Orthodox with a "small o"

[nolabeliever]

Can someone explain to me what is meant by saying that a particular church is more orthodox than another? In this case both are Roman Catholic, what makes something more orthodox?

 

[L_Marshall]

Can someone explain to me what is meant by saying that a particular church is more orthodox than another? In this case both are Roman Catholic, what makes something more orthodox?

orthodoxy is generally interpreted as following the guidelines or rules of the Church closer, but it can also be used to refer to how conservative a practice or group is.

For instance: If a parish were to have Mass, and the priest wasn’t vested correctly, the Mass was changed, and rules weren’t followed, we would say the parish was unorthodox.

If a parish had a celebration of the Mass that followed the General Instructions to the Roman Missal, Redemptionis Sacramentum, and Sacrosanctum Concilium very carefully, we would say it was orthodox.

However, some people get too hung up on this sort of thing. I’d say it’s a good thing to have, but too many people are over-concerned.

 

[bcuster]

Orthodox (Greek orthodoxos, from orthos correct + doxa belief): As the above poster stated "o"rthodox means believing and practicing the doctrines and traditions of the faith. I like to think of these as the structure of a building. Scripture speaks about the foundation stones of the apostles with Christ the cornerstone. The Catholic faith does not require us to be carbon copies however. We have St. Ignatius and St. Francis as examples. Their belief was orthodox, their practice of the faith based on church teaching, but in their spirituality or living their faith, they were unique. Once the structure is build, a building may be designed in unique and varied ways. Look at Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis: both orthodox, but they are each unique in how they live and how they teach the faith. Neither wrong. Both right. The Holy Spirit works within the structure to build unique, limitless patterns. This is why we must be careful not to hold to a pattern so rigidly that we deny the working of the Holy Spirit. This is what the pharisees did. This is what Jesus spoke out strongly against. I would be so bold as to say that the documents of Vat. II, kept the structure, but urged us to be true to the Holy Spirit’s action in our lives. Some threw out the structure. Others held the pattern of pre-Vat II life rigid. The Church is still striving to live and teach both structure and Spiritual pattern.

 

[floresco]

Let me give an example. One parish advertizes and/or hosts speakers who are well-known dissenting theologians (i.e. they disagree with Church teaching). Another parish only promotes speakers who conform to Church teaching. The latter is more orthodox than the former.