Eastern Catholic Churches, in communion with Rome, do not include the Shepherd of Hermas in the biblical canon. This second-century Christian text, while valuable for understanding early church life and theology, was never universally recognized as inspired or part of the New Testament. The Eastern Catholic approach follows Vatican I's definition of the biblical canon, which excludes this text.

The Shepherd of Hermas is recognized as an important patristic witness to early Christian ethics, ecclesiology, and penitential discipline. Eastern Catholic scholars study it as a historical document valuable for understanding the development of Christian thought and practice in the post-apostolic period. However, it does not carry the authority of Scripture.

This distinction between canonical and non-canonical patristic texts is important in Eastern Catholic theology. While the Church honors the wisdom found in ancient Christian writers, it reserves the unique authority of Scripture to those texts recognized as apostolic in origin and accepted by the ecumenical councils. The Shepherd of Hermas serves the Church as instruction and edification but not as a norm of faith.