Eastern Christianity

=== Eastern Catholic Churches ===
<!--Use of "churches" denotes plural, not proper noun--> 
{{Main|Eastern Catholic Churches}}
[[File:Kanjirappally Bishop Mar Mathew Arackal at Tomb of Mar Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly.jpg|thumb|An Eastern Catholic bishop of the [[Syro-Malabar]] Church holding the Mar Thoma Cross which symbolizes the heritage and identity of the [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[Christianity in India|India]]]]
The twenty-three Eastern Catholic Churches are in communion with the [[Holy See]] at the Vatican whilst being rooted in the theological and liturgical traditions of Eastern Christianity. Most of these churches were originally part of the Orthodox East, but have since been reconciled to the Latin Church.

Many of these churches were originally part of one of the above families and so are closely related to them by way of ethos and [[Liturgy|liturgical practice]]. As in the other Eastern churches, married men may become priests, and parish priests administer the [[sacrament|mystery]] of [[confirmation]] to newborn infants immediately after baptism, via the rite of chrismation; the infants are then administered [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]].

The Syro-Malabar Church, which is part of the Saint Thomas Christian community in India, follows East Syriac traditions and liturgy. Other Saint Thomas Christians of India, who were originally of the same East Syriac tradition, passed instead to the West Syriac tradition and now form part of Oriental Orthodoxy (some from the Oriental Orthodox in India united with the Catholic Church in 1930 and became the [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]]). The [[Maronite Church]] claims never to have been separated from Rome, and has no counterpart Orthodox Church out of communion with the Pope. It is therefore inaccurate to refer to it as a "Uniate" Church. The [[Italo-Albanian Catholic Church]] has also never been out of communion with Rome, but, unlike the Maronite Church, it resembles the [[Byzantine Rite|liturgical rite]] of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].