [[Apostolic visitor#Eastern Catholic Apostolic Visitors|Apostolic Visitors]] since 1960.</ref>||((nts|0)) ||((nts|0)) ||((sort|1=((nts|9,000))|2=9,000 ))<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/rite-Bl.htm|title=Belarussian Church (Catholic)|website=gcatholic.org|access-date=2019-07-09))</ref>
|-
|
|'''[[Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|1861
|[[Cathedral of the Dormition, Sofia|Cathedral of the Dormition]], [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
|[[Apostolic exarchate]] ||((nts|1)) ||((nts|1)) ||((sort|1=((nts|10000))|2=10,000 ))
|-
| [[File:Coat of arms of Đura Džudžar.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia]]'''<ref>((cite encyclopedia|author=Catholic Church|title=Annuario Pontificio|year=2012|publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|isbn=978-88-209-8722-0))</ref>((rp|page=1140))
|1611
|''several''<ref group=note name=kriz />
|''no unified structure''<ref group="note" name="kriz">The Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia comprises two jurisdictions: [[Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci]] covering [[Croatia]], [[Slovenia]], and [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], and [[Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur]] covering [[Serbia]]. The Eparchy of Križevci is in foreign province, and the Eparchy of Ruski Krstur is immediately subject to the Holy See.</ref>||((nts|2)) ||((nts|2)) ||((sort|1=((nts|42,965))|2=42,965 ))
|-
|[[File:Escudo_de_Manuel_Nin.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Greek Byzantine Catholic Church]]'''
|1911
|''several''<ref group=note name=greek />
|''no unified structure''<ref group="note" name="greek">The Greek Byzantine Catholic Church comprises two independent [[apostolic exarchate]]s covering [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]] respectively, each immediately subject to the Holy See.</ref>||((nts|2)) ||((nts|2)) ||((sort|1=((nts|6,016))|2=6,016 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Hungarian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|1912
|[[Cathedral of Hajdúdorog]], [[Debrecen]], [[Hungary]]
|[[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|Metropolitanate]]||((nts|3)) ||((nts|4))  ||((sort|1=((nts|262,484))|2=262,484 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Italo-Albanian Catholic Church]]'''
|''1784''
|''several''<ref group=note name=italo />
|''no unified structure''<ref group="note" name="italo">The Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church comprises two independent eparchies (based in [[Lungro]] and [[Piana degli Albanesi]]) and one [[territorial abbacy]] (based in [[Grottaferrata]]), each immediately subject to the Holy See.</ref>||((nts|3)) ||((nts|2)) ||((sort|1=((nts|55,812))|2=55,812 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Macedonian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|2001
|[[Cathedral of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, Strumica|Cathedral of the Assumption]], [[Strumica]], [[North Macedonia]]
|[[Eparchy]] ||((nts|1)) ||((nts|1))||((sort|1=((nts|11,374))|2=11,374 ))
|-
|[[File:Patriarch Youssef Absi coat of arms.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Melkite Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|1726
|[[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition|Cathedral of the Dormition]], [[Damascus]], [[Syria]]
|[[Patriarchate]] ||((nts|29)) ||((nts|35)) ||((sort|1=((nts|1,568,239))|2=1,568,239 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Romanian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|1697
|[[Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Blaj|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]], [[Blaj]], [[Romania]]
|[[Major archiepiscopal church|Major archiepiscopate]] ||((nts|7)) ||((nts|8)) ||((sort|1=((nts|498,658))|2=498,658 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Russian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|1905
|''none''<ref group=note name=russ />
|''none''<ref group="note" name="russ">The Russian Greek Catholic Church comprises two [[apostolic exarchate]]s (one for [[Russia]] and one for [[China]]), each immediately subject to the Holy See and each vacant for decades. Bishop [[Joseph Werth]] of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Transfiguration at Novosibirsk|Novosibirsk]] has been appointed by the Holy See as ordinary to the Eastern Catholic faithful in Russia, although not as exarch of the dormant apostolic exarchate and without the creation of a formal ordinariate.</ref>||((nts|2)) ||((nts|0))||((sort|1=((nts|3200|))|2=3,200 ))((citation needed|date=July 2019))
|-
|
|'''[[Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|[[Union of Uzhhorod|1646]]
