Is there a real chance of communion between the Catholic Church and the orthodox?

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Pasch is the Greek term for Passover; Pascha (with the “a” at the end) is the Greek term for the Feast of the Resurrection (Easter).
 
That would be difficult. I forgot the name, but a Church in Colorado, just out side of Denver, Ruthenian I believe, recently got rid of their pews. Also a Byzantine Catholic Church in Seattle. Pews of course are on the perimeter of the nave.

ZP
 
@Margaret_Ann,

I wanted to reply to @CoffeeFanatic, but I was afraid I’d violate the Balamand document.

CoffeeFanatic, papal primacy is pretty simple to understand. The Pope is the Primate of the Church. Now, I understand that the Orthodox argue against papal supremacy as they fear that the Pope might abuse his power and just arbitrarily up end up messing around with a diocese without good cause. The Holy Father doesn’t intervene with the bishops in communion with him unless he’s called in or things get so out of hand that he has to.

Otherwise, the Holy Father doesn’t interfere.

As for papal infallibility: The Holy Father rarely invokes that authority. Usually, that’s only invoked when the consensus in the Church is ready for the Holy Father to make the definition and will accept it.

Hope this helps.
 
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DaddyGirl2 said:
My extended family is Orthodox…and all I can tell you is that they–and those I’ve met in their churches–would never want to be Catholic. Ever.
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This sounds harsh, yet for the Orthodox it has the ring of truth…
Because…
When the Latin Church seeks to GIVE us Communion, we cringe…

Whereas the EC’s regard Communion with Rome as a plus…
The EO’s regard it as heresy and degradation… A minus…

I mean, it is important to understand how deep this is with us…
We follow Christ and then are accused of rebellion against Peter…
And our inward reply to Christ is: “Lord have Mercy on our accusers!”
And our outward reply is often not nearly so charitable…

I mean, the point of this is that the Orthodox do not wish to be joined with the Roman Catholic Church… They want the Roman Catholic Church to repent and be rejoined with the Eastern Orthodox Church…
Michael16 said:
I think I can understand why Easterners stand during the Divine Liturgy. It’s showing respect, right?
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Actually, it is done so that our legs will ache, and our knees will hurt, and our backs will groan in agony and our hips cry out… And the older the mores… So that we may co-suffer with Christ in the long liturgical services of prayer… That our prayers be heard…

In Russia, a Priest heard that he was about to be arrested and sent to a gulag labor camp - A death sentence… So he found a skinny old hag in his parish and asked her to pray for him to not be arrested, because his wife was pregnant with their 4th or 5th child, and would suffer greatly without him… The old hag understood and nodded and departed… This happened on a Saturday night after Great Vespers, in the middle of the Siberian winter…

The following Sunday, as the Priest was walking to begin preparations for the Sunday Orthros and Divine Liturgy, he came upon the skinny old lady, standing in an open sewage canal outside the church with her pantaloons rolled up and her bare feet and ankles in the cold sewage… And he went to her, and asked her: “Why are you standing barefoot in sewage, my dear Mother?” And she replied: “You asked me to pray for you, dear Father, and I simply wanted to make sure that God would hear me…”

The following Monday, his contact who had warned him came and told him that the paperwork for his arrest had been lost in some kind of bureaucratic snarl…

So yes, we stand in the presence of God if we are able, and we pray with pain, for we desire our prayers to find the Ear of our God…

geo
 
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I’ve pretty much said I’m interested in becoming Catholic, so I don’t think you’re violating anything where I’m concerned. I’ve actually been to a Catholic parish for confession a few times already (due to extenuating circumstances). I know Catholics allow this but Orthodox don’t, so I’ve put myself in a bit of situation.

I know I sound fairly ignorant on this topic. All Orthodox recognize that Rome had primacy at one time, it is simply the role of the pope that is contested. I’m no theologian nor do I pretend to be. I know tons of bizarre and obscure things about various topics, but nothing that will ever put me on an expert level on anything, sadly (theology least of all). I feel like random people on the Internet know way more about these things than I do.

My main concern is all about the little mini schisms in the Orthodox jurisdictions of late. The EP is acting like a Pope and has used historical precedent to bolster his claims of doing so in various letters. My thinking is that if he is right (and he likely is), then why not accept the Catholic Pope as being correct? I’ve been going down a rabbit trail on that. I also read Soloviev a few months back, which also had me reconsidering some things.
 
I understand, @CoffeeFanatic. That’s the problem that kept me from becoming Orthodox when I was leaving Protestantism behind. All the schisms and no unity amongst the Orthodox.

I’m not familiar with Soloviev. What’s up with him?
 
DaddyGirl2 said:
My extended family is Orthodox…and all I can tell you is that they–and those I’ve met in their churches–would never want to be Catholic. Ever.
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I think communion could happen if the correct language is being used. If the Orthodox are made to feel like they are finally “coming home,” that would be the wrong approach. Like you just said, your extended family “. . . would never want to be Catholic.” There is no reason for the Orthodox to be Catholic but for the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to be in communion with one another.

It’s important that we understand that the early Church was never “united” but was in communion. We shared the same Eucharist despite having a different theological and liturgical expression.

ZP
 
I can understand the uncharitable response @George720. Funny story about the priest and the old lady. I just hope that you don’t think I’m a jerk like some of my forefathers in the Church. I try to respectful of my Eastern brothers and sisters.
 
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Michael16 said:
What does Pascha mean in Greek?
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It means “Passover”…
Christ IS our Passover…
For in Him Death passes us up…
For in Christ Death has no hold on us…

The Jews call it Pasach…
Where the lamb was eaten…
Its blood smears on the door post…
And Death passed over that house…

The foreshadowing followed by the reality…
Michael16 said:
Funny story about the priest and the old lady.
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It is a true story out of Russia under the Atheists…

She stood all night in the cold Siberian winter…
Praying for the Priest and his family…

If you really want to pray for someone…
Pray in your own pain…

geo
 
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You have an interesting point, @ziapueblo. It sounds a bit harsh, imo. I think I can sympathize though.
 
@ziapueblo,

Just the vibe I got from it. Like I thought I could feel the hostility coming off of it. Or maybe I’m just reading into it. I’m sorry, if I did.
 
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Michael16 said:
That’s a pretty cool way to put it, @George720.
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It is straight from our Service Books…

I don’t think you are a jerk at all, my brother…

You are honestly engaging something very new to you…

I admire your efforts…

geo
 
He was a Russian philosopher and writer that lived in the 19th century and died at the turn of the 20th century. Even though he was Orthodox, he was rather critical of the state of Orthodoxy and advocated for healing the schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. He wrote a book called The Russian Church and the Papacy, which is what I’ve read (and parts of A Short Tale of the Antichrist).
 
No hostility.

If communion were to happen, the Orthodox would not be “coming back” into the Church (I know some Catholics would disagree), just as the Catholic would not be “coming back” to into the Church (although I know some Orthodox would disagree). They would be “coming back” into communion with one another.

ZP
 
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