Is it disingenuous to say that the Catholic Church is West AND East?

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Of course, there are 23 Catholic churches, with various liturgical traditions and rites. Not all Catholics are of the Roman rite.

However, over 98% of Catholics are of the Roman rite. And considering the Maronite tradition was the only Eastern church that never broke communion with Rome, isn’t a bit misleading to say that Catholicism is Eastern as well as Roman?

Again, yes, there are Eastern Catholics. But Orthodoxy has the greatest chunk of Eastern Christians, and many of the churches only reunited with Rome in the last few hundred years.

What do you think? Am I missing something?
 
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I feel like many Catholics (apologists, etc.), describe the Catholic Church as being truly universal and incorporating the Eastern spiritual tradition as well.

To take a personal story: I have a few friends from the Protestant faith who seem to be more interested in the local Orthodox church than the Catholic Church. Part of this is because of the small, close community, but part of it is also the Eastern spiritual and liturgical tradition.

I just don’t see how I could convince them of Catholicism when they seem so much more attached to the Eastern way.
 
You mean more interested in a non Roman liturgical rite/spirituality?
One can find non Roman rites in Churches in full Communion with the Catholic Church, but as you say they are very rare in western countries…they are more easily found in eastern countries where they are usually a minority.
 
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On Sunday mornings, 8:30 AM Pacific time, EWTN airs “Light of the East”, which is a rather good explanation of Eastern Catholics, who are in communion with Rome, and their practices. I find that program very enlightening. For those more attached to Eastern Way thinking, it might be worthwhile to listen to that program, if that is an option.

That Web site is


Blessings,
Stephie
 
Yes. So the dilemma is that, on the one hand, I want my friends to experience apostolic Christianity with the Eucharist and sacraments. And so I am grateful they are interested in Orthodoxy. But at the same time, I don’t think Catholicism attracts them because they are mostly pulled to Orthodoxy thanks to their liturgical and spiritual traditions. So even while the fundamental teachings and ecclesiology and even sacraments are the same as Catholicism, they are more content with Orthodoxy.

There aren’t any Eastern Catholic churches nearby.

So should I even care about them being Orthodox and not Catholic? For the sake of the church’s unity, I understand the argument for why they should be Catholic: There’s only one church. But to be realistic, the Orthodox and Catholic churches aren’t going to become one in the near future. So should I instead be assisting them on their journey to Orthodoxy, where there is much in common with Catholicism, regardless?
 
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Well the law of gradualness of JPII, BXVI and F1 suggest an approach…
 
The Church even before the schism of 1054 resulting in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church, had differences in tradition. The differences such as leavened or unleavened bread being used, the language, west spoke Latin , east spoke Greek, etc.
Christ established one Church, but nowhere does it mean the way it is celebrated has to be the same everywhere. Most of the Eastern Catholic Churches resemble the practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church because they are traditions that were in play even before the schism.
Really filioque and papal authority are the two main disagreements between Catholics and Orthodox. The Catholics believe Papal authority is infallible. Orthodox believe in a system of hierarchy where the patriarch of a region is the authority however the Patriarch of Constantinople is traditionally the first among equals. Prior to the schism the bishop of Rome held this title.
It’s a complicated issue but reconciliation really has nothing to do with traditions the Eastern churches have. It is the underlying doctrines that although aren’t many, they do keep us on schism currently .
 
People in Eastern traditions tend to be ethnic/cultural minorities in the west, right? Not always, I know an Eastern Rite priest of Irish descent but he “converted”. I might too but the icons aren’t really pretty to me and I (honestly) dislike the idea of being a minority amongst minorities. I visited a Greek Orthodox church once and felt distinctly unwelcome as well as …I guess I just don’t vibe with Greeks.

Western traditions seem to be more adaptable. Can you see people specifically converting to Eastern traditions even in places like Japan, China, the Phillipines, etc that are REALLY Eastern? Would a Korean easily become a Coptic?
 
catholic1seeks said:
Of course, there are 23 Catholic churches, with various liturgical traditions and rites. Not all Catholics are of the Roman rite.

However, over 98% of Catholics are of the Roman rite. And considering the Maronite tradition was the only Eastern church that never broke communion with Rome, isn’t a bit misleading to say that Catholicism is Eastern as well as Roman?

Again, yes, there are Eastern Catholics. But Orthodoxy has the greatest chunk of Eastern Christians, and many of the churches only reunited with Rome in the last few hundred years.

What do you think? Am I missing something?
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Twenty-four since 2015, when the Ethiopian Catholic Church split of a portion to form the Eritrean Catholic Church (a Metropolitan sui iuris Church).
Statistics I saw are that summing up Catholic and Orthodox, 15 % are Orthodox and of the Catholics, 1.5% are eastern.
 
I think the local Orthodox church grew in response to college students and others researching Christianity on their own. It’s a small community but has grown, and so is not just one ethnic group. As I said, some of my friends are looking into it. They are attracted to the small, close community feel of it, as well as its smallness, and in addition to the Eastern Christian practice and liturgy.

I’m unsure that simply trying to convince them of Catholicism is the most effective, you know? For the liturgy they are falling in love with will not be too similar to the local Catholic one. The Catholic church I attend is right next to this small Orthodox community, and my Catholic parish is so much bigger and probably offers a different “vibe” in general.

So should I just encourage them on there journey to an apostolic church with Eucharist, confession, and a rich tradition? Even though they aren’t in communion with Rome?
 
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In order to relate this personal concern to my original question:

I want my friends to realize that the Catholic Church incorporates the Eastern traditions and spirituality they admire. But I’m not sure how to do this, when the only “Eastern” option is the local Orthodox church.
 
catholic1seeks said:
In order to relate this personal concern to my original question:

I want my friends to realize that the Catholic Church incorporates the Eastern traditions and spirituality they admire. But I’m not sure how to do this, when the only “Eastern” option is the local Orthodox church.
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I’ve met people like that. And I always congratulate them because I feel that going into the Orthodox Church is a step up from being a Protestant. That’s because I believe the Orthodox have valid orders and sacraments. Whereas, I don’t believe the same about Protestant orders and sacraments.
 
Yes you see, I think many Protestants see Eastern Orthodoxy as being so foreign and different, so that it’s much more “obvious” to be in touch with the ancient Apostolic faith. Of course that’s not necessarily true, since the apostolic faith touched multiple cultures, and also formed the Roman tradition as well. And the Catholic Church is also Eastern as well, and has always been, say with the Maronites who always understood communion with Rome to be integral to the faith.

But then again, many Protestants have a natural aversion to Catholicism, so it wouldn’t be their first choice.

But back to the main point: Catholicism is just not as explicitly Eastern, since less than 2% are of that liturgical stripe.
 
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Well in terms of Adherents the Catholic Church is the largest with 2.2 billion.
Eastern Orthodox Churches are second largest with most estimates around 300 million adherents .
Of course Protestantism has about 800 million but they are hardly uniform in beliefs.
 
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