The Word 'Uniate' (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

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I tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Aren't five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God.

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	The Word 'Uniate' (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

QUESTION:

I edit crossword puzzles. Within the last two years, someone complained that I had permitted the answer word UNIAT (or UNIATE) in a puzzle. The complaint said that the term is now considered to have a negative, even derogatory, connotation.

Since receiving that letter I have refused to allow the term in a puzzle; it now occurs to me to ask: Did that letter express an "official" viewpoint?

ANSWER:

The term commonly refers to those Orthodox Christians who left Orthodoxy and acknowledged the jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome while retaining the rites and practices observed by Orthodoxy. There have been several movements of this type throughout Church history.

The term "uniate" is seen as negative by such individuals, who are more commonly referred to as Catholics of the Byzantine Rite, Greek Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics, Melkite Catholics, or any number of other titles.

Published in January 2011.

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