First, I am a Catholic. I happen to practice in the LATIN Rite. Rites are determined largely, but not exclusively, geography. There are Byzantine Catholics in my city. A Roman Byzantine Catholic is a joke, but Stranger doesn't get it.
I stand with BofL on this matter.
When the apostles brought the Gospel to the major cultural centers of their day the essential elements of religious practice were inculturated into those cultures. This means that the essential elements were clothed in the symbols and trappings of the particular people, so that the rituals conveyed the desired spiritual meaning to that culture. In this way the Church becomes
all things to all men that some might be saved (1 Cor. 9:22).
There are three major groupings of Rites based on this initial transmission of the faith, the
Roman, the
Antiochian (Syria) and the
Alexandrian (Egypt). Later on the
Byzantine derived as a major Rite from the Antiochian, under the influence of St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom. From these four derive the over 20 liturgical Rites present in the Church today.
I'm guessing the real issue with Stranger is his comic book view of church history and papal jurisdiction. In his world, that can only mean dominating dictatorship, not spiritual leadership.