The Ruthenians had united with Rome at Brest in 1596, forming a group of Uniates distinct from the Poles, who belonged to the Latin rite.
Of these 21 are immediately subject to the Holy See, while those of the Latin rite having ecclesiastical provinces number 164.
Of episcopal sees of the Latin rite 6 are suburbican sees of the cardinal bishops, 85 are immediately subject to the Holy See, and 662 are suffragan sees in ecclesiastical provinces.
Converts to Rome have, therefore, to accept the Latin rite (see Prince Max of Saxony, Vorlesungen fiber die orientalischen Kirchenfragen, 1907).
Nearly all the aristocracy claim Venetian descent; most of the upper classes are bilingual, speaking both Greek and Italian; and a considerable section of the population are Roman Catholics of the Latin rite.
