Whats the difference between a Roman and Eastern Catholic?

The main difference is the Rite or rituals. Fundamentally Eastern and Roman or Latin Rite Catholics believe the same things. The rituals of the East are somewhat different from the West. Both have richness and beauty in different ways, but again so far as the Faith is concerned, they are in agreement.

This is not to be confused with Eastern Orthodoxy - whereas they too believe most of what Catholics (Eastern and Latin Rite) believe, they are not in communion with the Bishop of Rome, and have not been since 1054ad.

If you were to observe Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians at liturgy, you would not see much difference.

May the Lord bless you.

It depends on your definition of "eastern Catholic". Sometimes the term is used to refer to the Eastern Orthodox church, a distinctly NOT Catholic entity (though you might not know it by looking at them).

More commonly, "eastern Catholic" refers to the 22+ rites of the Catholic church (in full communion with the Holy See) that rejoined the Church after a schism a thousand years ago. A "Roman Catholic" is a bit of a misnomer. The word Roman was first added by Protestants in the 1600's as an insult. But it's not an insult anymore and the name has clearly stuck. It refers to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, which is the largest rite, and if you live in the U.S., likely the only one you've ever seen.

There are differences in liturgy and tradition between the Latin and Eastern rites. For example, the Eastern rites allow priests to marry. However, the doctrines and dogmas are the same and all of the rites answer to the pope.

I hope this helps. :)

A Rite represents an ecclesiastical, or church, tradition about how the sacraments are to be celebrated. Each of the sacraments has at its core an essential nature which must be satisfied for the sacrament to be confected or realized. This essence – of matter, form and intention – derives from the divinely revealed nature of the particular sacrament. It cannot be changed by the Church. Scripture and Sacred Tradition, as interpreted by the Magisterium, tells us what is essential in each of the sacraments (2 Thes. 2:15).

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.

see more at http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_...

Eastern Catholic would be a subset or part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church comprises two main rites, the much larger and more well-know of which is the Latin (or Western) rite. The Eastern (or Byzantine) Rite of the Catholic Church is one of several Roman Catholic rites existing in countries which fell under the sway of the Orthodox Church when it broke from Rome. While these Eastern Rite Catholics share much in common with the Orthodox liturgy, the Eastern Catholics stayed loyal to the Holy Father and remain part of the Roman Catholic Church to this day.

Hope that was clear enough!

church architecture and some changes in liturgical presentation. The rest is very similar.

Eastern does not accept the authority of the Pope.