|[[St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral (Pittsburgh)|Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[United States]]
|[[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|Metropolitanate]]<ref group="note">The Ruthenian Catholic Church does not have a unified structure. It includes a Metropolia based in Pittsburgh, which covers the entire United States, but also an eparchy in Ukraine and an apostolic exarchate in the Czech Republic, both of which are directly subject to the Holy See.</ref>||((nts|6)) ||((nts|8))  ||((sort|1=((nts|417,795))|2=417,795 ))
|-
| [[File:Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Prešov.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Slovak Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|[[Union of Uzhhorod|1646]]
|[[Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Prešov|Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist]], [[Prešov]], [[Slovakia]]
|[[Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)|Metropolitanate]] ||((nts|4)) ||((nts|6))  ||((sort|1=((nts|211,208))|2=211,208 ))
|-
|[[File:Coat of arms of Sviatoslav Shevchuk.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]]'''
|[[Union of Brest|1595]]
|[[Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Kyiv|Cathedral of the Resurrection]], [[Kyiv]], [[Ukraine]]
|[[Major archiepiscopal church|Major archiepiscopate]] ||((nts|35)) ||((nts|50)) ||((sort|1=((nts|4,471,688))|2=4,471,688 ))
|-
|[[File:Chaldean Catholic COA.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Chaldean Catholic Church]]'''
|[[Schism of 1552|1552]]
| rowspan=2 | [[East Syriac Rite|East Syriac]]
|[[Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows]], [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]]
|[[Patriarchate]] ||((nts|23)) ||((nts|23)) ||((sort|1=((nts|628,405))|2=628,405 ))
|-
|[[File:Nasrani cross.jpg|18px]]
|'''[[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]]'''
| 50s AD
|[[St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam|Cathedral of Our Lady]], [[Ernakulam]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
|[[Major archiepiscopal church|Major archiepiscopate]] ||((nts|35)) ||((nts|63)) ||((sort|1=((nts|4,251,399))|2=4,251,399 ))
|-
|[[File:Coat of Arms of the Maronite Patriarchate.svg|22px]]
|'''[[Maronite Church]]'''
| data-sort-value="0325" | [[Christianity in the 4th century|4th c.]]
| rowspan=3 | [[West Syriac Rite|West Syriac]]
|[[Church of Bkerke]], [[Bkerke]], [[Lebanon]]
|[[Patriarchate]] ||((nts|29)) ||((nts|50)) ||((sort|1=((nts|3,498,707))|2=3,498,707 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Syriac Catholic Church]]'''
|1781
|[[Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Saint Paul]], [[Damascus]], [[Syria]]
|[[Patriarchate]] ||((nts|16)) ||((nts|20)) ||((sort|1=((nts|195,765))|2=195,765 ))
|-
|
|'''[[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]]'''
|1930
|[[Cathedral of Saint Mary, Pattom|Cathedral of Saint Mary]], [[Pattom]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
|[[Major archiepiscopal church|Major archiepiscopate]] ||((nts|12)) ||((nts|14)) ||((sort|1=((nts|458,015))|2=458,015 ))
|-
|[[File:Emblem of the Holy See usual.svg|20px]]
|'''[[Latin Church]]'''
| [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st c.]]
| rowspan=1 | [[Latin liturgical rites|Latin]]
|[[Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran]], [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|[[Patriarchate]] || || ||((sort|1=((nts|1,295,000,000))|2=1,295,000,000 ))
|-
|-
|
|''Other''
| 
|''various''<ref group="note">Five of the ordinariates for Eastern Catholic faithful are multi-ritual, encompassing the faithful of all Eastern Catholic rites within their territory not otherwise subject to a local ordinary of their own rite. The [[Ordinariate for Byzantine-rite Catholics in Austria|sixth]] is exclusively Byzantine, but covers all Byzantine Catholics in Austria, no matter which particular Byzantine Church they belong to.</ref>
|''several''<ref group="note">The six ordinariates are based in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Vienna (Austria), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Paris (France), Warsaw (Poland), and Madrid (Spain).</ref>
|[[Ordinariate for Eastern Catholic faithful|Ordinariates]] ||((nts|6)) ||((nts|6))<ref group="note">Technically, each of these ordinariates has an ordinary who is a bishop, but all of the bishops are Latin bishops whose primary assignment is to a Latin see.</ref>||((sort|1=((nts|47,830))|2=47,830 ))
|- class="sortbottom"
! <span align=left>Total</span>
!
!
!
!
!
!((nts|2,851))<ref group="note">more 640 [[List of Catholic archdioceses|Archdioceses]]</ref>
!((nts|5,304))
!((nts|1.313 billion))
|}

