I use the Orthodox in communion with Rome tag rather than “Eastern Catholic” because I’m looking for Eastern Catholics who self-identify as Orthodox.
Here’s my situation: I am theologically Orthodox though at present not chrismated due mostly to my hesitation because of family issues and because of what I am about to say. I live a long way away from my parish and cannot attend often. I also feel a strong – perhaps irrational – attraction to Catholicism, but don’t particularly care for the western rite (the N.O., specifically) and the west’s general philosophical baggage. However, that’s my local option – the nearest Eastern Catholic church is three hours away, and the next closest is six hours away (and so on). Though there is loads of western theologoumenon I’m not really hot on, but at the same time I’m beginning to suspect that communion with Rome and the Holy Father might just be important after all. I am not convinced on this, however.
So, here’s my question – would you still be Catholic if your only option was to become canonically Latin?
Yes.
At college the only option I feasibly have is the Tridentine Mass (or the N.O., which I won’t go to on Sundays when I can drive out of town for the real thing), and family issues have complicated my wish to get a canonical transfer to the Byzantine rite, so I am still Catholic and still canonically Latin. This doesn’t need to affect my private devotions or spiritual reading, however; I still consider myself a Byzantine Catholic (at least in desire) and have an icon corner in my dorm and pray the kombologion.
The reasons why I am taking this compromise rather than converting to Russian Orthodoxy are (1) the words of Christ to St. Peter: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church”, and (2) the absolute necessity of communion with Rome taught by the
Greek Fathers - St. Cyprian’s
On the Unity of the Catholic Church in particular.
Furthermore, it is more consistent with Russian Orthodoxy to be in communion with St. Peter, who is called the “Source of Orthodoxy” in the office on Thursday of the second week of Great Lent, and called the infallible foundation of the Church in the Russian akathist to St. Peter: “O! St. Peter, prince of the apostles! Apostolic primate! Immovable rock of faith, in recompense of thy confession, eternal foundation of the Church; pastor of the speaking flock; bearer of the keys of heaven; chosen from among all the apostles to be, after Jesus Christ, the first foundation of the Holy Church - rejoice! Rejoice! Never-to-be-shaken pillar of the Orthodox Faith! Chief of the apostolic college!”
And this is what St. Maximos the Confessor said about the Pope:
“If Pyrrhus pretends not to be a heretic, let him not lose his time exculpating himself before a multitude of people, but prove his innocence to the blessed Pope of the holy Roman church - that is, to the Apostolic See - to which belong government, authority, and power to bind and to loose over all the churches that are in the world, in all things and in every way.”
Tertullian, in
De Pudicitia, called him the “Sovereign Pontiff, the Bishop of Bishops”. St. Irenaeus said that "It is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church [that of Rome], on account of its pre-eminent authority.”
St. Theodore Studites, appealing to the pope to uphold orthodoxy in the Greek Church, reminded him that it was impossible to even hold an authoritative council without his knowledge. After the Council of Ephesus when the Orthodox Faith was upheld, the Fathers spontaneously proclaimed, “Peter has spoken through Leo!”
And finally, here are the words that St. Ephrem put into the mouth of Christ:
“Simon, My disciple, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church; I have called you the rock, that you might support the whole building. You are the inspector of those who will build on earth a Church for Me. If they wish to build what is reprobate, you, the foundation, will forbid them. You are the head of the fountain from which My doctrine issues. You are the head of My disciples, and through you I will give drink to all nations. Yours is that life-giving sweetness which I dispense. I have chosen you to be, as it were, the firstborn of My institution, and so that, as the heir, you may be the executor of My treasures. I have given you authority over all My treasures.”
Those are the reasons I am remaining Catholic even though I can not practice the Byzantine Rite as fully as I wish I could.
It’s a very good way to humble yourself. And working on humility is SO hard, especially in this crazy western culture (I agree on that point as well!)
