Orientalium Ecclesiarum
Orientalium Ecclesiarum is the
Decree on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite from the
Second Vatican Council. One of the shorter such documents, it was passed by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,110 to 39 and promulgated by
Pope Paul VI on
November 21,
1964. The name means "Eastern Churches" in
Latin, and is taken from the first line of the decree, as is customary with
Roman Catholic official documents. The decree recognizes the right of
Eastern Rite Catholics to keep their own distinct liturgical practices.
The document specifies some of the autonomous powers of the Eastern Churches. In particular, the
Patriarch (or where applicable,
major archbishop) and
synod have the power to establish
eparchies, to nominate bishops within their patriarchate, to legislate the rights and obligations of the
minor orders (including
subdiaconate), and to determine the date for celebrating Easter within their rite. It furthermore approved the established practice in the East regarding the
sacrament of
confirmation, stating that all Eastern Rite priests have the power to administer this sacrament using
chrism blessed by a bishop.
The numbers given correspond to the section numbers within the text.# Preamble (1)# The Individual Churches or Rites (2-4)# Preservation of the Spiritual Heritage of the Eastern Churches (5-6)# Eastern Rite Patriarchs (7-11)# The Discipline of the Sacraments (12-18)# Divine Worship (19-23)# Relations with the Brethren of the Separated Churches (24-29)# Conclusion (30)
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Orientalium Ecclesiarum
