The Roman Catholic patriarchs of the east are generally speaking the head bishops of some of the autonomous Eastern Rite Catholic churches. Each patriarch of the east has authority over all bishops of a particular eastern rite church. These patriarchs are elected by their synods, and must extend communion to and receive it from the other patriarchs, including the pope, before officially taking their office. In matters not considered infallible dogma, they are generally not subject to the same rules as Western Catholics, but make their own rules. Perhaps the most striking example is that in most eastern-rite Catholic churches, ordination of married men to the priesthood is routine (although no priest may marry after ordination, and bishops must be permanently celibate). The heads of the other Eastern Rite churchs are titled major archbishops or metropolitan archbishops. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... A Particular Church , in Roman Catholic theology and canon law, is any of the individual constituent ecclesial communities in full communion with the Church of Rome and thus make up the Catholic Communion. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine or administration. ... Full communion is completeness of that relationship between Christian individuals and groups which is known as communion. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Catholic Church. ... Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas) is belief or doctrine held by a religion or any kind of organization to be authoritative. ... Holy Orders in the modern Roman Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, and Independent Catholic Churches, includes three degrees: bishop, priest, and deacon. ... In the Roman Catholic Church, a major archbishop is an Eastern Rite hierarch who has the same jurisdiction in his sui juris particular church that an Eastern rite patriarch does, but whose episcopal see is less prestigious than a patriarchal see. ... In hierarchical Christian churches, the rank of metropolitan bishop, whose incumbent is usually called simply a metropolitan, apertains to the bishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of an old Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital. ...

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is also considered one of the patriarchs of the east. However, his church follows the Latin Rite and his patriarchal title derives from the historical importance of the see rather than the autonomy of his church. The Patriarch of the East Indies is a Latin Rite archbishop whos patriarchal title derives from the importance of his see in the evangelization of south and east Asia but, despite the title of the patriarchate, is not considered a patriarch of the east. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is one of the Roman Catholic patriarchs of the east. ... Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article, is the term used in documents of the Catholic Church, including the opening canon of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, to refer to the particular Churches within it that developed in the area of western Europe... The Patriarch of the East Indies in the Roman Catholic hierarchy is a title of the the Archbishop of Goa and Daman in India; another title of the archbishop is the Primate of the East. ...

The patriarchs of the Eastern Rite churchs are:

• The Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria
• The Syrian Catholic Patriarch of Antioch
• The Melkite Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch
• The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch
• The Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon
• The Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia

This is a list of Coptic Catholic Patriarchs of Alexandria. ... This is a list of Syrian Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch. ... This is a List of Melkite Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch. ... This is a list of the Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch, who have lead the Maronite Catholic Church, one of the Eastern-rite churches united with the Roman Catholic Church. ... This is a list of Chaldean Patriarchs of Babylon. ... This is a list of Armenian Catholic Patriarchs. ...

See also

• Patriarchs