Catholic-Greek Orthodox "mixed marriage"--can it work?

[Terra_Rosarum]

I’m asking because my 25 yr old daughter has been dating a young man from a Greek Orthodox background. He’s only half Greek, on his father’s side, and his parents are divorced.
I don’t know how seriously he follows his faith, and my daughter isn’t all that committed to the Catholic faith herself.
I’m just wondering if a marriage between a Catholic and a Greek Orthodox person can succeed. (I’ve heard of cases like this which haven’t turned out so well.)

 

[Kielbasi]

Sure, its very possible it can work out well.

Here in Pittsburgh, we have more than an average number of Serbs and other Greek Orthodox nationalities that have had successful marriage with others who are mostly Catholic.

Many of the people I know of have stayed married for the rest of their lives.

 

[1ke]

I’m asking because my 25 yr old daughter has been dating a young man from a Greek Orthodox background. He’s only half Greek, on his father’s side, and his parents are divorced.
I don’t know how seriously he follows his faith, and my daughter isn’t all that committed to the Catholic faith herself.
I’m just wondering if a marriage between a Catholic and a Greek Orthodox person can succeed. (I’ve heard of cases like this which haven’t turned out so well.)

IMHO no. I also dated a Greek Orthodox man at about that age. He was a little older than me. We came to realize that it just would not work as neither of us would convert to the other. And we were both serious and involved in our churches.

If neither are practicing it might work, but my concern would be that one or the other or both would get serious about their faith when children come along. And then… trouble.

 

[jeannetherese]

From:
stgeorgegoc.org/pastors-corner/wedding-marriage

"Pastoral Guidelines
For the union of a man and woman to be recognized as sacramentally valid by the Orthodox Church, these conditions must be met:

• The Sacrament of Matrimony must be celebrated by an Orthodox Priest of a canonical Orthodox jurisdiction, according to the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, in a canonical Orthodox Church, and with the authorization of the diocesan Bishop." …" the Orthodox Church will bless marriages between Orthodox and non-Orthodox partners, provided that:

The non-Orthodox partner is a Christian who has been baptized, in water, in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and
The couple should be willing to baptize their children in the Orthodox Church and raise and nurture them in accordance with the Orthodox Faith. A baptized Orthodox Christian whose wedding has not been blessed by the Orthodox Church is no longer in good standing with the Church, and may not receive the Sacraments of the Church, including Holy Communion, or become a Sponsor of an Orthodox Marriage, Baptism, or Chrismation.
A non-Orthodox Christian who marries an Orthodox Christian does not thereby become a member of the Orthodox Church, and may not receive the Sacraments, including Holy Communion, or be buried by the Church, serve on the Parish Council, or vote in parish assemblies or elections. "
From:
stgeorgegoc.org/pastors-corner/communion-inter-communion
Can Orthodox Christians receive communion in the Roman Catholic Church? Can a Lutheran receive communion in our Greek Orthodox Church? These are common questions that I encounter in my ministry. It is a complex issue because of our American society where we have many different Christian denominations co-existing within our cities and towns. The simple answer, which many people may know, to the question is “no.”
Note from jt: Perhaps an Orthodox CAF member will be able to provide a link on communion issues. My understanding is that communing in the Roman Catholic church involves automatic excommunication, but I do not have a link to support this.
From:
oca.org/questions/romancatholicism/communion-in-roman-catholic-church
Communion in Roman Catholic Church
Question

"As a Greek Orthodox may I receive the sacrament of Holy Communion in a Catholic Church. Do you know the rules regarding Greek Orthodox and Catholic relations? I live in an area where the closest church is a Roman Catholic Church. Does the Catholic Church recognize us as equals?

Answer

Orthodox Christians are not permitted to receive Communion in non-Orthodox communities, including the Roman Catholic. To do so would imply a unity that in fact does not yet exist. Also it implies that we are “united” to the faith community from which we receive the Eucharist."

