Does the Byzantine Catholic Church have a valid Eucharist?

[Miserissima]

You really don’t, and shouldn’t be trying to “steer” his towards the Church of Rome. Rome is not the only true Christian church. There are all the Sui Generis churches of the east that are part of the world-wide Catholic Church, and then there is the Orthodox communion, which is not in full communion with the Catholic Church but has valid sacraments, and a rich spiritual and liturgical life.

Let your friend go where God leads him. It is not your place to interfere with God’s work in shaping someone’s spiritual life.

 

[Peter_J]

In short defense of the OP doing any “steering,” I would want any of my friends to come with me into my tradition, be it any sui iuris church or a particular rite. It may be for selfish reasons, but not with any nefarious intent. Give the OP the benefit of the doubt here.

Good point. But at the same time, I think the way he (ProdglArchitect) phrased it rubbed some of us the wrong way.

 

[Peter_J]

Doesn’t that presuppose one is already an Eastern Catholic, not a catechumen, and would it apply to someone just investigating (i.e., the OPs friend)?

Also a good point.

I can hardly blame the OP for not knowing that the EC has a valid Eucharist, as the original question posed displayed a lack of information regarding the Eastern Churches proper.

To go from that premise to accusing him/her of undermining the Holy Spirit…well, lacks charity toward the OPs intent.

It’s a big risk for a person to openly display a lack of knowledge on a topic and then to be accused of “poaching” from the Eastern Church. A correction was made to the OP that turned into bandwagon admonishment.

Possibly. (It had been a while since I read the responses in question.)

 

[Miserissima]

Good point. But at the same time, I think the way he (ProdglArchitect) phrased it
rubbed some of us the wrong way.

You got all the benefit of the doubt I can give, and so does the OP. The “from where did you get this list?” was, to me, a clear challenge in light of the search functions on CAF. But, I, too, was reluctant to post here once because of the common answer, "do a search, because we repeat the same seven answers to the same questions every week (paraphrasing poorly, of course).

Perhaps there should be an Eastern Catholicism Forum Docent? Just kidding!! Well, maybe not.

Remember, too, that (some) Latin Rite folks who come asking questions are not intentionally ignorant, even in this digital age. I, too, was offended a bit…especially by the follow up response, but then, we are trained to ask, “cite your source.” I mean, why would there be a EC forum at CAF…it’s NOT listed under “Non-Catholic Religions.”

But inasmuch as I was relatively well catechised (longer story edited here), I was done a disservice by having not been informed at all about the ECs. Ever. Nada. And now, I find myself a hybrid where fellow RCs think I’m entertaining different religion altogether.

The OP deserves to be treated with dignity, even in error, that we may plant a seed. Gentle, clear, correction is good and laudable. Accusing one of furthering Satan’s agenda is uncharitable at best and calumnous at worst. (It also could not be a mortal sin without full knowledge, which the OP clearly demonstrated he/she did not have.)

 

[Peter_J]

Perhaps there should be an Eastern Catholicism Forum Docent? Just kidding!! Well, maybe not.

Or how about a FAQ thread?

 

[Peter_J]

Oh yes, now I see the post you’re talking about:

Take a look at your OP

and combine that statement with (also your own words)

I think you may be in danger of working against God and the Holy Spirit! If he is drawn towards Eastern Catholicism, you must ask yourself, “by whom is he drawn?”. If by the Holy Spirit, and you intervene, are you not doing the work of the Devil?!

I definitely have to agree with Miserissima that that was uncalled for.

 

[Nestor_kea]

Well, hopefully there si one new person who now knows that Catholic Church is formed up from 23 siu iuris churches, one of them Latin (Roman, Ambrosian, Mosarabic, Bragan… religious orders’ rites) and 22 Eastern/Oriental/Assyrian. And hopefully this nex aware one will continue to exploring his own (~ the whole Catholic) church.

And this hopefully will help to find if his/her friend is interested just in different looking Catholicism or in Orthodoxy.

Now to discussion on the topic of theRuthenian GCC:

To sui iuris churches sometimes “happens” that they are formed up of quite independent parts. Ruthenian church has Metropolia, eparchia and exarchate, all of them just directly under the Holy See and independent on the other two ones but still forming one sui iuris church.

I will correst how it was with the Slovak GCC:

1. I omit older history.
2. There was eparchy (Prešov, Slovakia).
   2 Then, later, there was established eparchy in Canada but directly under the Pope.
3. Then from Eparchy in Prešov was “taken” Exarchate of Košice (Slovakia) which was directly under the Holy See and in fact in has jurisdictionaly (nearly) nothing to do with the Eparchy of Prešov. However these two GC bishops in Slovakia did not behave like two absolutely separate entities connected just by sui iuris name.
4. Later from the Eparchy of Prešov was taken the Eparchy of Bratislava (Slovakia, its capital and Metropolitan see of one of two Slovak Latin metropolitans). At the same time in the same document Exarchate of Košice was made eparchy and Eparchy of Prešov became Archieparchy and its archieparch is metropolitan for Prešov, Košice, and Bratislava.
   So jurisdictionaly separated eparchy + exarchate (however one sui iuris) became one jurisdictionaly connected metropolia.

So now Slovak GCC - one sui iuris entity is made up of four eparchies in this way: one metropolia (three eparchies, one of them archi-) and one eparchy in Canada. Slovak and Canadian parts are not one under the other and the Eparchy of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Canada is directly under the Pope.
Slovak GCC sui iuris was at the beginning one eparchy, later two eparchies independent on each other, then two eparchies and exarchate independent on each other (but two of them highly co-operating) and now metropolia + eparchy extra this metropolia.

• Hungarian GCC has eparchy and exarchate, both directly under the Holy See but one siu iuris.
• Italo-Albanian is formed of two eparchies and one teritorial abbacy, all of them independent of the others. This structure is sometimes called “trieparchial structure”.
• there are probably other examples

If Patriarchal and Major Archiepiscopal churches have jurisdictions out of their own teritories (and they have) these are not so strongly under them, some decisions must go via Rome, and what’s more some of them are under “foreign” metropolitans according to their geografical location. In this case ONE sui iuris does seem more “usual” then in cases when there in fact independent jurisdictions within one sui iuris.

 

[mardukm]

Doesn’t that presuppose one is already an Eastern Catholic, not a catechumen, and would it apply to someone just investigating (i.e., the OPs friend)?

That’s why I quoted it.

Also to let the OP (of the thread) know the integral importance of the Eastern and Oriental Churches in the Catholic communion.

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[Miserissima]

Thank you, mardukm, I didn’t catch the gist of your post. I apologize.

 

[Miserissima]

Thank you, mardukm, I didn’t catch the gist of your post. I apologize.

 

[SerbCath]

Just an observation. I am BRAND NEW to the Catholic church, and because of my infant Chrismation, I am coming into the Byzantine Rite. It is funny to me that this thread is four pages long. Isn’t the answer to the OP “yes?”

 

[Nine_Two]

Just an observation. I am BRAND NEW to the Catholic church, and because of my infant Chrismation, I am coming into the Byzantine Rite. It is funny to me that this thread is four pages long. Isn’t the answer to the OP “yes?”

The first several posts more or less give that answer. The OP thanked those who answered, then the thread went off on a tangent.