Is it true that we of the Catholic Church may not participate in any of the sacraments of an Orthodox church (e.g., receive Communion in a Greek Orthodox church) except in the case of an emergency? If so, why is that?
Ordinarily speaking, Catholics should not receive the sacraments in an Orthodox church because the Catholic and Orthodox churches are not in unity with each other. Canon law holds though that:
Whenever necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, the [Catholic] Christian faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister are permitted to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose churches these sacraments are valid
(canon 844 §2).
If a Catholic is in a situation in which he cannot approach a Catholic priest for the sacraments, he may receive confession, Eucharist, and the anointing of the sick from a non-Catholic priest in whose church those sacraments are valid, which includes the Orthodox churches.
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