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Contarini
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The reason to hold an opinion about the relative teachings of two churches on an issue should be that you have studied the respective teachings, not that you can’t think of any other possible grounds of difference. That seems odd–there are more doctrines in the Christian faith, you know, and churches have been known to be divided from each other for non-doctrinal reasons!
Actually you’re right–the belief is not the same, in the sense that the belief in our church is much vaguer. There’s a wider variety of possible theological opinion with regard to the Real Presence, though it’s safe to say that as a denomination we do believe in the Real Presence in some sense.
However, the point you don’t seem to get is that your Church doesn’t recognize our sacraments as valid. So in a sense, those of us who do believe in the Real Presence in a fully Catholic sense are most at odds with your Church. After all, you guys really have no difference at all with the Baptists about what happens in Baptist communion services. But you differ with us on what happens in our Eucharist.
It is no insult to assume that you follow the official rulings of your Magisterium.
Yes, but according to a papal ruling of the 19th century, never reversed and indeed regarded as infallible according to this Vatican document, our Eucharist is not the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Therefore, since genuflection to the Blessed Sacrament is in the Catholic tradition an expression of latria (worship in the strict sense, properly due only to God) you would be ill advised to genuflect if you want to follow strictly the teaching of your Church. However, if you choose to be a dissenter on this point when you visit my church, I promise not to report you to the CDF!
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Of course. I do so on a regular basis. Because I recognize the validity of your sacraments! (Why on earth wouldn’t I?)
Edwin
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ByzCathCantor
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Funny, when I first saw the thread heading, I thought - gee, that was the line I almost always used (verbatim) with all of my Roman Catholic friends growing up who didn’t believe I was truly Catholic! (with the follow-up question, why the distinction of “Roman” Catholic for your church?").
I realize it is being asked in a different context here, but nonetheless still has some relevance even within the Catholic Communion.
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Peter_J
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And you’re in good company: many people consider the term “Roman Catholic” to mean the same as “Latin Catholic”, and hence not include Eastern Catholics. That’s one of the things that makes Fr. Longenecker’s article “interesting”. (Perhaps he is assuming that only Latin Catholics read/discuss his blog.)
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FrKimel
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I remember a story about an Anglo-Catholic priest who served in Milwaukee, perhaps back in the 1920s. He would often take the Blessed Sacrament to his parishioners at St Joseph’s (Catholic) Hospital. Because he dressed like any other Catholic priest, the nuns of the hospital, assuming he was Catholic and knowing that he carried the Sacrament with him, would always genuflect when they saw him in the hall.
Apparently, someone informed the nuns that he was an Episcopal priest. So the next time the priest visited the hospital, a group of nuns passed him and did not genuflect. The priest stopped and around and said gently, “Are you sure?” They paused, thought for a moment, and then immediately dropped to the knee.
Better, I think, to err on a generous interpretation of Apostolicae Curae.
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CleverUserName
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Thank you for asking.
- I pretty much enjoy everything Fr. Dwight writes, whether I agree with him or not. He is such a personality and I love his blunt delivery and wry humor.
Some are downright anti-Catholic.
When I was in the Episcopal church, it bothered me very much. I was a brand new Christian (former atheist!) and I found it rather confusing. My question was why not just really be Catholic then? What I felt I was witnessing was people who admired Catholicism and liked to posture as Catholics, but who didn’t want to lead the more disciplined life of a Catholic. Then I moved to the Anglican church under the ACNA,…then onto the Reformed Episcopal Church…but that’s another story for another day.
I now go to church at the Catholic Church directly across the street from the Episcopal Church where I started out. It was a long walk
Finally, I don’t think there is much sense getting upset over peoples’ opinions on this. Some people are bothered by it and some people aren’t. Why get upset over a feeling another person has? Fr. Dwight simply shared his take on this. I’ve shared my opinion and what I experienced, and I thank everyone here who contributed theirs as well.
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Peter_J
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Exactly. There could be some people who aren’t bothered by it but still disagree with it. That’s why I suggested the 2 separate questions.
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Peter_J
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Probably you were, but it’s also important not to overgeneralize. Some who call themselves Catholic do admire [Roman] Catholicism (witness your own experiences) whereas others do not. (By way of comparison, some who call themselves orthodox admire the [Eastern] Orthodox, whereas others do not.)
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GKC
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I had an RC acquaintance who did the same, when he was in our sanctuary, near the Tabernacle.
GKC
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