What still separates us from the Orthodox?

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Phillip_Rolfes

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Christ is risen!
Christos anesti!
Kristos voskrese!

Hello all. I could use your help. I will be working on a new ecumenical project in the near future. As part of my research for this project I am trying to gather information from non-academic church-goer. Here are the questions:

What, in your mind, still separates the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church?
Why are these issues cause for separation?
What further steps can be taken to bring about Church unity?

I thank you all for your help. This thread is meant to gather information. As such I didn’t really start it as a discussion thread. Please simply list the things that you think still separate us, why you think so, and what you think should happen in order for unity to come about. If you would like to discuss the issues brought up here, I would ask that you please start another thread. 🙂

Thank you all again. May the peace of our risen Lord be with you all.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip
 
What, in your mind, still separates the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church?
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Primarily pride - all the arguments seem to me to arise from the need to stay apart. I find the arguments over the Filioque, Immaculate Conception, zymes/azymes, calendar, Original Sin, Purgatory - all pretty arcane to the point that they really demonstrate little theological difference, but are soooo useful to justify all manner of division. papal Primacy is, admittedly, more touchy - but even than a perusal of Gasser’s Relatio makes clear that differences are less pronounced that often posited. IMHO.
Why are these issues cause for separation?
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Because they are wrapped in doctrine allowing the mutual hurling of anathemas. They are not, IMHO, the cause, they are the pretext.
What further steps can be taken to bring about Church unity?
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Humility, prayer and Divine intervention.
 
Alethos Anesti! (funny, you can’t use Greek letters because Symbol font isn’t available)

Good question, I’d like to know that myself.

My wife is Orthodox and I’m Roman Catholic. The biggest thing I’ve found is mindset. Catholics are much more legalistic while Orthodox seem more mystic.

The other thing about mindset is Catholics seem much more interested in being ecumenical, while the Orthodox seem like they have a chip on their shoulder. Maybe that comes from sheer numbers. In the world Orthodox are a smaller group and might feel like a minority that is right, but not heard because of the overshadowing of their bigger brother.

I’m going to be following this thread because this is a topic very near and dear to me.

One thing that concerns me is that I have found it very difficult to find an objective discussion of the differences and their root causes. All the books and websites I’ve found degenerate into we’re right and those other guys are nutty (of course they do it in much more scholarly language). Is there a good, objective source for a discussion of the differences?
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
Christ is risen!
Christos anesti!
Kristos voskrese!

Hello all. I could use your help. I will be working on a new ecumenical project in the near future. As part of my research for this project I am trying to gather information from non-academic church-goer. Here are the questions:

What, in your mind, still separates the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church?
Why are these issues cause for separation?
What further steps can be taken to bring about Church unity?

I thank you all for your help. This thread is meant to gather information. As such I didn’t really start it as a discussion thread. Please simply list the things that you think still separate us, why you think so, and what you think should happen in order for unity to come about. If you would like to discuss the issues brought up here, I would ask that you please start another thread. 🙂

Thank you all again. May the peace of our risen Lord be with you all.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip
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The SIN of PRIDE, on both sides!😦
 
Inner_Prop said:
The other thing about mindset is Catholics seem much more interested in being ecumenical, while the Orthodox seem like they have a chip on their shoulder. Maybe that comes from sheer numbers.
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No…It’s because many Orthodox are not very interested in ecumenism.
 
Mickey said:
No…It’s because many Orthodox are not very interested in ecumenism.
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Is that your opinion or an official proclamation by all the bishops unanimously? Which entity speaks for the “Orthodox Church” on this matter?
 
Chaldean_Rite said:
Is that your opinion or an official proclamation by all the bishops unanimously? Which entity speaks for the “Orthodox Church” on this matter?
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It’s okay if it is his opinion. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. What is your opinion?
 
Greetings and peace be with you Phillip Rolfes;

Beyond a doubt, the answer lays in the greatest commandments, all the law and the prophets of God, and unity hang on these commandments.

How can we all love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?
How can we love people of other denominations as we love ourselves?

Could these commandments describe how Christ is one with the Father?

Jesus loves God the Father with all his heart, mind, soul and strength.
Jesus loves each and every one of us as he loves himself.

God the Father loves Jesus the Son with all his heart, mind, soul and strength.
The Father loves each and every one of us as he loves himself.
When Jesus spent his time on Earth, he would have lived by the greatest commandments, could these commandments be the greatest purpose of both God the Father and the Son?

Before the creation of the universe began, could the greatest commandments possibly describe part of the trinity?

Is it possible that God’s purpose is for each and every one of us to have this Trinitarian relationship with each other?

peace

Eric
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
It’s okay if it is his opinion. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. What is your opinion?
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I say what separates us (The Catholic Church with the various Orthodox Churches) is truth. The Orthodox believe that the role of the Pope in the Catholic Church is not what Jesus intended and the Catholic Church believes otherwise.
 
The primary obstacle is that, while all Churches in the Catholic Church have one leader and presumably one voice, Orthodox Churches have many leaders and many voices. I believe there are two Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Ukraine? When the Orthodox Churches can find a consensus and a single voice, then there can be union. The other obstacles are convenient arguments. We are not looking for the union of the Catholic Church with the Orthodox Church, but the union of the Catholic Church and many Orthodox Churches, which is more difficult.
 
Mickey said:
No…It’s because many Orthodox are not very interested in ecumenism.
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On the surface it appears that way, but correct me if I am wrong. The EO played a big role in the world council of churches WCC, and Rome did not join or participate.
 
marlo said:
This is the person who radically transformed himself from a good catholic to an pretending orthodox faithful,
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You’ve got some nerve saying something like that! Show some class and apologize.
 
Mickey said:
Did Pope John Paul II kiss the Koran?
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Yes. And the Eastern Orthodox are members of the World Council of Churches. So I guess you disagree with your own bishop(s) then. Luckily for the rest of catholic Christianity, you aren’t in charge.
 
tdgesq said:
Yes. And the Eastern Orthodox are members of the World Council of Churches. So I guess you disagree with your own bishop(s) then. Luckily for the rest of catholic Christianity, you aren’t in charge.
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How do you know who his bishop is and how do you know his bishop’s opinion??
 
In my opinion, it’s more political than theological or spiritual. The Orthodox wish to be independent and refuse to accept that the Catholic Pope is the head of Christ’s Church. It is also a matter of pride. Some information for the schism is given in the book “The Lives of The Popes”.

PAX DOMINI :signofcross:

Shalom Aleichem
 
Politics, history, pride, foolishness and misunderstandings resulting from faulty translations.

And to a small extent, doctrine. But his Holiness is now having much dialogue with the Orthodox 👍
 
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