gurneyhalleck1
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- Oct 15, 2008
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The Pope returning to his conciliar role that he had prior to schism would be an awesome start! But I think some hard reforms to the liturgy in the Latin West would be in order. I think the Orthodox look at that liturgy and the skin begins to crawl!
The juridical language and legalism needs to change, but that wasn't a deal-breaker before. It's really about the role of the papacy and the filioque and how the Church functions. I think the Orthodox would need to see what THEY gain from the reunion. I'm not sure at this point they've figured out any pluses?
When I was "caucusing" with the Eastern Catholics, such nice folks, but as I went along and asked EC's what benefit there is to choosing Byzantine Catholic over Orthodox, none could tell me? I'd hear them COMPLAIN about how awful the Roman liturgy is, how much they disagree with Rome, how they have been Latinized and marginalized, but I never heard any benefit? They kept saying "unity" to me, but I didn't understand that? Unity with people who marginalize and tromp on your liturgy and try to usurp your theology over the centuries and.....??? I didn't understand it.
If you look at Florence and some of those other "moments" when the East and West were undergoing talks to reunite, it was always a doomsday scenario or some kind of major political need. With the Western NATO countries and Russia in the midst of such hostility and rhetoric and sabre-rattling, I can't imagine Orthodoxy and Catholicism doing anything? Russia controls like 65% of Orthodoxy, so having them aboard would be a must. I must say, t'aint gonna happen?
The juridical language and legalism needs to change, but that wasn't a deal-breaker before. It's really about the role of the papacy and the filioque and how the Church functions. I think the Orthodox would need to see what THEY gain from the reunion. I'm not sure at this point they've figured out any pluses?
When I was "caucusing" with the Eastern Catholics, such nice folks, but as I went along and asked EC's what benefit there is to choosing Byzantine Catholic over Orthodox, none could tell me? I'd hear them COMPLAIN about how awful the Roman liturgy is, how much they disagree with Rome, how they have been Latinized and marginalized, but I never heard any benefit? They kept saying "unity" to me, but I didn't understand that? Unity with people who marginalize and tromp on your liturgy and try to usurp your theology over the centuries and.....??? I didn't understand it.
If you look at Florence and some of those other "moments" when the East and West were undergoing talks to reunite, it was always a doomsday scenario or some kind of major political need. With the Western NATO countries and Russia in the midst of such hostility and rhetoric and sabre-rattling, I can't imagine Orthodoxy and Catholicism doing anything? Russia controls like 65% of Orthodoxy, so having them aboard would be a must. I must say, t'aint gonna happen?
Having studied both perspectives it seems both EO and RCC have the same essential view toward salvation. The difference comes in terms of expression and the way of conceptualizing it. I see both churches as having the same essential apostolic faith, but conceptualizing it differently.
That being said, I will admit prefer the Orthodox perspective here. I also understand salvation as being a spiritual pilgrimage into the divine life and deliverance from sin and death by a synergy with the divine grace. I don't conceptualize legalistically like most western Catholics do. I'm basically a western Catholic with an eastern Catholic theology. I know most Byzantine Catholics hold theological views in most respects indistinguishable from Orthodoxy, so its not really fair to represent the ENTIRE catholic church as if it was just Latin rite.
It seems Orthodox theology is for the most part not unwelcome in the Catholic Church as a whole. Though, the issue of Papal Headship remains. In your view is that the real deal breaker here? If nothing of Orthodox theology had to change for reunion to take place, except the embrace of the Bishop of Rome as the head bishop of the church, would you as Orthodox welcome that reunion?
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