Are the Eastern Catholic Churches under the Pope?
This question, often asked like this, is actually inaccurately phrased. The phrase, under the Pope, reflects a way of looking at the structure of the Catholic Church that can no longer be maintained. Understood incorrectly, the phrase, under the Pope, could imply a status for the Bishop of Rome that is almost like describing him as a king, which of course he is not. Yet, as some Christians, including some Catholics, use this phrase, their view is, maybe unconsciously, this. As explained above, the Catholic Church now recognizes once more the view of the Church (i.e., ecclesiology) that was more common in the First Millennium, the Communion of Churches. In such a view each Church in communion with the Apostolic See of Rome has its own head, who cares for the members of that Particular Church. So are we under the Pope? In this nuanced way, yes. The entire Catholic Church is under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Rome. Yet even John Paul II has publicly preferred the better phrase, in c