=== Ecclesiology ===
((canon law))
((Catholic Church sidebar))
((main|Catholic ecclesiology))
((cleanup|reason=Simplify, merge redundant information, assert priority importance in lead paragraphs.|date=March 2017))

In [[Catholic ecclesiology]], a [[Christian church|church]] is an assembly of the [[Faithful (baptized Catholic)|faithful]], hierarchically ordered, both in the entire world (the [[Catholic Church]]), or in a certain territory (a particular church). To be a [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacrament]] (a sign) of the [[Body of Christ#The Church|Mystical Body of Christ]] in the world, a church must have both a head and members ([[Epistle to the Colossians|Col. 1:18]]).<ref name="Catholic Culture Church Definition">((cite web | work=CatholicCulture.org | url=http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=32533| title=Catholic Culture Church Definition | access-date= 2011-02-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230115552/http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=32533 |archive-date= Dec 30, 2011 ))</ref> The sacramental sign of [[Christ]] the head is the sacred [[hierarchy]] – the [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]], [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priests]] and [[deacons]].<ref name="CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Hierarchy">((cite web | work=New Advent |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07322c.htm| title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Hierarchy |date=1910 | access-date= 2011-02-15))</ref><ref name="The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church">((cite web | work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org | url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/| title=The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church | access-date= 2011-02-14))</ref>

More specifically, it is the local bishop, with his priests and deacons gathered around and assisting him in his office of teaching, sanctifying and governing ([[Gospel of Matthew|Mt. 28:19–20]]; [[Epistle to Titus|Titus 1:4–9]]). Thus, the church is fully present sacramentally (by way of a sign) wherever there is a sign of Christ the head, a bishop and those who assist him, and a sign of Christ's body, Christian faithful.<ref name="CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Mystical Body of the Church">((cite web | work=New Advent | url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10663a.htm| title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Mystical Body of the Church |date=1911 | access-date= 2011-02-14))</ref> Each [[diocese]] is therefore considered a [[particular church]].<ref name="CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES">((cite web | work=EWTN | url=http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm| title=Catholic Rites and Churches |date=22 August 2007 | access-date= 2011-02-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522114137/http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm |archive-date= May 22, 2011 ))</ref>

On the worldwide level, the sign of Christ the head is the [[Pope]], and, to be Catholic, particular churches, whether local churches or autonomous ritual churches, must be in communion with this sign of Christ the head.<ref name="Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of the Church understood as communion">((cite web | work=Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger | url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_28051992_communionis-notio_en.html| title= Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of the Church understood as communion | access-date= 2011-02-14))</ref> Through this [[full communion]] with [[Saint Peter]] and his successors the church becomes a universal sacrament of [[Christian soteriology|salvation]] to the [[end of the age]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Mt. 28:20]]).<ref name="CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES"/>

The word "church" is applied to the Catholic Church as a whole, which is seen as a single church: the multitude of peoples and cultures within the church, and the great diversity of gifts, offices, conditions and ways of life of its members, are not opposed to the church's unity.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P29.HTM |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church, 814 |publisher=Vatican.va |date=1975-12-14 |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref> In this sense of "church", the list of churches in the Catholic Church has only one member, the [[Catholic Church]] itself (comprising Roman and Eastern Churches).

Within the Catholic Church there are local particular churches, of which dioceses are the most familiar form. Other forms include [[territorial abbot|territorial abbacies]], [[apostolic vicariate]]s and [[apostolic prefecture]]s. The [[1983 Code of Canon Law]] states: "Particular Churches, in which and from which the one and only Catholic Church exists, are principally dioceses. Unless the contrary is clear, the following are equivalent to a diocese: a territorial prelature, a territorial abbacy, a vicariate apostolic, a prefecture apostolic and a permanently established apostolic administration."<ref name="Canon 368">((cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P1B.HTM#N |title=Code of Canon Law, canon 368 |publisher=Intratext.com |date=2007-05-04 |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref> A list of Catholic dioceses, of which on 31 December 2011 there were 2,834,<ref name="sees">Vatican, ''[[Annuario Pontificio]]'' 2012, p. 1142.</ref> is given at ''[[List of Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)]]''.

