I’m a little confused.
Is the Greek Orthodox communion/transubstantiation valid to be received by Roman Catholics? I’m speaking of the rite under Patriarch Bartholomew, aka “Greek” aka “Eastern.”
goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061
On
Catholic.com it says
"The Consecration of the Eucharist during the divine liturgy of both the Eastern Catholic churches and the Eastern Orthodox churches is valid. A Catholic of the Roman rite of the Church can attend an Eastern Catholic divine liturgy and receive Communion during that liturgy without problem, and the Eastern Catholic divine liturgy would fulfill the Sunday/holy day obligation."
catholic.com/quickquestions/are-eastern-masses-valid-should-catholics-receive-communion-at-them
So, is that right? Catholics can go ahead and receive the Eucharist validly in a Greek/Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy?
Catholic.com doesn’t say anything at the link above about it needing to be under “special circumstance.” I just want to make sure I understand the answer correctly because it makes no distinction with Byzantine. Thanks.
Firstly, I would like to quote again the article:
The Consecration of the Eucharist during the divine liturgy of both the Eastern Catholic churches and the Eastern Orthodox churches is valid. A Catholic of the Roman rite of the Church can attend an Eastern Catholic divine liturgy and receive Communion during that liturgy without problem, and the Eastern Catholic divine liturgy would fulfill the Sunday/holy day obligation.
Catholic.com is talking about
Eastern Catholic churches as being places where it is acceptable to receive communion and fulfill the Sunday or Holy Day obligation without problem. These are churches of the Eastern rites (of which the Byzantine rite is one of them)
who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome. They are not to be confused with the similar but distinct
Eastern Orthodox churches,
who are not in communion with Rome. They may both use the Byzantine rite, but a Catholic is ordinarily only permitted to receive communion in a
Catholic church (regardless of Eastern or Western).
As for your question, there are two parts to it:
- Is the Eastern Orthodox Eucharist valid?
- Can a Catholic receive the Eucharist at an Eastern Orthodox church?
To question number 1, the answer is a clear and simple yes. As already well-elaborated, the Catholic Church considers the Eucharist to be validly confected in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
As to question number 2, the answer is a bit more complicated. Firstly, under Catholic canon law, a Catholic is always obligated to fulfill his Sunday obligation at a Catholic church, be it Eastern or Western. Only if none are available can a Catholic then seek out an Eastern Orthodox church to commune.
Furthermore, there is usually a certain custom there must be followed. A Catholic should not simply barge into an Orthodox Divine Liturgy, line up, and expect the priest to give him communion. He should ideally present and introduce himself to the priest before Liturgy,
state his intention to attend Liturgy, and ask for his permission to receive communion from him later. This is done in the spirit of Christian charity, and partly also to avoid causing ill-feeling if he withholds the Eucharist from you because he does not recognise you as one of his parishioners.
However, you must remember that for such “intercommunion” arrangements to bear fruit, it takes two hands to clap. While Catholic canon law permits Catholics to receive communion from the Orthodox under restrictions and for Orthodox to receive from Catholic priests under similar restrictions, it is my understanding that the Orthodox do not permit it at all. Under Orthodox canons, their faithful are not permitted to receive from Catholic priests, nor are Catholics allowed to receive from Orthodox priests. However, it is worthy to note that there are some exceptions in certain mutual agreements made for communities in the Middle East where both Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches permit intercommunion. This is because they are both under persecution but still need to make the Eucharist available to their faithful where priests from their own communion are unable to celebrate Liturgy.
In any case, even if you are refused communion at an Orthodox church, your attendance at the Liturgy is sufficient to fulfill your Sunday obligation.
