It is my impression that all efforts for union between the "Orthodox' and "Catholic" churches have been from the West. Are there any Eastern Orthodox Clergy, groups, theologians, etc. actively looking for solutions for unity, much like the late Archbishop Zoghby tried? Is unity always going to be a one sided agenda?

Can anyone refer any books or articles written by from the Orthodox side that brings any helpful ideas (other than the Pope denounce all power and Catholic deny the Faith that was handed to them stuff) to a Eucharistic communion between East and West?

Mike

The Kyivan Church Study Group was formed by Roman and Greek Catholic as well as Ukrainian Orthodox and representatives from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. A series of papers appeared in Logos and Eastern Churches Journal from those encounters. It would be wonderful to start it up again.

Unity can occur when the Church of Rome returns to the Orthodox faith. Even the most ecumenically minded hierarchs and theologians will not (and cannot) push for union as long as Rome claims to have universal jurisdiction over the Church. There can be no compromise of the Orthodox faith. And even if certain hierarchs say that there is virtually nothing separating us (though I haven't heard any say this), the holy fathers of Mt. Athos, the pious laity, and the hierarchs of the other jurisdictions would raise their voice and oppose them.

Joe

This is like asking a Black man to become Caucasian. It is not going to happen, does that mean they don't both belong to the one Human race? Can't Catholic and Orthodox share Eucharistic Communion and claim to both be a member of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church?(perhaps with different ways of explaining doctrine due to various reasons).





I believe that Pope Benedict has wrote that he would like to return to the Model of the Papacy from the First Millennium. What would Orthodox say this model would looks like?

I know that scripture and Patristic writings allude to the Seat of Peter as having Primacy and a Universal responsibility for the entire Church, by refusing to be in communion with Rome is that not compromising Orthodoxy?




More proof that a Leader of the Church that is above Jurisdictions is needed. Otherwise, who speaks for what's best for Orthodoxy, if two Jurisdictions are in disagreement, who decides who is right?

Father Deacon, thank you for the resource, and I pray that such encounters do take place again soon.

Something about the Church Study Group being discussed

http://www.ecumenicalstudies.org.ua/eng/fellowship/kyivan_church_study_group

There have been times when there were more than one Pope. One thinks of the Great Western Schism when several Popes were claiming to be the real one. That went on for 40 years in the 14th century.

There were a whole mass of Popes...
Urban VI
Clement VII
Alexander IV
John XXIII
Benedict XIII
Gregory XII

Even the Saints could not determine who was the real Pope. St Catherine of Siena said it was Urban, but St Vincent Ferrer said it was Clement.



Who decided what was right? Not the warring Popes but a Council of the Church. In those days a Council was still seen as a hgher authority than a Pope. It was the Council of Florence who got rid of all the Popes (even the legitimate ones) and elected another Pope entirely - Martin V.

So I guess that answer is that Councils of bishops decide in a concilar fashion. We have the New Testament example of this way of settling things when there are disputes from the Council of Jerusalem and the way the holy Apostles showed us.

My apologies, Father, I saw your note about off topic posts and thought I should start a new thread on the off-theme topic with Mike. So I did that but when I came back to delete the post above it told me the time had expired to do that. Please delete it if you like.

Strange, now I cannot find the new thread I created to deal with the theme (two messages above) which is off-topic for here. Father, did you move it or delete it? Or do you think that the topic is within the parameters of this thread? <confused... >

Canon 34 of the apostolic canons.

Canon 34 reads as follows:

The bishops of every country ought to know who is the first among them, and to esteem him as their head, and not to do any great thing without his consent; but every one to manage only the affairs that belong to his own parish, and the places subject to it. But let him [i.e., the first] not do anything without the consent of all; for it is by this means there will be unanimity, and God will be glorified by Christ, in the Holy Spirit.

Father Ambrose:

Father bless!!

RE: confused.

There are glitches with the software that the administrators hope to have corrected. Things seem to disappear once in awhile and things posted sometimes don't register on the general list.

Asking for your blessing and continued holy prayers,

BOB

For me personally, it's pretty simple. There are things that the RCC holds as doctrine and considers critical that I don't. I'm not particularly interested in forcing anyone to change or arguing them in to believing something they don't. I would happily visit a Catholic Church, but wouldn't take communion if there.

Perhaps writ large, that's how many people feel, and maybe that's why there is a perceived disinterest.

Disinterest? Our Lord wanted his followers to be united as one, and I think that Both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches should be working toward reconciliation as a number one priority.

As I perceive it, the catholic Church has been leading the effort, and I was hoping that there were Orthodox groups, clergy or theologians that are actively working to progress this important issue, like many Catholic leaders have.



I don't see the the Catholic Church changing their dogmatic doctrines nor do I think that the Orthodox Churches need to either. I also don't think that the Orthodox Churches will ever be willing to accept Primacy from Rome (Too much time has past - too much power has been acquired since the schism). However, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are apart of the Apostolic Faith, and Christ is present in the Eucharist at each of their alters. Thus, we should should find a way to be in Eucharistic Communion with Each other, and not deny brethren of "sister churches" that follow the Apostolic Faith the Holy Mystery of the Eucharist.



Well, the Catholic Church would be happy to administer the Sacrament to you. However, if I were to go to an Orthodox Church I wouldn't take communion either, not by choice, but because the Orthodox Church says I am not welcomed to. As an Eastern Catholic, I'm not acceptable enough to receive Christ in the Orthodox Church just the Catholic Church.


Again, I think the goal should be a Eucharistic Communion with Each other, while allowing minor differences in our Faith.