Within the Catholic Church there are also aggregations of local particular churches that share a specific liturgical, theological, spiritual, and [[canon law (Catholic Church)|canonical]] heritage, distinguished from other heritages on the basis of cultural and historical circumstances. These are known as autonomous ("''[[sui iuris]]''") churches. The 1990 [[Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches]] defines such a church as follows: "A group of Christ's faithful hierarchically linked in accordance with law and given express or tacit recognition by the supreme authority of the Church is in this Code called an autonomous Church."<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19901018_codex-can-eccl-orient-1_lt.html#TITULUS_II_ |title=Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 27 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref> There are 24 such autonomous Catholic churches: One [[Latin Church]] (i.e., ''Western'') and 23 [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]", a distinction by now more historical than geographical. Although each of them has its own specific heritage, they are all in full communion with the Pope in [[Rome]].

Unlike "families" or "federations" of churches formed through the grant of mutual recognition by distinct ecclesial bodies,<ref>Also unlike the situation of those countries within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] that consider the [[British monarch]] to be their head of state, but are nonetheless fully independent and quite distinct states, not just one state.</ref> the Catholic Church considers itself a single church ("[[full communion]], "one Body") composed of a multitude of particular churches, each of which, as stated, is an embodiment of the fullness of the one Catholic Church. For the particular churches within the Catholic Church, whether autonomous ritual churches (e.g., [[Coptic Catholic Church]], [[Melkite Catholic Church]], [[Armenian Catholic Church]], etc.) or dioceses (e.g., [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham|Archdiocese of Birmingham]], [[Archdiocese of Chicago]], etc.), are seen as not simply branches, divisions or sections of a larger body. Theologically, each is considered to be the embodiment in a particular place or for a particular community of the one, whole Catholic Church. "It is in these and formed out of them that the one and unique Catholic Church exists."<ref>Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Decree on the Church ((Lang|la|[[Lumen gentium]])), [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html 23]</ref><ref>"The particular Churches, insofar as they are'' 'part of the one Church of Christ' ''(Second Vatican Council: Decree ''Christus Dominus'', 6/c), have a special relationship of ''mutual interiority'' with the whole, that is, with the universal Church, because in every particular Church'' 'the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and active' ''(Second Vatican Council: Decree ''Christus Dominus'', 11/a). For this reason, ''the universal Church cannot be conceived as the sum of the particular Churches, or as a federation of particular Churches''. It is not the result of the communion of the Churches, but, in its essential mystery, it is a reality ''ontologically'' and ''temporally'' prior to every ''individual'' particular Church" ([https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_28051992_communionis-notio_en.html ''Communionis notio'', 9]).</ref>

=== Particular churches ''sui iuris'' ===
((Main|Church sui iuris|Latin Church|Eastern Catholic Churches))

There are 24 autonomous churches: one [[Latin Church]] and twenty-three [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], a distinction by now more historical than geographical. The term ''sui iuris'' means, literally, "of its own law", or self-governing. Although all of the particular churches espouse the same beliefs and faith, their distinction lies in their varied expression of that faith through their traditions, disciplines, and [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|canon law]]. All are in communion with the [[Holy See]].

For this kind of particular church, the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' uses the unambiguous phrase "autonomous ritual Church" (((Lang-la|Ecclesia ritualis sui iuris|links=no))). The 1990 ''[[Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches]]'', which is concerned principally with what the [[Second Vatican Council]] called "particular Churches or rites", shortened this to "autonomous Church" (((Lang-la|Ecclesia sui iuris|links=no))).<ref>Canon 27, quote: "A group of Christ's faithful hierarchically linked in accordance with law and given express or tacit recognition by the supreme authority of the Church is in this Code called an autonomous Church."</ref>

===Local particular churches===
In [[Theology (Catholic Church)|Catholic teaching]], each [[diocese]] (Latin Church term) or [[eparchy]] (Eastern term) is also a local or particular church, though it lacks the autonomy of the autonomous churches described above:

((blockquote|A diocese is a section of the People of God entrusted to a bishop to be guided by him with the assistance of his clergy so that, loyal to its pastor and formed by him into one community in the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes one particular church in which the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and active.<ref>Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church ''[[Christus Dominus]]'',[https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651028_christus-dominus_en.html 11]</ref>))

