Which Church?

[twf]

If a baptized Protestant is received into the Catholic Church, it is my understanding that he is automatically enrolled in the Latin Church. If an Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Christian is received into full communion with the CC, he is automatically enrolled in the corresponding Eastern / Oriental Catholic Church. What is the canonical status then of a Baptized Protestant who is later chrismated Orthodox and later still makes a profession of faith within the Catholic Church?

 

[RyanBlack]

It is my understanding that they are canonically Latin. However, I’ve spoken to Eastern Catholic clergy who disagree.

 

[twf]

It is my understanding that they are canonically Latin. However, I’ve spoken to Eastern Catholic clergy who disagree.

If so, that’s a deplorable state of affairs. A Protestant who fell in love with Eastern spirituality and became Orthodox shouldn’t have to jump through canonical hoops to become Eastern Catholic.
In general, I think it’s a horrible law. I get that Anglicans and Lutherans and other high church protestants naturally have an affinity to Latin spirituality. But if you’re coming from an evangelical or Pentecostal background, both Latin and Eastern Catholicism appear extremely mystical and foreign…

 

[JerryZ]

If so, that’s a deplorable state of affairs.

I wonder what do you mean by that, after all if you study the situation you will see that all the protestant traditions splintered from the Latin Church, therefore there is probably more affinity between an ex-protestant and the Latin Church.
However we can also see that many people who joined the protestant denominations were perhaps culturally more attuned to Eastern spirituality from their familiar heritage and the Church does not begrudge if they when converting entered into one of the many Eastern traditions. There are many Eastern Churches that are in communion with the Pope.
Also She is trying Her best to unify with the separated Orthodox traditions and hopefully this will happen soon enough. It would be a happy day indeed when this finally happens.
They are after all beautiful and true faith representatives of the “Catholic Church” where Catholic simply means “Universal”.

…

 

[twf]

I wonder what do you mean by that, after all if you study the situation you will see that all the protestant traditions splintered from the Latin Church, therefore there is probably more affinity between an ex-protestant and the Latin Church.
However we can also see that many people who joined the protestant denominations were perhaps culturally more attuned to Eastern spirituality from their familiar heritage and the Church does not begrudge if they when converting entered into one of the many Eastern traditions. There are many Eastern Churches that are in communion with the Pope.
Also She is trying Her best to unify with the separated Orthodox traditions and hopefully this will happen soon enough. It would be a happy day indeed when this finally happens.
They are after all beautiful and true faith representatives of the “Catholic Church” where Catholic simply means “Universal”.

…

Simply being received by an Eastern Catholic priest doesn’t mean you become an Eastern Catholic. You are still automatically ascribed to the Latin Church if coming from a Protestant background. It is not an easy process to switch. There are lots of hoops. I get that an Anglican or Lutheran will have more of an affinity for Latin spirituality…but an Evangelical or Pentecostal? Those traditions are so removed from their Latin Church ancestor (the product of a splinter from a splinter from a splinter from a splinter from the Catholic Church type of thing), that I think its a moot point. As a convert from Evangelicalism, and talking to other converts as well, there are actually some aspects of Eastern spirituality that are more familiar and more easily adopted by an Evangelical than Latin spirituality.

 

[wynd]

If so, that’s a deplorable state of affairs. A Protestant who fell in love with Eastern spirituality and became Orthodox shouldn’t have to jump through canonical hoops to become Eastern Catholic.
In general, I think it’s a horrible law. I get that Anglicans and Lutherans and other high church protestants naturally have an affinity to Latin spirituality. But if you’re coming from an evangelical or Pentecostal background, both Latin and Eastern Catholicism appear extremely mystical and foreign…

I get what you’re saying, but does it really matter in practice (unless you want to get ordained)?

 

[AXO]

The most logical option is to be guided by the last election of the subject, unless he states otherwise. Therefore, if the same is chrismated Eastern Orthodox, one of the Byzantine churches; if Oriental, it would depend on the rite.

 

[5Loaves]

If a baptized Protestant is received into the Catholic Church, it is my understanding that he is automatically enrolled in the Latin Church. If an Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Christian is received into full communion with the CC, he is automatically enrolled in the corresponding Eastern / Oriental Catholic Church. What is the canonical status then of a Baptized Protestant who is later chrismated Orthodox and later still makes a profession of faith within the Catholic Church?

Unless there’s a canon lawyer here nobody here can answer that.
For a Latin Church Catholic to change Churches canonically typically the pastor, who needs to support the change, expects the person to have been active in the ECC parish for a couple of years before recommending the change to the Bishops. Only for that reason I can imagine that if in the situation you suggest the person lived actively as an Orthodox Christian for a couple of years after being Chrismated there then the change of church, if needed, should be simple. If he/she was Chrismated and then 6 months later left Orthodoxy that seems different.

As for “have to jump through canonical hoops”, with few exceptions that one hears of occasionally, Latin Catholics who wish to make the formal change of Church have found it pretty simple, once they’ve been actively living in an EC parish for several years.

 

[Vico]

If a baptized Protestant is received into the Catholic Church, it is my understanding that he is automatically enrolled in the Latin Church. If an Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Christian is received into full communion with the CC, he is automatically enrolled in the corresponding Eastern / Oriental Catholic Church. What is the canonical status then of a Baptized Protestant who is later chrismated Orthodox and later still makes a profession of faith within the Catholic Church?

It is based upon the baptism. Protestant and Reformed derive from the Latin.