Preparing to attend a Greek Orthodox Divine Liturgy

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semper_catholicus said:
Relax. Reading those documents which you provided, they all mention that it can be done only under specific circumstances. The Canon you mentioned says this (just so everybody is on the same page):
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I’m not the one who mentioned the canon.

I quoted the 1993 Ecumenical Directory. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/p...uni_doc_16031998_ecumenical-dimension_en.html Just in case you missed it and so we’re on the same page, this is what the directory says:
Catholics may be allowed to attend Orthodox liturgical services if they have reasonable grounds, e.g. arising out of a public office or function, blood relationships, friendships, desire to be better informed, etc. In such cases there is nothing against their taking part in the common responses, hymns, and actions of the Church in which they are guests…
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This is guidance from the Church which very specifically addresses this situation.
semper_catholicus said:
Yeah, you can’t actively participate in the liturgy. It would be sinful.
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When you say this, you are attempting to impose what the Church herself does not impose. If your own conscience would not allow you to participate, by all means, follow it. You are required to do so. But please understand that it is not a sin for a Catholic to participate in an Orthodox liturgy.
 
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Oh okay. Well that’s a new one on me. Maybe I was confusing attendance of an orthodox Divine Liturgy with the reception of the sacraments from an orthodox minister.
 
In addition, it merely says to receive the Eucharist. It does not say to actively participate throughout the entire liturgy.
babochka said:
You’ve been given ample evidence, from the authority of the church, that shows that this is incorrect. Could you provide some evidence from church documents to support your point of view?
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The 1917 Code of Canon Law was much clearer on these issues (cf. 1917 CIC, canons 1258 and 2316). The same conclusions can be drawn through contextual exegesis of the 1983 Code; however, the new Code was sometimes ambiguous and this is why Catholics often misunderstand the law.
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Again, I never quoted the law and I was not referring to receiving Holy Communion. I was only talking about attending and participating. @RyanBlack referenced canon law.
 
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semper_catholicus said:
What are their limits then?
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The answer to that would best come from a priest or bishop. However, it would seem to include when one is unable to attend a Catholic mass or liturgy due to an extended stay in an area with no Catholic church.
 
This is your personal position, which seems not to be held by the hierarchy of the Church, given their willingness to participate in prayer with the Orthodox.
 
Would you also say that this applies to SSPX Masses?

Regardless, the Church has given clear and current guidance on these matters.

The 1967 Ecumenical directory, which was issued while the 1917 Code was still in effect, was even more permissive than the current directory, in that it stated that occasional attendance at an Orthodox Divine Liturgy would fulfill the Sunday Obligation. This was removed from the current directory, which still allows attendance and participation at Divine Liturgies for similar reasons. While these directories do not have the force of canon law, they do provide authoritative guidance from the Church on these matters. One would not sin in following this guidance from the Church.
  1. Catholics may be allowed to attend occasionally the
    liturgical services of other brethren if they have reasonable ground,
    e.g., arising out of a public office or function, blood relationship
    or friendship, desire to be better informed, an ecumenical gathering,
    etc. In these cases, with due regard to what has been said above —
    there is nothing against Catholics taking some part in the common
    responses, hymns and actions of the community of which they are
    guests — so long as they are not at variance with Catholic faith. The
    same principles govern the manner in which our separated
    brethren may assist at services in Catholic churches. This participa-
    tion, from which reception of the Eucharist is always excluded,
    should lead the participants to esteem the spiritual riches we have
    in common and at the same time make them more aware of the
    gravity of our separations.
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People need to read “Unitatis Redintegratio.” The language used in this magisterial document with respect to Orthodox services is entirely incompatible with the notion that their liturgies are illicit, or that Catholics are not permitted to participate.
 
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I am trying to understand—can a Catholic attend a Orthodox or even a Protestant service and at least pray the prayers? I am not talking about performing a liturgical function. I am not talking about Communion or anything that would be anti-Catholic. But if they pray the Lord’s Prayer, is there any reason not to join in? The Pope prays with non-Catholics. I am trying to understand what is being said in this thread by “participation”.
 
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If you read UR 15, it speaks of the Eastern Churches celebrating the liturgy with great love. If their celebrations are illicit, then they are sinful. To act sinfully is not to act in love. If they celebrate in love, then their celebrations aren’t sinful. That is my read on UR 15.
 
Also, if their celebrations are illicit, then why should they be venerated and cherished by all, as UR 15 states?
 
My logic is based on UR 15, which has nothing at all to do with SSPX.
 
Orthodox priests do not require jurisdiction from the local Catholic ordinary and the local Catholic ordinary has no authority to grant that jurisdiction to an Orthodox priest. Orthodox priests have jurisdiction from their own bishop and their celebration of the Divine Liturgy is entirely licit. The SSPX is different in that they are under the authority and jurisdiction of the local Catholic bishop.

Yes, this is a complicated situation. But the Church is very clear that the Orthodox legitimately function if they do so under their own rules. The Church is also clear that Catholics may attend and participate in Orthodox liturgical worship under broad circumstances.
 
Canvas said:
I am trying to understand—can a Catholic attend a Orthodox or even a Protestant service and at least pray the prayers? I am not talking about performing a liturgical function. I am not talking about Communion or anything that would be anti-Catholic. But if they pray the Lord’s Prayer, is there any reason not to join in? The Pope prays with non-Catholics. I am trying to understand what is being said in this thread by “participation”.
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Yes.

If you have any doubts after reading the links provided, please ask your priest.
 
I didn’t have any doubts before about attending non Catholic services before. I thought it was licit to pray with non-Catholic Christians if you were a guest in their Church. I don’t see why it would not be, provided one does not have Communion.
 
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It is the teaching of the bishops of the Church gathered in an ecumenical council.
 
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But what does this thread mean about what a Catholic can do when a guest in another Church? I know no Communion, but can you pray with them? What are you talking about? What if you have non Catholic family and friends?
 
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