Should the young people find their way back to their respective faiths, how to raise the children, fulfilling Sunday obligations separately, convincing a spouse to have a civil marriage convalidated (Catholic) or blessed by the Orthodox church.
In addition, one might imagine pressure from in laws and relatives who wish to see spouses converted.

 

[twf]

Contrary to the concerns voiced on this thread, the U.S. Catholic bishops seem quite “flexible” on this issue- see here: usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/orthodox/pastoral-orthodox-catholic-marriage.cfm.
We are talking about a Church with valid sacraments. This is not equivalent to a Catholic marrying a Protestant. For one, the Church readily grants approval for the wedding ceremony to be celebrated at the Orthodox party’s church. There’s also, it seems, some flexibility concerning the baptism of children.

 

[1ke]

Contrary to the concerns voiced on this thread, the U.S. Catholic bishops seem quite “flexible” on this issue- see here: usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/orthodox/pastoral-orthodox-catholic-marriage.cfm.
We are talking about a Church with valid sacraments. This is not equivalent to a Catholic marrying a Protestant. For one, the Church readily grants approval for the wedding ceremony to be celebrated at the Orthodox party’s church. There’s also, it seems, some flexibility concerning the baptism of children.

As I said, for those not particularly practicing, probably not a problem.

For me, it was a problem. For him, it was a problem. We were (and still are) both VERY involved in our respective parishes, and his entire life revolved around his Greek culture and family (think MBFGW on steroids, I met his family… totally Greek).

No way could he become Catholic. No way could I leave the Faith for Orthodoxy. And I was NOT going to raise children in a mixed faith situation. Him either. His expectation was raising children Greek. Mine was raising children Catholic.

For me, deal breaker all around and for him too. We decided it would be foolish to date seriously.

 

[Anglewannabe]

I’m asking because my 25 yr old daughter

Stop right here. She is 25 and entitled to make her own decisions. No matter how much YOU want your daughter to be happy, she needs to live her own life. If she doesn’t ask for your (name removed by moderator)ut, don’t concern yourself with it

 

[jeannetherese]

She may make her own decisions, but, as parents, friends, Christians, we are still called to be our brother’s/sister’s keeper.
There’s no statute of limitations on parenting, but, as our kids age, some may, perhaps, choose to disregard parental advice. Others may consider and reject such advice. Others may align with such advice.

May God bless all who visit our thread and may we become one in accordance with His most holy will.
Amen.

 

[phil19034]

Contrary to the concerns voiced on this thread, the U.S. Catholic bishops seem quite “flexible” on this issue- see here: usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/orthodox/pastoral-orthodox-catholic-marriage.cfm.
We are talking about a Church with valid sacraments. This is not equivalent to a Catholic marrying a Protestant. For one, the Church readily grants approval for the wedding ceremony to be celebrated at the Orthodox party’s church. There’s also, it seems, some flexibility concerning the baptism of children.

The issue really isn’t the Catholic position, it’s the strictness of the Orthodox position. For example, the non-Orthodox spouse cannot be buried by the Church next to the spouse unless they convert. Also a Catholic can receive a dispensation to marry outside the Church, but the Orthdox doesn’t. Also, a Catholic promises to do everything possible to raise the child in the Catholic Faith, while the orthodox makes the couple promise to raise the child Orthdox.

Additionally, as someone who is in a mixed marriage (I was not devout when we married) if one or both of the spouse become involved with their faith, it can make things difficult.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

Stop right here. She is 25 and entitled to make her own decisions. No matter how much YOU want your daughter to be happy, she needs to live her own life. If she doesn’t ask for your (name removed by moderator)ut, don’t concern yourself with it

I agree.

In my neck of the woods, because there is a large number of Greek Orthodox and a large number of Italian Americans it tends to be common.

My cousin is married to a Greek orthodox woman.

His kids are Greek Orthodox, I do believe one of them has a Greek Orthodox Godfather and a Catholic Godmother.

My husbands brother is married also to a Greek Orthodox woman. He’s not particularly religious, she attends Catholic mass.