The ''[[1983 Code of Canon Law]]'', which is concerned with the Latin Church alone and so with only one ''autonomous'' particular church, uses the term "particular Church" only in the sense of "local Church", as in its Canon 373:

((blockquote|It is within the competence of the supreme authority alone to establish particular Churches; once they are lawfully established, the law itself gives them juridical personality.<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P1B.HTM#N |title=Code of Canon Law, canon 373 |publisher=Intratext.com |date=2007-05-04 |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref>))

The standard form of these local or particular churches, each of which is headed by a [[bishop]], is called a [[diocese]] in the Latin Church and an [[eparchy]] in the Eastern churches. At the end of 2011, the total number of all these jurisdictional areas (or "sees") was 2,834.<ref>((cite book |title=[[Annuario Pontificio]] (Pontifical Yearbook) |author=Central Statistics Office |publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana |date=March 2012 |isbn=978-88-209-8722-0|page = 1142))</ref>

====Local particular church of Rome====
((main|Holy See|Diocese of Rome))
The [[Holy See]], the [[Diocese of Rome]], is seen as the central local church. The [[Bishop of Rome|bishop]], the [[Pope]], is considered to be, in a unique sense, the successor of [[Saint Peter]], the chief (or "prince") of the [[Twelve Apostles|apostles]]. Quoting the Second Vatican Council's document ((Lang|la|[[Lumen gentium]])), the ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'' states: "The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, 'is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.(('"))<ref>''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', [http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p4.htm# 882]</ref>

All the Catholic particular churches, whether Latin or Eastern, local or autonomous—are by definition in [[Communion with Rome|full communion]] with the [[Holy See of Rome]].

== Rites ==
((see also|Ritual family))
The [[Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches]] defines "rite" as follows: "Rite is the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary heritage, distinguished according to peoples' culture and historical circumstances, that finds expression in each autonomous church's way of living the faith."<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19901018_codex-can-eccl-orient-1_lt.html#TITULUS_II_ |title=Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28 §1 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref>

As thus defined, "rite" concerns not only a people's [[liturgy]] (manner of worship), but also its [[theology]] (understanding of doctrine), [[spirituality]] (prayer and devotion), and discipline (canon law).

In this sense of the word "rite", the list of rites within the Catholic Church is identical with that of the autonomous churches, each of which has its own heritage, which distinguishes that church from others, and membership of a church involves participation in its liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary heritage. However, "church" refers to the people, and "rite" to their heritage.<ref>((cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9gvZAAAAMAAJ&q=rite+%22code+of+canons%22 |first=Lonappan |last=Arangassery |title=A Handbook on Catholic Eastern Churches |year=1999 |page=52 |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref>

The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches states that the rites with which it is concerned (but which it does not list) spring from the following five traditions: [[Early centers of Christianity#Alexandria|Alexandrian]], [[Early centers of Christianity#Antioch|Antiochian]], [[Early centers of Christianity#Armenia|Armenian]], [[Early centers of Christianity#Persia and Central Asia|Chaldean]], and [[Church of Constantinople#"The Great Church of Christ"|Constantinopolitan]].<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19901018_codex-can-eccl-orient-1_lt.html#TITULUS_II_ |title=Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28 §2 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2018-04-18))</ref> Since it covers only Eastern Catholic churches and rites, it does not mention those of Western ([[Latin Church|Latin]]) tradition.

The word "rite" is sometimes used with reference only to liturgy, ignoring the theological, spiritual and disciplinary elements in the heritage of the churches. In this sense, "rite" has been defined as "the whole complex of the (liturgical) services of any Church or group of Churches".<ref>((cite encyclopedia | last=Griffin |first=Patrick | year=1912 | title=Rites |  url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13064b.htm| encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia | publisher=New York: Robert Appleton Company | access-date= 2011-02-14))</ref>

Between "rites" in this exclusively liturgical sense and the autonomous churches there is no strict correspondence, such as there is when "rite" is understood as in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The 14 autonomous churches of Byzantine tradition have a single liturgical rite, but vary mainly in liturgical language, while on the contrary the single [[Latin Church]] has several distinct [[Latin liturgical rites|liturgical rites]], whose universal main form, the [[Roman Rite]], is practised in Latin or in the local vernacular).

