Eastern Catholics and Purgatory

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Reincarnation and New Age beliefs have never been teachings of the Catholic Church.
I have seen at least one online claim that Metropolitan Judson of the Byzantine Catholic Church openly stated his believe in Purgatory, and personally, I have seen in Eastern Catholic Churches, the prayer of St Gertrude the Great for the Souls in Purgatory, posted where candles are lit, and on more than one occasion I have seen church bulletins with liturgy intentions for the Poor Souls In Purgatory.
 
ConstantineTG said:
Doesn’t change what the Churches themselves teach. Many RCs believe in reincarnation or some new agey stuff, doesn’t mean the Roman Catholic Church actually teaches those.
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I’m voting for you for the (most misquoted) 2012 award. 👍
 
Seamus_L said:
Reincarnation and New Age beliefs have never been teachings of the Catholic Church.
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Neither has Purgatory been in the East.
Seamus_L said:
I have seen at least one online claim that Metropolitan Judson of the Byzantine Catholic Church openly stated his believe in Purgatory, and personally, I have seen in Eastern Catholic Churches, the prayer of St Gertrude the Great for the Souls in Purgatory, posted where candles are lit, and on more than one occasion I have seen church bulletins with liturgy intentions for the Poor Souls In Purgatory.
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Metropolitans aren’t infallible. Unless you can point to any Eastern Liturgical text that points to Purgatory, then it is not officially part of our belief. Prooftexting statements by Eastern Bishops doesn’t change what our actual codified beliefs are.
 
BVMFatima said:
What a false and silly claim :rotfl:
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Yes, the “I heard, I know someone, I read somehwere” claims are silly. Those are not what constituties as what are the required beliefs of the Eastern Churches. Again, no where in any Liturgical text is purgatory mentioned and no prayers are directed specifically to purgatory. The laity and even the clergy are free to believe in purgatory or not, it is not a heretical belief. But just because one bishop or one priest somewhere allegedly said something about it, it doesn’t make it official. It just simply isn’t part of our tradition or theology. That said, the East isn’t a black and white deal like the West. It is not, “you either believe or not”. This issue about the afterlife is an open question and there are many thoughts about it that at this point is not rejected as heretical. Another one is the Aerial Toll Houses which is popular among the Orthodox. It is not dogmatic by any stretch even with the Orthodox, but it is not condemned either. Latins just have to wrap it around their heads that this is the nature of Eastern belief, that there is some room for theological opinions. Not everything has to be written down and dogmatized.
 
ConstantineTG said:
Another one is the Aerial Toll Houses which is popular among the Orthodox. It is not dogmatic by any stretch even with the Orthodox, but it is not condemned either.
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Many Orthodox have condemned the aerial toll houses claim as heretical and incompatible with Christian theology. Personally I think there should be an ecumenical council condemning this Gnostic theory once and for all.
 
chaldobyzantine said:
Many Orthodox have condemned the aerial toll houses claim as heretical and incompatible with Christian theology. Personally I think there should be an ecumenical council condemning this Gnostic theory once and for all.
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That is the thing though, some say it is okay, some outright reject it. But there is nothing conclusive about this at this point. The other thing is what is our basis for rejecting it? The Fathers are silent on this regard.
 
Is it possible for Orthodox belief about the afterlife to develop or is it impossible to develop and is it forever fixed?

I guess what I’m asking is given a hypothetical reunion of east and west–say even that the west accepted every single thing the east said–would it be possible of a future Ecumenical Council of East and West to give a more developed and DEFINED declaration about the afterlife

OR

from an Orthodox point of view would ANY development in doctrine about the afterlife be impossible?

How fixed and changeless is the Ortodox view of the afterlife?
 
Jerry-Jet said:
Is it possible for Orthodox belief about the afterlife to develop or is it impossible to develop and is it forever fixed?

I guess what I’m asking is given a hypothetical reunion of east and west–say even that the west accepted every single thing the east said–would it be possible of a future Ecumenical Council of East and West to give a more developed and DEFINED declaration about the afterlife

OR

from an Orthodox point of view would ANY development in doctrine about the afterlife be impossible?

How fixed and changeless is the Ortodox view of the afterlife?
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It should be something that can be reconcilled with the teaching of the early Church. Orthodox theology is huge on being consistent with what is taught in the early Church. I don’t think Purgatory or even Aerial Toll Houses can be reconcilled to anything from the early Church. I guess as long as purgatory is not defined as a Church-wide dogma, they are fine with it. St. Mark of Ephesus already offered a good solution to this dilema at the Council of Florence, it is not too late for the Catholics to accept it 😉
 
ConstantineTG said:
Yes, the “I heard, I know someone, I read somehwere” claims are silly. Those are not what constituties as what are the required beliefs of the Eastern Churches. Again, no where in any Liturgical text is purgatory mentioned and no prayers are directed specifically to purgatory. The laity and even the clergy are free to believe in purgatory or not, it is not a heretical belief. But just because one bishop or one priest somewhere allegedly said something about it, it doesn’t make it official. It just simply isn’t part of our tradition or theology. That said, the East isn’t a black and white deal like the West. It is not, “you either believe or not”. This issue about the afterlife is an open question and there are many thoughts about it that at this point is not rejected as heretical. Another one is the Aerial Toll Houses which is popular among the Orthodox. It is not dogmatic by any stretch even with the Orthodox, but it is not condemned either. Latins just have to wrap it around their heads that this is the nature of Eastern belief, that there is some room for theological opinions. Not everything has to be written down and dogmatized.
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Yet, if one is Eastern Catholic, he/she must accept what is taught officially as revealed truth by the magisterium of the Catholic Church. Therefore, an Eastern Catholic cannot believe in such theories as in aerial toll houses or in an “intermediate state” where souls do not see the Beatific Vision until the General Judgment.
 
Jerry-Jet said:
Please forgive my ignorance–what is an Aerial Toll House?
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Aerial Toll-Houses, said to precede the particular judgment of souls by God, are several tests taking place in the aerial regions of evil spirits that detain the souls and bring up all the sins which these souls did during their lives.

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

http://orthodoxwiki.org/thumb.php?f=Tollhouses.jpg&width=350
 
griego_catolico said:
Yet, if one is Eastern Catholic, he/she must accept what is taught officially as revealed truth by the magisterium of the Catholic Church. Therefore, an Eastern Catholic cannot believe in such theories as in aerial toll houses or in an “intermediate state” where souls do not see the Beatific Vision until the General Judgment.
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Does “we will not debate about Purgatory” mean anything to you?
 
griego_catolico said:
The full quote is:

5.—We shall not debate about purgatory, but we entrust ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Church.

Does AD TUENDAM FIDEM mean anything to you???

Besides, East and West agrees on what has been defined: catholic.com/quickquestions/are-catholics-to-believe-that-the-cleansing-fire-of-purgatory-is-real-physical-fire
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Yes it does. We are a particular Church does we entrust ourselves to the teaching of OUR Holy Church which is in communion with Rome.
 
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