Can Orthodox commune with RC's at will?

[DavidFilmer]

The “Roman” Catholic Church permits Her members to partake of Communion within the Greek Orthodox Church, but only under some rather narrow circumstances.

A priest told me that Greek Orthodox, however, are permitted (by their own leadership) to freely commune with Roman Catholics (and Rome places no restrictions on their participation). According to this priest, Greek Orthodox have no limitations on communing with Roman Catholics, and may do so at will.

Is this true?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

DavidFilmer:

The “Roman” Catholic Church permits Her members to partake of Communion within the Greek Orthodox Church, but only under some rather narrow circumstances.

A priest told me that Greek Orthodox, however, are permitted (by their own leadership) to freely commune with Roman Catholics (and Rome places no restrictions on their participation). According to this priest, Greek Orthodox have no limitations on communing with Roman Catholics, and may do so at will.

Is this true?

It is the difference between accepting the Christian and accepting the Church. The Orthodox Church is not in communion with Rome and choses to remain that way. The Orthodox Churches have valid Apostolic succession and valid Sacraments. But the Church is at odds with Rome over the issue of Primacy. Orthodox Christians believe the Doctrines, specifically about the Eucharist and may be separated from Rome, but this may be by circumstance instead of by choice. It may be the only Church they know. It is also said that the Catholic Church accepts Baptized Protestant Christians as “Brothers and Sisters in Christ” but does not accept the Protestant community (church) as a sister Church.

 

[Hesychios]

DavidFilmer:

The “Roman” Catholic Church permits Her members to partake of Communion within the Greek Orthodox Church, but only under some rather narrow circumstances.

A priest told me that Greek Orthodox, however, are permitted (by their own leadership) to freely commune with Roman Catholics (and Rome places no restrictions on their participation). According to this priest, Greek Orthodox have no limitations on communing with Roman Catholics, and may do so at will.

Is this true?

I think that this is a great question, but I am almost positive that you’ve misinterpreted what the priest said.

The Catholic Communion will allow Orthodox to commune in Catholic Masses and Divine Liturgies, with the recommendation that the persons in question follow the wish of their own bishops. Otherwise the Catholic church will put up no obstructions.

Catholics are not allowed by Orthodox to commune in an Orthodox Divine Liturgy.

So we know that at this point there could be some one way traffic of Orthodox trooping over to Catholic churches, except that I don’t think that there are any Orthodox bishops that would allow it officially. So while an Orthodox would be received in the Catholic church for communion they would be committing the sin of disobedience.

There may be some cases of mixed marriages that the Greek Orthodox priest is aware of who will attend either church as necessary. I don’t know if these trips are blessed quietly or perhaps there is a “don’t ask - don’t tell” kind of thing going on but I am sure among the laity a little cross-polinization is going on.

Officially though, they aren’t supposed to do that AFAIK. The best way to get an answer to this is to post on an Orthodox board.

 

[1ke]

DavidFilmer:

The “Roman” Catholic Church permits Her members to partake of Communion within the Greek Orthodox Church, but only under some rather narrow circumstances.

The Orthodox do not allow open communion, so even though Catholic Canon law does not prevent a Catholic from receiving at an Orthodox Church, the Catholic should refrain from participating out of respect.

DavidFilmer:

A priest told me that Greek Orthodox, however, are permitted (by their own leadership) to freely commune with Roman Catholics (and Rome places no restrictions on their participation). According to this priest, Greek Orthodox have no limitations on communing with Roman Catholics, and may do so at will.

Is this true?

I do not believe the Orthodox church allows its members to receive Eucharist at a Catholic Church.

 

[prodromos]

If we Orthodox were to commune at a Catholic church we would be excommunicated immediately, so no. Either your priest was wrong or you misunderstood. Orthodox are absolutely forbidden from communing outside the Orthodox church.

John

 

[Roman_Army]

DavidFilmer:

The “Roman” Catholic Church permits Her members to partake of Communion within the Greek Orthodox Church, but only under some rather narrow circumstances.

A priest told me that Greek Orthodox, however, are permitted (by their own leadership) to freely commune with Roman Catholics (and Rome places no restrictions on their participation). According to this priest, Greek Orthodox have no limitations on communing with Roman Catholics, and may do so at will.

Is this true?

David:

---

Orthodox and Polish National Catholics are allowed to recieve communion in the Roman Catholic Church. However, they are asked to respect their Church, hope for unity, and recognize that the Roman Catholic eucharist is valid. Yes, your priest was right.

---

However, the Orthodox Churches do not allow their members to recieve communion in the Catholic Church. So, it would be rare if an Orthodox would recieve communion in the Catholic Church. It was most likely allowed for grave reasons, such as in times of crisis in which they can not reach an Orthodox Church or clergy.

 

[marty1818]

I’ve been told by an Orthodox priest that Catholics should not receive communion in the Orthodox mass and vice versa. Going to an Orthodox mass when there is no Catholic mass available fulfills the sunday obligation from what I understand.

matt

 

[DavidFilmer]

prodromos:

If we Orthodox were to commune at a Catholic church we would be excommunicated immediately, so no. Either your priest was wrong or you misunderstood. Orthodox are absolutely forbidden from communing outside the Orthodox church.

Is there an official source (something akin to the Code of Canon Law or such) that you can cite regarding this?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

What everyone has said here is pretty much the case except for some instances within the “Old Country”, inter-communion does not occur.

DavidFilmer:

Is there an official source (something akin to the Code of Canon Law or such) that you can cite regarding this?

It is statements like the one made by prodromos that bother me as there is no such entity as the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church is a communion of Churches that really have no one head, as we Catholics do. In essence the Churches are all individual Churches.

For example, inter-communion occurs in the Middle East between the Melkite and the Antiochian Orthodox. I also believe that inter-communion occurs between the Chaldean Catholic and the Assyrian Church of the East.

This is a bit issue here as some of the Orthodox seem to speak as if the Orthodox Church is on entity, rather than the ROCOR, Greek Orthodox, Antiochian Orthodox, OCA, and some others I have left out.