What does the Church teach about a Catholic who converts to Orthodoxy?

[Tomdstone]

Schism is a sin. A sin against the unity of the Church.
.

This is why many Orthodox do not understand why the Roman Catholic Church broke away from them. Was it not the Roman legate, Humbertus, who in 1054 decided to promote the schism by delivering a letter of excommunication against His Holiness Patriarch Michael Cerularius? Why did not the Roman Catholic authorities try to use peaceful diplomacy to promote unity and harmony in the church instead?

 

[1ke]

This is why many Orthodox do not understand why the Roman Catholic Church broke away from them.

The unity of the Church is **always **found in the office of Peter. Where the Pope is, there is the Church. It isn’t possible for the Catholic Church to break away from unity with the Pope.

But of course you already know that.

Was it not the Roman legate, Humbertus, who in 1054 decided to promote the schism by delivering a letter of excommunication against His Holiness Patriarch Michael Cerularius?

Excommunication of a person is not schism. It is a canonical penalty imposed legitimately upon a subject. T

hat person can of course refuse to be reconciled, start their own church, and thereby create a schism.

Why did not the Roman Catholic authorities try to use peaceful diplomacy to promote unity and harmony in the church instead?

Such canonical censures are peaceful tools.

 

[Tomdstone]

Such canonical censures are peaceful tools.

I don;t see how the excommunication of His Holiness Patriarch Michael Cerularius promoted the unity and harmony in the church? I don;t see why it would not have been better to resolve these issues diplomatically by dialogue and understanding.

 

[PapyrusDouay]

I don;t see how the excommunication of His Holiness Patriarch Michael Cerularius promoted the unity and harmony in the church? I don;t see why it would not have been better to resolve these issues diplomatically by dialogue and understanding.

I think history is a little more complicated than you’re making it out to be. Most of the split was cultural, a large part political, and only slightly theological. No doubt both Cerularius and Hubertus are at fault. The legates were in Constantinople trying to form an alliance with the East, and Cerularius refused to even discuss the matter. Your argument about about the West not attempting diplomacy in that particular matter is moot, and in fact should be applied to the East. It was (partially) Cerularius’ own hubris that lead the Emperor of Constantinople to exile him and charge his with treason and heresy. The way Humbertus responded was not the epitome of excellent diplomacy by any means, certainly. But I do recommend you do a little more research before you make some of these claims, and where you place the blame.

 

[Tomdstone]

I think history is a little more complicated than you’re making it out to be. Most of the split was cultural, a large part political, and only slightly theological. No doubt both Cerularius and Hubertus are at fault. The legates were in Constantinople trying to form an alliance with the East, and Cerularius refused to even discuss the matter. Your argument about about the West not attempting diplomacy in that particular matter is moot, and in fact should be applied to the East. It was (partially) Cerularius’ own hubris that lead the Emperor of Constantinople to exile him and charge his with treason and heresy. The way Humbertus responded was not the epitome of excellent diplomacy by any means, certainly. But I do recommend you do a little more research before you make some of these claims, and where you place the blame.

My research has shown that:

1. the Eastern Orthodox church is one of the two lungs of the Catholic Church.
2. the Eastern Orthodox church is a sister Church of the Roman Catholic Church.
3. Any excommunications between the two churches that were in effect, have been lifted or committed to oblivion by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras on December 7, 1965.
   w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19651207_common-declaration.html
   Since these things are true, it is difficult to understand why it would be wrong for a Roman Catholic to join the Eastern Orthodox Church.

 

[cmodrmac]

please help me understand - so if a Roman catholic girl marries and Orthodox boy and the girl converts to Orthodoxy then that is a sin??

to extend it fuller if a Roman Catholic becomes an Episcopalean and then moves to the Ordinate for former Anglicans and returns to the Catholic Church via the Ordinate then that is a sin too??

surely the Lord never spoke about this -

 

[Abu]

Tomdstone #25
it is difficult to understand why it would be wrong for a Roman Catholic to join the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Why?
They do not have the fullness of Truth with which Christ has endowed His Church. So the errors which have been allowed by the Orthodox are unorthodox (irregular) – the grave errors of permitting divorce and remarriage, denying the reality of the infallibility of the Pope and His supremacy, rejecting the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and allowing contraception – need to be renounced to be faithful to Christ.

cmodrmac #26
please help me understand - so if a Roman catholic girl marries and Orthodox boy and the girl converts to Orthodoxy then that is a sin??

Her sin is dependent on her knowledge of the faith which Christ has given His Church.

to extend it fuller if a Roman Catholic becomes an Episcopalean and then moves to the Ordinate for former Anglicans and returns to the Catholic Church via the Ordinate then that is a sin too??

As above.

surely the Lord never spoke about this -

Then listen to the Lord:
** Jesus explicitly made four promises to Peter alone: **
“You are Peter and on this rock I will build My Church.” (Mt 16:18)
“The gates of hell will not prevail against it.”(Mt 16:18)
“I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven." (Mt 16:19)
“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.” (Mt 16:19) [Later to the Twelve, also].

**Sole authority: **
“Strengthen your brethren.” (Lk 22:32)
“Feed My sheep.”(Jn 21:17).

Thus we see that Jesus very specifically formed His Church, and no other, on Peter leading the twelve Apostles, no one else has the authority of Christ’s chosen, Peter, to lead His Church.

 

[catholic1seeks]

My research has shown that:

1. the Eastern Orthodox church is one of the two lungs of the Catholic Church.
2. the Eastern Orthodox church is a sister Church of the Roman Catholic Church.
3. Any excommunications between the two churches that were in effect, have been lifted or committed to oblivion by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras on December 7, 1965.
   w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19651207_common-declaration.html
   Since these things are true, it is difficult to understand why it would be wrong for a Roman Catholic to join the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The simple truth is that the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are not fully one. And because Christ’s church exists fully in the Catholic Church, it would be wrong to choose something less.