Maronites are an ethno-religious group made up of Syriac Christians from The Lebanon who follow the Eastern Rite in their liturgical worship and practices, but hold their allegiance to the Pope of Rome. In essence, they are an Arab version of the Eastern Rite or “Byzantine” Catholic Church. Melkites, too, are Christian Arabs who fall into a similar category, but trace their ethnic heritage to what is now modern-day Turkey.