===Latin (Western) rites===
((Main article|Latin liturgical rites|Latin Church))
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!Extant
|-
|((columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Roman Rite]]
** [[Ordinary form of the Roman Rite]]
** [[Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite]]
** [[Anglican Use]]
** [[Zaire Use]]
* [[Gallican Rite]]s
** [[Ambrosian Rite]] (in Milan, Italy, and neighbouring areas)
** [[Braga Rite]] (In Braga, Portugal)<ref>((cite web | url=https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius05/p5quopri.htm | title=Quo Primum | date=14 July 1570 ))</ref><ref>((cite web | url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13064b.htm | title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Rites ))</ref>
** [[Mozarabic Rite]] (in Toledo and Salamanca, Spain)
* [[Catholic order liturgical rites]]
** [[Benedictine Rite]]
** [[Carmelite Rite]] (only by some communities or members of the order)
** [[Carthusian Rite]] (a Western rite of the Gallican family)
** [[Cistercian Rite]]
** [[Dominican Rite]] (only by some communities or members of the order)
** [[Premonstratensian Rite|Premonstratensian (Norbertine) Rite]]
** Rites in a broad sense (not distinct from the Roman Rite)
*** [[Friars Minor Capuchin Rite|Capuchin Rite]]
*** [[Franciscan Rite]]
*** [[Servite Rite]]
))
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!Defunct
|-
|((columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[African Rite]]
* [[Aquileian Rite]]  (northeastern Italy)
* Benevente and Sizilian Use((citation needed|date=July 2017))
* [[Celtic Rite]] (British Isles)
* [[Cologne Use]] (Cologne, Germany)
* [[Durham Rite]] (Durham, England)
* [[Archdiocese of Esztergom|Esztergom Use]] (Hungary)
* [[Metz Use]] ([[Low Countries]])
* [[Nidaros Use]] (Norway)
* [[Pre-Tridentine Mass]] (the various pre-1570 ordinary forms of the Roman Rite)
* [[Sarum Rite]] (Salisbury, England)
* [[Uppsala Use]] (Sweden)
* [[Use of York]] (York, England)
* [[Lyonese Rite]]
))
|}

=== Eastern rites ===
((Main article|Eastern Catholic liturgy))
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!Extant
|-
|((columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Byzantine Rite]]<ref group="note">This rite, though used by 14 Eastern [[particular churches]] has preserved, apart from the diversity of [[Liturgical language|languages]] used, its uniformity and remained a single liturgical rite, though there is a Slavonic Use among Ukrainian and other Slavic churches.</ref>
* [[Antiochene Rite|Antiochene family]]
** [[Malankara Rite]]
** [[Maronite#Organization|Maronite Rite]]
** [[West Syriac Rite|Syro-Antiochian Rite]]
* [[East Syriac Rite|East Syriac or Chaldean]] tradition
** [[East Syriac Rite#History and origin|Chaldean Rite]]
** [[Syro-Malabar Rite]]
* [[Armenian Rite]]
* [[Alexandrian Rite]]
** [[Coptic Catholic Church|Coptic Rite]]
** [[Ethiopian Catholic Church|Ge'ez Rite]]

))
|}

== See also ==
* [[Autocephaly]]
* [[Catholic Church by country]]
* [[Index of Catholic Church articles]]
* [[List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)]]

== References ==
===Notes===
((reflist|group=note))

===Citations===
((reflist|2))

== Further reading ==
* ((Cite book|last=Brock|first=Sebastian P.|author-link=Sebastian P. Brock|title=Studies in Syriac Christianity: History, Literature, and Theology|year=1992|location=Aldershot|publisher=Variorum|isbn=9780860783053|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hp_YAAAAMAAJ))
* ((Cite book|editor-last=Nedungatt|editor-first=George|editor-link=George Nedungatt|title=A Guide to the Eastern Code: A Commentary on the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1fEkAQAAIAAJ|year=2002|location=Rome|publisher=Oriental Institute Press|isbn=9788872103364))

== External links ==
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/rites.htm GigaCatholic Catholic Rites/Particular Chutches]

((Sacraments, rites, and liturgies of the Catholic Church))
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((Particular churches sui iuris footer))
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