Requirements to change rite/sui juris church

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wynd

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The commonly posted advice on this forum as the first step to changing rites/sui juris churches is to live according to the spirituality the new church for a period of time. When doing this, would the person still be obliged to observe the canons (e.g., fasting) of their old church? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
 
Theoretically yes, but in practical terms, I suggest there’s more than a little “wiggle room” so-to-speak. FWLIW, and IMO, it makes more sense for persons who are **seriously interested *** in transferring Churches to observe the norms of the Church to which they wish to transfer. No doubt canon law (whether CIC or CCEO - both of which are written, promulgated, and enforced by Rome anyway) is going to be bandied about, and some will even say that those persons must observe both. That, as I see it, becomes a burden, and one thing about Canon Law is that it (theoretically, at least) is never meant to be a burden on the faithful.

*** **Keep in mind, though, that I say the above for persons who are seriously interested in transferring. Those who pay an occasional visit, or even those who are more “regular” but who art not interested in transferring, should abide by the canons of their own Church.
 
malphono said:
Theoretically yes, but in practical terms, I suggest there’s more than a little “wiggle room” so-to-speak. FWLIW, and IMO, it makes more sense for persons who are **seriously interested *** in transferring Churches to observe the norms of the Church to which they wish to transfer. No doubt canon law (whether CIC or CCEO - both of which are written, promulgated, and enforced by Rome anyway) is going to be bandied about, and some will even say that those persons must observe both. That, as I see it, becomes a burden,
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Well I don’t know. If it’s someone is transferring away from the LC, then I would say that the LC fasting rules are pretty minimal.
 
wynd said:
The commonly posted advice on this forum as the first step to changing rites/sui juris churches is to live according to the spirituality the new church for a period of time. When doing this, would the person still be obliged to observe the canons (e.g., fasting) of their old church? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
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A Catholic does not have a right to changes sui iuris Church enrollment, but it may be granted. The reason is that it is a matter of the status of the person.

Sufficient reasons are:
  • Unification of Church sui iuris in a family (mother, father).
  • Return to the Church sui iuris of one’s ancestors.
  • Spouse who wishes to transfer for peace and unity in the home.
  • Physical or moral impossibility by permanent circumstances to use one’s own Church sui iuris.
  • Domicile and or activity among those who are almost all of another Church sui iuris.
  • Entry into religious life under different Church sui iuris.
  • Incardination to serve different Church sui iuris.
Insufficient reasons are:
  • Education, attending school or church or sacraments, in another Church, or ignorance of own Church sui iuris with good knowledge of other Church sui iuris.
  • Good for the soul (because all churches are good for the soul).
  • Defects in a Church (because all churches are have defects).
  • Peace of mind or conscience cannot be judged.
A Catholic is bound to follow their own Church sui iuris rules concerning:
  • Proscriptions for baptism, confirmation, first confession, first communion, marriage, holy orders, annointing. *
  • Holy days and penitential seasons. **
  • Fasting and abstinance. **
  • inter-ritual Catholic marriages must comply with both persons canon laws.
    ** inter-ritual marriages allow adopting either set of rules for these.
Common:
  • May receive Holy Confession and Holy Eucharist in any Church sui iuris.
  • Contribute to the support of universal Church and enrolled Church sui iuris.
 
wynd said:
The commonly posted advice on this forum as the first step to changing rites/sui juris churches is to live according to the spirituality the new church for a period of time. When doing this, would the person still be obliged to observe the canons (e.g., fasting) of their old church? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
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It’s certainly not a dumb question, but surely a potentially complex one. There are many potential scenarios. Talking with one’s spiritual father is always important.

The simplest change can occur due to marriage, where no permissions are needed to make the change.

In the Latin Church Catholic either a man or woman can change
CIC Can. 112 §1, 2/ a spouse who, at the time of or during marriage, has declared that he or she is transferring to the ritual Church sui iuris of the other spouse; when the marriage has ended, however, the person can freely return to the Latin Church;
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An Eastern Catholic woman may transfer to the Latin Church of her husband
CCEO Canon 33 A wife is at liberty to transfer to the Church of the husband at the celebration of or during the marriage; when the marriage has ended, she can freely return to the original Church sui iuris.
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Apart from marriage, it is basically unheard of for an adult who is ascribed to an Eastern Catholic Church to be given permission to leave the ECC and become ascribed in the Latin Church.

Should that person still follow the calendar and praxis of his or her EC Church althought living as a Latin Catholic? Than depends. We have on CAF an adult who was Orthodox by virtue of their parents having entered the Orthodox Church. As an adult this person chose to be received into the Catholic Church. Because s/he was Orthodox coming into full communion she automatically was a member of the EC Church sui juris closest to that Orthodox Church.This person’s family never actively practiced their Orthodox faith. They didn’t follow the calendar, the fasting, etc of their Orthodox Church. The person’s own liturgical life has been in the Latin Church, which s/he loves. Clergy s/he has consulted, and individuals here have said s/he should live as a Latin Catholic. Period.

For Latin Catholics wishing to change to an ECC or OCC, apart from the previously mentioned change due to marriage, they do need to be actively living as a faithful Catholic of the EC Church of which they are now a parishioner. Since our EC fasting is typically stricter than the Latin Church, both the Eucharistic fast, and the fasting periods before a Feast, and since our calendar typically contains more services than the Latin Church (Vespers as integral to Divine Liturgy on Feasts and Sundays, Pre-sanctified Liturgies, Paraklesis during Dormition Fast, major feasts still celebrated, like Dormition, which are no longer an “obligation” in many Latin diocese, etc.) it would be hard to picture living as part of the ECC, as a Latin, and to be failing to not do more than what the canons of the Latin Church expect.

Can you give an example of a canon of the Latin Church which one would be violating if living their life as if they were an EC? Maybe then we could better answer what you’re asking.
wynd said:
What about holy days of obligation?
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Which Holy Days of Obligation are you thinking of? These vary in the Latin Church according to the country and according to the Diocese. Many countries have only two such Days, as does Hawaii. This doesn’t include Pascha/Easter which of course is the Feast of Feasts and all will joyfully wish to celebrate.
 
Hello Wynd,

My husband, our 4 children and I all transferred from the Latin Church to the UGCC last year. Prior to that we had been following the traditions of the East for at least a year. Our Church is still a Mission Parish so we couldn’t attended all the Liturgies and services simply b/c we didn’t have them. So in that circumstance, we would go to either the OCA or the Antiochian Church (we would NOT receive the Eucharist but felt more comfortable there than at the Latin Church simply b/c that’s the tradition we were practicing). I used to be a big worry wart and overly legalistic about missing any Holy Days of Obligation or not observing the Latin traditions but over time I realized that that type of attitude wasn’t helping me grow in my relationship with God.

What could possibly cause an issue for a person would be if their Eastern Catholic Church is on the Revised Julian calendar and the whole Paschal season is weeks apart from the Latin Church’s…such as will be the case next year.
 
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