www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology What Separates Catholicism and Orthodoxy?

A video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07WT7oioyWA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbyzantineramblings%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2007%2F05%2Fyoung%2Dmans%2Dcommentary%2Dfrom%2Dyou%2Dtube%2Ehtml

Nothing seperates us but people!
The Church is One and cannot be divided, it is United in faith.
Stephanos I

Basically I would attribute the separation to two factors:

1) ignorance, and

2) fear.

Fr. Serge

1. Papal Claims
2. Papal Claims
3. Papal Claims

Ah, 20 questions, eh?
Would these claims be recent ones, or ones of long ago?

There are a number of things.

Different modes of being, different priorities, different outlooks, infallibility, UOJ, theology, the status of post schism councils, politics, history, ethnic rivalries, etc.

Subdeacon Borislav's list of:


May perhaps illustrate my two points: ignorance and fear.

Fr. Serge

People would agree with me if they weren't ignorant or living in fear.

Tremendous.

Fr. Serge's suggestions of fear and ignorance map to a) will and b) mind. Courage and understanding would lead us forward. That's insightful, both being gifts of the Holy Spirit!

I'm 57, and remember, as a child, when Blessed Pope John XXIII enunciated his desire to see Our Lord's "Ut omnes unum sint" be fulfilled. I suppose that everybody living in free countries at the time were moved by this. But, was anything like our receptivity to this idea felt by those living under the repressive regimes of Communism and militant Islam (many of which would have been Orthodox) or were they too taken up with trying to survive in body and soul to get too concerned about Christian re-unification?

BTW, I think there are many Catholics who, like myself, were taught that "our side" bore a good portion of the blame for the schism.

If this were the real criteria for schism then there are Orthodox faithful in jurisdictions that are in de fact schism today if not declared schism. And of course, the same could be said for conditions within the Catholic Church as well.

To argue with Father Serge, again, is to argue more along the lines of emphasis rather than substance.

I surely would not want to argue that ignorance and attitude have nothing to do with it.

Most of the things I've been told that I must recant to be Orthodox, I don't believe in the first place, as it is told to me by Orthodoxy. That tells me in quite practical terms that there are a whole lot of Orthodox faithful who ain't got a clue about what my Church teaches. IF that is not ignorance then I need you to define ignorance for me.

I say this in all good will and hope that I do not offend your gentle nature.

Mary

This is the best answer so far.

God bless,
Todd

Mary, let's be fair...there are a whole lot of Catholic faithful as well who don't have a clue about what your Church teaches as well...

Chris

Dear Todd,

That could very well be - and I'm no expert anyway!

But the Orthodox I've known and do know tend to see the separation "factors" largely in terms of what the "Catholics have" that the "Orthodox don't have."

So the Orthodox "don't have" the Filioque, the Marian dogmas, the 14 Latin Councils, Purgatory and indulgences, the Papal dogmas.

For some reason, the point of departure seems to be the later RC doctrinal/ecclesial developments.

What is perhaps most crucial is the notion of "different modes of being."

That is something that I would love to have you discuss!

As for politics, history and "ethnic rivalry" - that is something that already occurs in both Orthodoxy and Catholicism and probably will continue should the two ever unite in the near future.

Same old, same old . . .

Alex

Touche.

Dear Michael and Job (the Much-Suffering),

There was one priest on EWTN who characterized the two largest religious groups in North America thus: Catholics and . . . former Catholics . . .

Alex