Do you think it is appropriate for people to switch rites if they disagree with their Rite?

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RCIAGraduate

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Disclaimer: Forgive me because I know the topic is rather vain.

For example, let’s say there are Roman Catholics who support a married clergy (or even single, male Catholics who may see themselves called to both the priesthood and family life) or Catholics who are disturbed at what they consider to be Liturgical Abuse (or even a liturgy or arts/music they disagree or disfavor), would changing rites be an appropriate avenue to address their issues (as long as they come from the right place since some motives like doing it to “protest” the Church might not be so appropriate)? Or is it rather extreme and should Catholics only switch rite in certain situations like marriage or due to a long-time love and appreciation of Eastern Traditions? If you disagree, what circumstances would you consider appropriate to change Rites?
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No…people often forget, but the Eastern Churches are not “Latin Catholics with a different Mass”. They have their own theology and traditions which can be very different from what a Roman Catholic is used to. Transferring just b/c you dislike something in the Latin tradition isn’t a very good reason. You should be running towards something, not running away from something.

FWIW, I was raised Roman Catholic and am now Eastern…there are many things I still miss about being Roman Catholic especially during Advent and Christmas.
 
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I’m pretty sure that someone citing any of the reasons that you mentioned would be refused a canonical transfer. That said, any Catholic can attend any sui juris Church and fulfill their obligations, and can even register at a parish outside their own ritual church. One would simply have to pay attention to days of obligation and fasting requirements from one’s own church, as they would still be binding (though Mass requirements for holy days could still be fulfilled at the “adopted” church, even if the day in question is not a holy day for them).

A person who was seriously interested in a canonical transfer would likely have to attend the new church for several years and show a legitimate interest in its history and traditions.
 
Wondering if you are Catholic or are coming from a worldly viewpoint.
 
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You can change rites, but only for the right reasons. Feeling drawn towards a different tradition is one thing, disagreeing is another. I disagree with how the Latin rite is handling traditionalists and the sex abuse crisis, but that doesn’t mean I’m switching to the Greek or Syriac rite. I still love and am drawn to the liturgy and theology of the Roman rite.
 
I agree with what Angel_Gabriel says above. One shouldn’t change rites simply because one is dissatisfied with what is happening within his/her own rite. If you do that, you’ll find plenty to be dissatisfied with within your adopted rite.

The only reason I think someone should change rites is because they’ve embraced the full richness and beauty of the tradition of the rite they are embracing.

I too was raised Roman Catholic and have embraced the Maronite tradition. There are certainly things that I miss about the Roman rite, but I honestly see my decision to become Maronite as the fruition of a process that began as a boy in the Roman tradition and has led me here. I was certainly not running from the Roman tradition, but moving toward something else.
 
Changing your rite is not so easy, if you have been baptized. You either marry someone of the desired rite (Can. 112 §1.1) or obtain permission from the Apostolic See to do so (Can. 112 §1.1). If granted, the change is recorded in the baptismal register in the parish of your baptism (Can. 535 §2).
To conclude, Can.112 §2 stipulates: " The practice, however prolonged, of receiving the sacraments according to the rite of another ritual Church sui iuris, does not entail enrollment in that Church."
 
QuD said:
Changing your rite is not so easy, if you have been baptized. You either marry someone of the desired rite (Can. 112 §1.1) or obtain permission from the Apostolic See to do so (Can. 112 §1.1). If granted, the change is recorded in the baptismal register in the parish of your baptism (Can. 535 §2).
To conclude, Can.112 §2 stipulates: " The practice, however prolonged, of receiving the sacraments according to the rite of another ritual Church sui iuris, does not entail enrollment in that Church."
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Thank you for quoting the relevant canons. Canon law, however, does not tell the whole story. In practice, in the United States, the permission of the Holy See Is presumed if both Bishops agree to the transfer. While it is a process that takes a little bit of time, it is rarely a difficult process.
 
Thanks for filling this gap. I resorted to the universal law as I am not very well versed in the U.S. particular norms. Generally speaking, even in countries with similar faculties it is much easier to switch from the Latin Church to other Church s.i. than the other way around.
 
If one has that luxury, feel free to “shop around” although this may be limited to the big cites
 
RCIAGraduate said:
If you disagree, what circumstances would you consider appropriate to change Rites?
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Personal revelation, a strong belief that your rite is not leading you to God, something substantially spiritual. Whether married men can become priests or not should be a theosophical conviction not a mere opinion or preference.
Another serious case of deciding which rite to belong to should be marriage and future unborn children and their baptism. The couple should decide where they want their marriage to happen and where their children should be baptized imho before the kids are born. Personally they can attend whatever liturgy they like until they have kids but it’s unfair to just be cool and “offer all options” and thus put so much spiritual stress on children. The family should have one religion and the couple should ideally figure it out before marriage.
P.S. Your topic is not vain imo.
 
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