Can Catholics pray with Protestants?

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Yeah, I’m aware. I guess it’s fortunate I live around Anglicans, their prayer beads (although I honestly prefer the rosary over it), while non Marian, are still repetitive enough for some fundy to get annoyed over it.
I can understand a reaction against the Divine Mercy though - beautiful as it is, the novena still involves prayers for schismatics and heretics which they could take offence to.
 
I think it’s easier to give examples of praying with spouses who are Protestant or relatives or close friends and use these examples as proof positive that when it comes to prayer and acceptance, everything is copacetic.

But that isn’t always the case. I think most people will generally ask for prayers and may even pray for a common good, such as health or help in trying times.

Yet, very rarely have I heard of Protestants asking us to pray rosaries for them, or pray to Mary on their behalf or to the saints or to ask us to light a candle for their needs.

Usually when we engage in common prayer, it’s just that. Common, sort of a vanilla flavored type of setting, where the prayers are free from any sort of Catholic imagery.
 
The novena was made politically correct at some point and the words “schismatics and heretics” changed to “those who have separated themselves from my Church”. Protestants likely wouldn’t see themselves as separated from Jesus’ Church, so it’s a little bit better.
 
Huh, thanks for letting me know. Now that I think about it, I think then EWTN page that I got it from before I got a physical copy of the prayers mentioned that there was a change in language.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
The novena was made politically correct at some point and the words “schismatics and heretics” changed to “those who have separated themselves from my Church”. Protestants likely wouldn’t see themselves as separated from Jesus’ Church, so it’s a little bit better.
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Why is it better, Tis_Bear self, why is it better to pacify Protestants if the meaning really still means “schismatics and heretics?” Shouldn’t a prayer represent truth?
 
To be honest at the risk of causing someone else to be upset, the words “schismatics and heretics” are the words St. Faustina reported that Jesus said to her. If the Church is going to promote a devotion that it believes came from Jesus himself, then I would be loathe to change the words that Jesus is reported to have said, and not just dismiss them as “Jesus was speaking to St. Faustina in the context of the culture of her time” or whatever.

I also believe that if people are going to up and leave the Church because they feel that strongly about their convictions of conscience or whatever that it’s the right thing to do, they should not be upset if the Church calls them a schismatic or a heretic. I would think they’d say, “If being correct (in their opinion, they are correct) means being a heretic according to your Church, then so be it.” And finally, I think the “politically correct” change is a bit two-faced in that if one understands the Catholic perspective, we’re still pretty much thinking Protestants are “separated brethren”. I understand there is now even an objection to the term “separated brethren”.

These are just my thoughts, however. I tend to come down on the blunt side when it comes to Protestants and SSPX and other groups that leave the Church. Bridge-building in this context is not my strong point. The Church officials in charge who changed the prayer obviously see things different from me, and I defer to their judgment.
 
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Thank you, I respect you for that and agree with you.

I know I may be a strange duck but I would have more intrigue for the CC if I saw complete honesty, even if it meant I suffered persecution, than what I see in the wishy washy political correctness of our modern time.
 
oxford said:
I’ve heard a confusing mess of answers on this issue, I think I should maybe pay a visit to the local church and ask the priest there. But for now I’d like to ask: is there anything scandalous in Catholicism about praying with Protestants? Or is it fine? I could have sworn the current Pope gave the pass to do it.
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I think our Heavenly Father would be very pleased to see His children united in cooperation and prayer 🙏
 
Wannano said:
I know I may be a strange duck but I would have more intrigue for the CC if I saw complete honesty, even if it meant I suffered persecution, than what I see in the wishy washy political correctness of our modern time.
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You can always look towards the more traditional and old-fashioned cardinals, bishops and priests for those sorts of blunt statements.
With the Church seeming to pick up more traditional influence over time, as the generations of clergy ordained in the 50s/60s/70s/80s declines, you might even see the Church going back more in that direction, although it probably won’t happen till I’m quite old.
 
FWIW - Vat II - DECREE ON ECUMENISM UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO - Excerpt
  1. Our thoughts turn first to those Christians who make open confession of Jesus Christ as God and Lord and as the sole Mediator between God and men, to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are aware indeed that there exist considerable divergences from the doctrine of the Catholic Church concerning Christ Himself, the Word of God made flesh, the work of redemption, and consequently, concerning the mystery and ministry of the Church, and the role of Mary in the plan of salvation.
But we rejoice to see that our separated brethren look to Christ as the source and center of Church unity. Their longing for union with Christ inspires them to seek an ever closer unity, and also to bear witness to their faith among the peoples of the earth.
  1. A love and reverence of Sacred Scripture which might be described as devotion, leads our brethren to a constant meditative study of the sacred text. For the Gospel “is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and then to the Greek”.(39)
While invoking the Holy Spirit, they seek in these very Scriptures God as it were speaking to them in Christ, Whom the prophets foretold, Who is the Word of God made flesh for us. They contemplate in the Scriptures the life of Christ and what the Divine Master taught and did for our salvation, especially the mysteries of His death and resurrection.

But while the Christians who are separated from us hold the divine authority of the Sacred Books, they differ from ours - some in one way, some in another - regarding the relationship between Scripture and the Church. For, according to Catholic belief, the authentic teaching authority of the Church has a special place in the interpretation and preaching of the written word of God.

But Sacred Scriptures provide for the work of dialogue an instrument of the highest value in the mighty hand of God for the attainment of that unity which the Saviour holds out to all.
 
At my Ukrainian Greek Catholic grandmother’s funeral, my Russian Orthodox aunt and uncle did not participate in the Liturgy and stood silent as sentinels on guard duty.

When my uncle died almost 18 years later, we went to his funeral but could not participate.

If you don’t think you should, then don’t do it.
 
Pray with them, yes. But if you visit their churches, don’t participate in their Communion.
 
@oxford , here’s my opinion on it…disclaimer: I’m not Catholic.

Honestly, if it were scandalous to pray with Protestants…why would the Catholic Church allow marriage to them? I would assume it’s implied that they will pray together at some point in their marriage.

Just my thoughts.
 
The Orthodox were the original Protestants. The Great Schism of 1054 was almost 500 years before 1517.
 
That’s not what ‘Protestant’ means. Protestant is a very specific term for groups that emerged out of the Reformation holding to the solae (to varying extents). Not a single historian would define ‘Protestant’ as “anybody who isn’t in communion with Rome.”
Aside from that, thanks for your contribution to the topic
 
Yeah, the Orthodox can’t be Protestant. We are not allowed to receive Holy Communion at the Protestant churches, but the Vatican would allow us to receive at an Orthodox church if there was no other alternative and assuming the Orthodox priest would somehow allow this (unlikely, but if you’re all stuck in a gulag somewhere, could happen).
 
Evangelical Protestants who were raised Catholic more often than not seem to have that bent to them. They’re the type that may even go as far as saying that we’re not actually even Christians. One suspects that a lot of the time (not always), it has a good deal to do with some kind of ongoing issue with things that went wrong in their upbringing, not just theological objections.

Not trying to generalize here but I’ve seen examples of this IRL.
 
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