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Why is the Royal Family more interested in Eastern Orthodoxy than in Catholicism? Any special reasons?

I have also heard that Prime Minister Blair is on his way to conversion to the Catholic Faith, that his wife and children are Catholics, and that he regularly attends Mass.

Omnipotent Alex, is this true?

ChristTeen287

Blair has attended Mass and even on one occasion received the Eucharist in a Catholic parish although he is still an Anglican. He is reckoned as sympathetic to Catholicism and to be frank, that is much less controversial in Britain today as it would have been even 20-30 years ago. The only ones who would be calling "Popery" would be types like Ian Paisley Like several Labour Mp's, he is a member of the Christian Socialist movement affiliated to the Labour Party.

Why in the world did he receive the Eucharist? I don't mean to be exclusive, but that's pretty offensive.

ChristTeen287

Not really. Anglicans, while objectively lacking orders, usually believe the right things about the Eucharist and have at many times been admitted to communion. The Assyrian Church of the East regularly communes Anglicans and one Armenian Bishop communicated a Methodist who had assured him of his belief in the true Eucharist (I was there). No big deal as far as I'm concerned, as long as we're not going to their Churches and communing.

in Christ,

anastasios

I'm sorry, but I strongly disapprove of that. When I went to Mass about two years ago, I took communion because I didn't know the rules about who could and couldn't take it. Now that I know, I feel absolutely awful and sick to my stomach about my taking the Body and Blood (yes there was the Blood, most Latin Catholic parishes offer the Cup) when I am not in full communion with the Catholic Church. Obviously this isn't some exclusionist bias because I myself am not able to receive communion, but I am perfectly O.K. with that and understand the reasons. The private practices of an invdividual priest should conform to the Church's teaching, shouldn't it?

ChristTeen287

Dear CT,

BLACK-------------------------------------WHITE

That's how I see your posts. Why would you feel sick about receiving the Eucharist when you didn't know better! Come on now! That is way too extreme. Ask a RC priest what they think, I bet 98% of them would say "well if you honestly didn't know, don't worry." To commit a sin you have to be morally in the know as to the fact that it is a sin.

The Church's teaching on who can receive the Eucharist over time has not always been so Black and White due to differing historical circumstances. This is nothing to worry about or try and "disprove" for fear that if it is not consistent, maybe other things might not be so clear... it is a matter of discipline. Do you feel sick that a Byzantine Catholic priest I know confessed and communed a Lutheran woman on her deathbed when she requested it? For if you see things totally in terms of the "rules" you would have to say that is wrong, too. But the Church okays things like that.

Just relax a little. I don't think every Anglican should be communicated but there might be valid reasons.

In Christ,

anastasios

anastasios is right on this. Both the Catholic and Orthodox disciplines (and that is what they are, not teachings) have varied over history, as pastoral situations change.

Prime Minister Blair is widely regarded as a devout man. His wife and children are Roman Catholics and he attends Mass with his family each Sunday when they are together (he attends Church of England services when he is not with his family or for state occassions).

The issue of intercommunion in mixed marriages is something the Catholic Churchhas been kicking around for some time. I will leave it to others as to the proper reading of Vatican tea leaves, but teh Vatican has issued statements "exploring this issue". Several bishops issued permissive norms for their dioceses and while some Vatican offices gave critical responses, it was more in the form of negative commmentary than a declaration that the episcopal norms were invalid.

My outsider reading of the hints and vague commments is that the signals have been sent to handle this matter "pastorally" and not legislatively.

A non-Catholic receiving communion is not perfect symbolism of what Eucharist is. Neither is Christian husband and wife not being able to share in the Eucharist, together.

Axios
In the odd position of having to defend the sancity of marriage

+ Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us - Amen!

Dear ChristTeen,

There are sufficient reasons why the Royal Family would be interested in Orthodoxy - and in some cases have become Orthodox Christians.

Prince Philip's family has deep roots in Greek royalty, although it is, by blood, Germanic. His mother became an Orthodox nun and actually had an Orthodox chapel set up in Buckingham Palace until her death. She was buried in the chapel in Jerusalem beside her relative, St Elizabeth the New Martyr, Queen Victoria's (favourite) granddaughter.

The Russian Royal Family, glorified as Saints and Martyrs (O.K. "Passion-bearers") are all closely related to the English Royal Family as well and Prince Michael of Kent, whom I met some months ago in Toronto, looks very much like Tsar St. Nicholas Romanov.

I discussed this with him during our meeting and he was very enthusiastic about the Russian Orthodox side of his family, visits Russia frequently and aids Russian charities for children, and now speaks Russian quite fluently.

This is not to say, of course, that there are no members of the Royal Family that have not become Catholic.

But the Royal Family, historically, shares more in common with Orthodoxy and their Germanic ancestors who ruled in Russia tended to follow the Russophile line and became Orthodox. (Tsar St Nicholas also preferred to call himself "Tsar" rather than the foreign "Emperor" and insisted on speaking Russian with his family and knowing the language and culture well - but he was only 1/125 % Russian).

I think also that members of the Royal Family who are "into religion" prefer the more uncompromising moral and spiritual attitude of Orthodoxy than anything they see in the West.

My thoughts, anyway.

Alex

+ Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us - Amen!

Dear Anastasios the Seminarian,

Yes, the Assyrians are also often present at Anglican episcopal consecrations and some say that this means the Anglicans now have valid orders.

Bishop Henry Hill who wrote the "Light from the East" and lives down the street from me told me that he himself gave Communion during an Assyrian Liturgy and loves the Assyrian traditions.

The Anglicans have a very good relationship with the Oriental Churches, especially since their missionaries didn't go in to "convert" them like the RC's and Protestants did.

They actually supported the home Oriental Church and took children their rather than to the Anglican Church.

The Armenians were also the beneficiaries of the work of the Anglican translator and saint, Henry Martyn, who is in the Anglican calendar.

He was so highly regarded and venerated by the Armenians that they buried him themselves, dressing his body in the robes of an Armenian bishop!

Would that we could all aspire to be more like the Anglicans in some ways . . .

Alex

Shlomo ChristTeen,
I have to agree with Anastasios on the Communion issue. I myself will attend a Syraic Orthodox Service over a Roman one when no Maronite Parishes are close by. Before doing so, I had recieved permission from my pastor and eparch. Both said that as long as I understood that the Eucharist was the real body and blood of our Lord, and that I accept all the Ecumenical Councils and Church laws; then they had no problem with me participating in Syriac Orthodox services since they were close to ours.

Poosh BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

UGH I lost all my information that I had just typed. It was long and drawn out but I'll summarize it.

Basically, Ana, you're right. The case w/ the Lutheran woman is permissible within the rules of the Church, isn't it, about communing someone in a grave situation who requests it and has a proper Eucharistic understanding, etc.

Anyways, please tell me when I'm being black-and-white because it's one of my worse qualities and I need others to detect it for me. So keep up the good work.

Alex,

If they don't want the morals or lack thereof of the West then, by all means, show them the glorious light of Eastern Catholicism!

Yuhannon,

I don't know what I think of that situation, although I can certainly understand your desire to attend like parishes, even if they are not in communion with the Eternal City. I guess if youre bishop O.K.'s it then it's alright, but I'm not in a position to judge and certainly don't know the ins and outs of it all.

ChristTeen287

And while I cannot speak from experience, I think it might be within the field of opinion to suggest that marriage is a grave situation!!

Axios

Dear Axios,

It depends who your partner is . . .

Alex