Do Eastern Catholics sacrifice animals?

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7MessRobHackOpen

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I am wondering if Eastern Rite Roman Catholics practice the animal sacrifice rituals that are practiced by their corresponding Orthodox churches.

For example, do Greek Rite Roman Catholics practice kourbania? Do Armenian Rite Roman Catholics practice matagh?

If so, can anyone here provide details of how it is carried out? Better yet, has anyone here attended an Eastern Rite Roman Catholic animal sacrifice?

I would like to make it clear that although many Protestants in their polemics against Orthodoxy will use rituals such as “kourbania” and “matagh” to prove that Orthodox Christians don’t believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins as the final Lamb of God, I can assure you that this is not the case.

Rituals such as “kourbania” and “matagh” are NOT done to redeem people. They are celebratory sacrifices. The world-saving cross alone is the occasion of our redemption.

But I am still wondering: Would it be permissible for an Eastern Rite Roman Catholic priest to sacrifice an animal right outside their church?
 
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Hello,

Eastern Catholics are not Roman Catholics. Therefore, there is no Greek Rite Roman Catholic or Armenian Rite Roman Catholic, only a Greek or Armenian Catholic (not Roman).

I am familiar with the practices you mention, they are, as you say, very common among Orthodox Christians. They’re not as widespread among Eastern Catholics, though some may avail themselves of the practice. In Lebanon, Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholics sacrifice animals to Saint George thanking him for his intercession, but I’m afraid I cannot provide further information as I’ve never witnessed such a thing firsthand. I’m also not sure if it still happens; it’s probably most common in the mountain villages.

It’s a very folk practice. It might draw some raised eyebrows nowadays.
 
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I cannot help you with the information about sacrificing animals. I was not aware the Orthodox did this.

I can, though, clear up some terms you have misused. Catholics who use the Roman Rite belong to a canonical church called the Latin Catholic Church. The Roman Rite is one of the liturgical rites we use. There are a few other liturgical rites in the Latin Catholic Church although the Roman is the most widely used. ‘Roman Catholic’ is not used in the Church’s official documents and ‘Roman Catholic’ arose as a pejorative used by Protestants especially by Anglicans who also consider themselves to be ‘catholics’, and used it to refer to us because our ‘Romish’ or ‘popish’ ways.

There are no such entities as ‘Eastern Rite Roman Catholics’, ‘Greek Rite Roman Catholics’ or ‘Armenian Rite Roman Catholics’. There are approximately twenty Eastern Catholic churches all in communion with each other and the Latin Church. There is no Eastern Rite as the Eastern Catholic churches use a variety of rites, e.g. Alexandrian, Byzantine, East Syrian, etc.

Churches are canonical entities with their own hierarchy, clergy, religious and laity. Each church may have one or more rites which represent their liturgical praxis.
 
While I agree completely with you, because many Churches tend to use word “catholic” in their description, some people refer to Catholic Church as “Roman” because it’s headquarters are in Rome. I find it very confusing and hence would not use it, but some people consider Roman Catholic to be Catholic, while Latin Catholic being Latin Church- so they consider Roman-Latin not being synonymous.

I also doubt Eastern Catholics do this, at least in our country (Slovakia, so Slovak Greek Catholic Church) they would not in my opinion, but can’t speak for every Church.
7MessRobHackOpen said:
Rituals such as “kourbania” and “matagh” are NOT done to redeem people. They are celebratory sacrifices. The world-saving cross alone is the occasion of our redemption.
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I completely agree. I don’t think Holy See would allow that in any case, or that they would not intervene if such thing was happening.
 
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I never heard of that. Your link seems to imply that it is a very rare thing that is a local custom in a few places.
 
I’m pretty sure the Greek Orthodox Church doesn’t officially sanction that and it’s an abuse carried out by some priests in traditional communities.
 
I’ve been Orthodox for thirteen years now and this is the first I’ve heard of it. Must be a very folk/village/old country/rare thing. Like Santeria ain’t Catholic- this doesn’t sound Orthodox.

I know a lot of Greeks like to have lamb on Pascha- but that’s like saying people are sacrificing pigs in the West just because a lot of people eat ham on Easter.
 
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It’s a tradition. Specific to certain cultures.No idea if it’s an “abuse” or sanctioned by the GOC.

I remember it being more common in Syria, but that’s a long time ago( obviously). If the OP wants, I can ask around to see if it still happens.
 
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TomH1 said:
The Latin Catholic Church sui iuris (correct name) is the Roman Catholic Church. It is not the only Catholic Church but it is the only one which is Roman.
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That is incorrect. The Roman Catholic Church comprises all of the sui juris churches, Latin and Eastern.

Whenever the Vatican uses the term “Roman Catholic”, it NEVER refers to just the Latin Church, and ALWAYS refers to all of the churches in the communion as a whole. In official letters to leaders of other religions, the Popes have long referred to themselves as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and has been doing so since the thirteenth century. The Eastern Churches have always been included since they joined the fold.

