www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Universal Church?

So far into Pope Francis' visit, it's been all about a Western Rite Catholic Church. Pope St. John Paul described the Catholic Church as having two lungs - one Western and one Eastern. Washington doesn't appear to have grasped that. Hopefully, New York City and Philadelphia will.

Since the Pope of Rome has supreme universal jurisdiction, the Latin rite will always predominate and the "Eastern lung" is more like a vestigial gill slit.

Better chance in Philadelphia than in NYC, I would guess. Missed opportunity at the National Shrine while in DC.

Perhaps. But I think it more likely that it is the fact that there are about 50 million Roman Catholics in the United States and less than 200,000 Eastern Catholics. And world-wide there are over 1 billion Roman Catholic and only a few dozen million Eastern Catholics.

No visible presence of the Eastern Orthodox at any events!

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan site has a section for Archbishop Demetrios's schedule.

It indicates that he will be participating in the ecumenical prayer service at the World Trade Center/9-11 memorial as well as attending a Papal Mass.

The problem with us Eastern Catholics and Orthodox is, in my view, we get too hung up on these issues.

I've been watching the Pope's visit to the U.S. "religiously" and never once has it occurred to me and my EC and EO friends and acquaintances to even mention the presence of Eastern anything (as is mentioned above, there will be EO hierarchs in attendance at some events).

It is what this Pope radiates which is much more important than our issues of particularity, equal representation, incense smoke etc. etc.

Let's get a grip on, shall we?

(And Pavloosh, what would be wrong if Ukraine were completely Roman Catholic and didn't have that wonderful contemporary scenario of several Orthodox jurisdictions fighting one another, canonical and uncanonical including the continuing unresolved issues in the UGCC?).

Alex

One of our own will be playing a prominent role during the World Meeting of Families

David Kimock, originally of St. John the Baptist, Bayonne, NJ

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/...-for-Pope-s-visit-?instance=latest_story

Well, Mor Eusebius of the Malankara Syriac Exarchate was present at the 9/11 Memorial, along with several Coptic, Armenian, Mor Nicholovos of the Malankara Orthodox NE Diocese, Metropolitan Demetrios of the GOC, and a few other Christian Easterners!

What does your final comment have to do with anything?

So?

Sitting passively is not exactly having a role in the Papal Mass.

It wasn't entirely devoid of an Eastern presence, though.

I'm pretty sure I saw the Maronite bishop of Brooklyn behind the cantor at the Vespers service.

Passive presence is not active presence.