www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy The Revised Divine Liturgy The term "Orthodox"

The world used in the Slavonic is "pravoslavanja," orthodox. I wish we would indeed use Orthodox, it not more correct, it sounds better liturgically, to my ears.

Personally, I'm glad the word Orthodox isn't used in the Ruthenian liturgy. Most of the people fear it, and would think "Oh no! Are we Orthodox now!". (They should be so lucky) Many Orthodox would take it as a slap in the face. "How dare they use the word Orthodox when they are Catholic"

There would be way too much confusion and suspicion.

Why would they fear it? We have used "orthodox" and "orthodox Christians" in the UGCC English translation for years; the Melkites have as well.

I have personally witnessed people and even clergy (of an Eastern Catholic Church other than UGCC or Melkite) freak out because the word "orthodox" was used. It saddened me deeply.

Unfortunately, I have seen this as well in the BCC, from laity and clergy alike...I believe it has to do with the divisions that occured like with the formation of ACROD so it was a way to say "we aren't them"...

Since the aversion to this term in Carpatho-Russian Greek-Catholic circles and publications began well before the formation of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, either the two phenomena are unrelated or the Ruthenian antiliterate energumens were remarkably prescient!

Fr. Serge

I have seen this too, for the same reason.

-- John

I remember the first time I heard "Orthodox Christians" in a Greek Catholic church was at a Ukrainian Catholic liturgy.

I was quite surprised when I heard it, thinking that the word Orthodox was only used in Orthodox churches!

My SF uses 'Orthodox Christians' all the time and I ~think~ my parish does too [ Ukrainian ]

The Eastern Orthodox don't have a patent on the word "orthodox," and since from a Catholic point of view we are certainly Orthodox, why not use it?

Additionally, the Liturgy doesn't belong to the Eastern Orthodox. I think, as an outsider, the translation should be stuck to as originally as possible.

Alexis

For a Catholic to reject "orthodox" in that sense is as silly as for an Orthodox to demand that "catholic" be removed from the creed . . .

hawk

On one or two occasions, I have heard Orthodox Christians recite the Nicene Creed (oh, all right, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed) substituting some euphemism for "Catholic". I managed to stop myself from snickering.

Fr. Serge

The Bishop of my Eparchy, Bisop Robert Moskal, wrote this (which I've posted before) and it pretty much sums up this topic:

http://stjosaphateparchy.org/BishopLetters.html


Monomakh

Aside from the creed, the cornerstone of our parish reads "XYZ Orthodox Catholic Church". I think that's how we're officially incorporated because I see that name on most official documents. We also still have older parishioners who were actually Greek Catholic as children too.

At the funeral of a dear friend's father, held in an ECUSA church, one of my friends refused to say the word "catholic" when we said the Creed because he "just couldn't do it...I'm not Roman Catholic and I won't say it!".

The fact that we were in an Episcopal church was totally lost on him, even after I explained the use of that word from an Anglican POV to him.