Canonical Status of Catholics who depart for Holy Orthodoxy

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Ivan_Putovati

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Slava Isusu Krystu!

What is the canonical status of a Greco-Catholic who leaves the Roman Catholic Church for Orthodoxy. What is the status of his children?

If the children return to the Church of Rome as adults (Ex. they marry Roman Catholics) how are the received? Via the sacrament of Holy Confession? Recitation of the Creed?

ICXC,

Ivan
 
Ivan_Putovati said:
Slava Isusu Krystu!

What is the canonical status of a Greco-Catholic who leaves the Roman Catholic Church for Orthodoxy. What is the status of his children?

If the children return to the Church of Rome as adults (Ex. they marry Roman Catholics) how are the received? Via the sacrament of Holy Confession? Recitation of the Creed?

ICXC,

Ivan
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Orthodox are (properly) received by public affirmation of Catholicity.

Essentially, all they have to do is get the pastor to let them make a public statement that they accept the Papacy, and the dogmas of the Catholic Church, and then enter them on the rolls.

All too often, however, well meaning but poorly educated individuals “add” other requirements not present in law.

Here’s the relevant canon law (as posted at intratext.com/IXT/ENG1199/_INDEX.HTM )

Canon 896
Whether it is a group or an individual, no obligation except what is necessary can be imposed on the Christian faithful who have been baptized in non-Catholic Churches or ecclesial communities and who ask of their own to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Canon 897
A member of the Christian faithful of an Eastern non-Catholic Church is to be received into the Catholic Church with only the profession of the Catholic faith, after doctrinal and spiritual preparation according to each one’s condition.

Canon 898
  1. Besides the Roman Pontiff, the patriarch with the consent of the synod of bishops of the patriarchal Church, or the metropolitan of a metropolitan Church sui iuris with the consent of the council of hierarchs, can receive a bishop of an Eastern non-Catholic Church into the Catholic Church.
  2. The right of receiving anyone else into the Catholic Church pertains to the hierarch of the place, or if the particular law provides for it, also to the patriarch.
  3. The right of receiving individual lay persons into the Catholic Church belongs also to the parish priest, unless this is forbidden by particular law.
Canon 900
  1. One who has not yet completed his fourteenth year shall not be received if the parents are opposed to it.
  2. If from the same reception, grave inconveniences are foreseen either to the Church or to the person, the reception may be put off unless there is imminent danger of death.
Note that 899 is ommitted as it refers only to clerics, and 901 as it refers to non-orthodox only.
 
What are the relevant canons in the Eastern Code?

As it is only right for an Orthodox Christian to be received into the corresponding Eastern Catholic Church.
 
ByzCath said:
What are the relevant canons in the Eastern Code?

As it is only right for an Orthodox Christian to be received into the corresponding Eastern Catholic Church.
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Those ARE the CCEO canons, David.
 
To clarify … what if a Greek Catholic left Roman Catholicism and became Orthodox with his family and later in life one of his children married a Roman Catholic. If the child returned to Catholicism how would they be received?
 
Ivan_Putovati said:
To clarify … what if a Greek Catholic left Roman Catholicism and became Orthodox with his family and later in life one of his children married a Roman Catholic. If the child returned to Catholicism how would they be received?
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Well, technically the Greek Catholic wouldn’t be leaving Roman Catholicism, but Greek Catholicism (of whichever Byzantine-rite Church they happened to be from). How their children would be received back would depend on whether they were entering the Roman Catholic Church, or the original Church of their parents. So which scenario exactly are you looking for?

Remember, Roman Catholic is not the same as Catholic; Roman Catholic is a specific Catholic Church, just like the Russian Orthodox Church is not the same as the Antiochian Orthodox Church, but both are Orthodox Churches with their own canons and boundaries.

Peace and God bless!
 
Ghosty said:
Well, technically the Greek Catholic wouldn’t be leaving Roman Catholicism, but Greek Catholicism (of whichever Byzantine-rite Church they happened to be from). How their children would be received back would depend on whether they were entering the Roman Catholic Church, or the original Church of their parents. So which scenario exactly are you looking for?

Remember, Roman Catholic is not the same as Catholic; Roman Catholic is a specific Catholic Church, just like the Russian Orthodox Church is not the same as the Antiochian Orthodox Church, but both are Orthodox Churches with their own canons and boundaries.

Peace and God bless!
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For completeness, the relvant roman canons (which do not apply, since converts go to the relevant sui iuris church, and may THEN transfer).

Can. 845 §1. Since the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and orders imprint a character, they cannot be repeated.

§2. If after completing a diligent inquiry a prudent doubt still exists whether the sacraments mentioned in §1

were actually or validly conferred, they are to be conferred conditionally.

Can. 869 §1. If there is a doubt whether a person has been baptized or whether baptism was conferred validly and the doubt remains after a serious investigation, baptism is to be conferred conditionally.

§2. Those baptized in a non-Catholic ecclesial community must not be baptized conditionally unless, after an examination of the matter and the form of the words used in the conferral of baptism and a consideration of the intention of the baptized adult and the minister of the baptism, a serious reason exists to doubt the validity of the baptism.

§3. If in the cases mentioned in §§1 and 2 the conferral or validity of the baptism remains doubtful, baptism is not to be conferred until after the doctrine of the sacrament of baptism is explained to the person to be baptized, if an adult, and the reasons of the doubtful validity of the baptism are explained to the person or, in the case of an infant, to the parents.

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2T.HTM

I can’t find the specifics for converts other than in baptism.

Brother David: do not fret it. I should have been more clear as to whcih canons I was citing.
 
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