Communities of
eastern Christians in union with the
Roman Catholic church. Also known as
Uniate churches, they retain their own distinctive spiritual, liturgical, and canonical traditions. In addition to differences from the Roman (Western) rite in liturgy, many of the Eastern Rite churches permit a
married clergy. They include the
Melchites,
Syrian Catholics,
Maronites (
Arab Christians in
Lebanon),
Catholic Copts and
Ethiopians, the autonomous
Nestorian Church, and others.