The '''Latin Rite''' designates the particular [[church]] which developed in western Europe and northern Africa when and where Latin was the language of education, culture, and diplomacy, and also of the [[liturgy]]. It is now present worldwide and is the majority Rite rite within the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. It is distinct from the [[Eastern Rite Catholic]] Churches, whose liturgies use the languages dominant in their areas at the time of their formation , such as [[Church Slavonic]], or a modern language such as Arabic. The Latin Rite should not be confused with the [[Western Rite]], which is a strand of Orthodox Christian worship based on the liturgical traditions of the ancient pre-Schism Orthodox Church of the West.