www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Coming back into the Byzantine Catholic Church from the Orthodox Church in America

>>>BTW, what's the difference between the OCA and the Byzantine Catholic Church
anyway? :-)<<<

Diptyches

Dear Fr. Maximos - As moderator you can delete or question any posts within this forum, but please do not label as "gossip" my feelings for an Orthodox priest who left the Church to become Eastern-rite - which I simply said was "disappointing".
Given the preponderance for "Sister Church" theology among so many here, it would seem that much more disappointment would be felt by more people, as others jump around from Orthodox to Eastern-Rite, and vice versa. One of the major problems within Orthodoxy is "jurisdictionalism" whereby folks get away from accountability towards their bishops and just "jump ship". That's a big problem, and if the Eastern-Rite Byzantine Catholics defend such things, that's a shame.
I made no judgements upon Fr. David, nor even hinted about anything concerning him. I expressed my own feelings concerning his departure - purely as "feelings".

John

Dear John,

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I admit I have a hair trigger when it comes to these things, and am very happy to concede you meant no harm. Nevertheless, any time we comment on someone else's actions it invites--whether or not we mean it to--an analysis of their motivations. That's where it turns into gossip. I really would prefer all of us to express our feelings and views about people changing jurisdictions without using names.

Incidentally, I quite agree with you that as a rule it is not desirable for the Catholic Church to receive people from Orthodoxy (and vice versa). But sometimes individual lives just don't fit into general rules.

Let us pray for one another.
unworthy monk Maximos

Glory to Jesus Christ ! Archm. Lev Gillet (1893-1980) provides a unique example. He was simultaneously in communion with the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. This was based on the 1928 agreement between the Ukrainian Metr. Andrei Sheptitsky and the Russian Orthodox hierarch of Paris. He may have also celebrated Divine Liturgy or administered the Holy Mysteries for Byzantine Catholics after 1928. I do not know.

Dunedain, who is tanned and sporting an Aloha shirt from his last week in Hawaii sez:


FWIW, when I came back to the Byzantine Catholic Church from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, all I did was go to confession and acknowledge what I had done. I received the Holy Mysteries of Confession and Eucharist the same Sunday morning. It was a beautiful, memorable experience. I felt like I had really 'come home'. I was welcomed with open arms.

BTW, when I left the BC to join the ROCOR, I was 're-baptized' (not that it's possible, but they do it anyway) and had to make a profession of faith and renounce before the priest and a witness that I rejected the Pope of Rome. The ROCOR has a ritual book which has a list of things to renounce when you join (the Masons, Islam, whatever), and rituals (in a Q&A format) that you undergo. When I joined the ROCOR it was all 'spooky-ish' (to quote my wise bride), and definitely not the kind of experience I had when I decided to return to the fold of the Catholic Church.

This may explain why I tend to be a bit triumphalistic... :-)

Pax, mir, peace, shalom, whatever.