Check it out for yourself on the official Vatican website:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=site:www.vatican.va+"roman+catholic"

An Eastern Catholic is just as much a Roman Catholic as a Latin Catholic, no more, and no less. They are all in communion with the Bishop of Rome, in the exact same way.

And as for those that are going to chip in and say that the name “Roman Catholic” is a pejorative term thought up by Protestants, that is a myth perpetuated by some severely misguided English churchman from the 1900’s, and despite it’s being easily debunked, it has weirdly persisted till today.
“OrbisNonSufficit said:
by themselves, those people called themselves “Romanoi” which meant “Romans”
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Greeks referred to their language as “Roman” up until the early 20th century.
 
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I understand that, thing is, some people use different terminology. I don’t necessarily defend it, but it’s custom of certain people to do that. After all, East was Roman too- just not Latin, but Greek. Eastern Roman Empire (kinda center of Orthodoxy at time) was refered to as “Empire of Greeks” by West, or as “Byzantium” but by themselves, those people called themselves “Romanoi” which meant “Romans”. It’s true that during Union of Brest we see Ukrainians refering to Latins as “Romans” instead of Latins, but that was not the case centuries ago. Simply speaking, after fall of Byzantium and during Reformation, “Roman” became synonymous with Latin for East, and West gladly accepted that honor. Now some people refer to Catholic Church as a whole as “Roman” to refer to Pope, visible Head of Church, being in Rome along with Cardinals (who are considered Clergy of Rome, at least titular).
Jbrady said:
And as for those that are going to chip in and say that the name “Roman Catholic” is pejorative, that is a myth perpetuated by some severely misguided English churchman from the 1900’s, and despite it’s being easily debunked, it has weirdly persisted till today.
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Oh I did not know that, but even if, word “Christian” was once a pejorative, but we can be proud to be called that. To be called “Papist” is pejorative, but myself I would not mind being called that, because of respect for Papacy I have. It’s a good thing to know it’s a myth though, thanks.
 
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First of all—what Christians sacrifice animals? Links? Proof?
Second of all–isn’t it somewhere in the Bible that Jesus said we’re not to sacrifice animals anymore?
 
The sacrifice the OP is talking about is different. Jesus meant that we are not to sacrifice anymore animals for our salvation since he is the ultimate sacrifice for salvation, this, however, seems to be some sort of folk practice to thank a saint for his/ her intercession.
 
Are you sure the sacrifice is not made in order to make the meat halal (the equivalent for Arabs for the term kosher)? I think a converted Jew would still be able to follow eating kosher food without anyone doubting he is less Christian. Same way a converted Arab would still be able to eat halal meat and nobody would doubt his Christianity, right?
Because if we nitpick at the Bible then let us remember how angry Jesus got in Gadarra for people raising pigs against the rules of Moses. And he never said rules or Moses are not true just that people who judge their applying should also practice forgiveness.
And if we go back to the OT rules then shellfish, pigs and blood are a big no-no. How many Christians eat pork after all? Did Jesus eat pork?
In addition to this, God told Saint Peter said that eating meat sacrificed to the idols is not a problem important enough when other sins are graver. So if a Christian wants to follow their initial tradition of eating kosher and halal and even eating meat sacrificed to the idols (let’s say he used to be Pagan before) then, in itself, it’s not such a big problem.
 
I do not think the Church uses the the adverb ‘Roman’ that often to qualify the adjective ‘Catholic’. She generally calls herself the ‘Catholic Church’.

Am I to understand that you think it would be correct to call an Eastern Catholic church, let us say, for example, the Ukrainians: The Ukrainian Greek Roman Catholic Church?
 
It looks like it’s just a picnic feast excuse, tied to a votive or thank-offering like “I will donate a pound of beeswax for candles.”

Donating a sheep to the church to let the whole village feast and be merry seems like a good plan. And special foods are tied to most important saint days.

I mean, nobody frets about festival pretzels, and they look like human arms and shoulders. The only difference is that we are used to pretzels. (I would say that nobody frets about candy canes and Easter eggs, except that some people do.)
 
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Yes the official use of “Roman Catholic Church” is rare and usually for ecumenical reasons. Generally, I think, the Church as a whole is simply the “Catholic Church”. The western Church sui iuris is generally simply the “Latin Church”. The “Roman Church” generally refers to the Diocese of Rome / Holy See itself.
 
It does still happen. I know that it is not an “abuse” in the Armenian Church, since we have a service in our liturgical tradition specifically for doing matagh, it can be found here

I am much less familiar with the Greek Orthodox practice of kourbania, but I still think it is probably sanctioned by the GOC. Perhaps I should ask if anyone here who knows Greek can help in translating the Greek Prayers for Animal Sacrifices found here and here
 
Thanks for the info. I don’t think much of it myself, but i think it’s fascinating that the OC sacrifices animals.
 
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