How did the different Byzantine and Latin confirmation customs arise?
In the early Church, the three sacraments of initiation were always given together – once or twice a year – by the bishop. When the number of christenings – especially of children- increased, another practice had to be found. In the Eastern Churches, all three continued to be given together, either by a bishop or a priest to remind the people that Christian initiation would not be complete without Confirmation and the Eucharist. In the west the bishops preferred to complete each christening themselves, so they allowed the priest to baptize, but not to confirm. Until this century in the Latin rite, communion could not be received until confirmation had been given.
