Synod of Bishops Proposition on the Oriental Churches

[ConstantineTG]

Tthat’s a related problem: the (if you will) *you-don’t-matter-to-us-unless-you’re-going-to-enter-into-full-communion-with-us *attitude.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t matter, but why are they being satisfied ahead of the people you are already in communion with? Namely the Eastern Catholic Churches. Which is a bigger problem of you-are-already-in-communion-with-us-so-we-will-malign-you-because-you-have-no-where-to-go-anyway attitude.

 

[jwinch2]

I don’t have the quote at my fingertips, but I recall Pope Benedict once mentioned the possibility of the Latin Church being split into a few different churches.

If you could find that I would be quite interested in seeing it. I would be very surprised, shocked in fact, to see things move that direction.

 

[Peter_J]

I’m not saying they shouldn’t matter,

So you weren’t serious about “No sense in trying to keep the Orthodox happy when you are not willing to do what they demand for a reunion”? (I guess I’m not really surprised, given other things that you’ve said.)

but why are they being satisfied ahead of the people you are already in communion with?

Good question. I’m afraid I don’t know either.

 

[jwinch2]

Guys,

Please understand that the idea that the Holy Father might have been concerned about upsetting the Orthodox with this Proposition was pure speculation on my part. I have no way to know if that is true or even remotely factual.

 

[Aramis]

The divvying up of North America is a trouble not only for Catholics but also for Orthodox. Of course for the Orthodox the issue isn’t much about different traditions, rites, and even theology. Most people believe it is the Patriarch of Constantinople holding on to her largest diocese. Given her traditional territory is all but Muslim land now. Other Orthodox are fighting for an American Orthodox Church, Russia has already granted autocephally to the OCA which the EP has yet to recognize.

For the Eastern Orthodox, there are 5 recensions in use in the US, not counting the two syncretic rites… Ruthenian (ACROD and UOC), Pre-nikonian Russian (Old Believers), Nikonian (OCA, ROCOR), Greek (Greek orthodox), and Syro-Byzantine (Antiochian Orthodox).

They do have differences in theology, in the exact same way tha the Ruthenian Catholics, UGCC, Russian GCC, and Melkites have (fairly trivial) theological differences leading to somewhat less trivial differences in praxis. And note, also: the Russian GCC has parishes using the OCA-Nikonian, ROC-Nikonian and Old Believer texts… the latter two only in Russia… but all three expressions approved by Rome.

Constantinople’s Patriarch is trapped by law - both Church Law of the Contantinopolitan Patriarchate, and of the Turkish civil state. It is, sadly, fading to near insiginificance, being eclipsed by the Monks of Mt. Athos, and by its cadet Patriarchate, Moscow.

Ecclesiology is fundamentally different in the Greek Orthodox Church from the rest of the Byzantines - and is an expression in praxis of major divergence in praxis of a tiny division in theology - the metropolitan-archbishop as vicar of christ, rather than the diocesan bishop.

Russian Ecclesiology likewise is subtly different from the others - stronger patriarchal authority.