So, to cite a couple of examples, if your family is of Irish heritage, and your parents were Catholics, and they had you baptized a Catholic in their parish church, then you are a Latin Catholic. But if you’re Romanian, and your parents are/were members of the Romanian Catholic Church (which broke with the Romanian Orthodox Church generations ago, and returned to union with Rome), then you are a member of the Romanian Catholic Church too, whether you know it or not, and regardless of what country you’re living in or what Catholic Church sui iuris you regularly attend.

It really gets even more difficult and confusing, particularly if your parents is actually/had been members of some other Catholic Places of worship sui iuris-age.g. an excellent Ruthenian Catholic woman partnered in order to a good Latin Catholic man, or a beneficial Chaldean Catholic lady married so you’re able to a non-Catholic people. Bear in mind you to definitely Rome did not create this product; it’s a carry-more from the habit of brand new Orthodox Church buildings, several of whose users turned into Catholics from inside the centuries gone by. New Pope can nevertheless alter this system when the the guy would like to (discover “Are there Limitations on the Strength of your Pope?” for lots more on this subject), but thus far zero Pope have decided to take action.

This is how new Orthodox Church buildings really works-and remember that every of Places of worship sui iuris one to came back so you can communion that have Rome was actually Orthodox before

Some of the fundamental ramifications on the tricky system are present in canon 111.step 1. This canon claims that in case you happen to be baptized as a child, your own membership from inside the good Catholic Church sui iuris is determined by the Church(es) sui iuris of your own mothers. Continue reading →