www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Fr. Constantin Simon, SJ, vice-rector of POI, joins ROC

Fr. Constatin Simon, SJ, vice-rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, and author of several articles and books on Russian Christianity, has entered officially the Russian Orthodox Church.

Article (in English): http://www.pravmir.com/catholic-priest-constantine-simon-converts-orthodoxy/

Article (in Russian): http://www.pravmir.ru/katolicheskiy-svyashhennik-konstantin-simon-prinyal-pravoslavie/

Article (in Russian with photos): http://antimodern.ru/simon/

Interview (in Russian): http://www.taday.ru/text/1616003.html

Hmmm ... the English-language article doesn't offer much information. My big question would be, does he forfeit his position as vice-rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute?

Fr. Simon is not included among the faculty at the POI website [unipio.org].

According to the ordo for the 2013-2014 academic year, he was no longer vice-rector although he was listed as a professor.

I doubt it very much that he would be allowed to continue teaching at the POI considering that he has left the Catholic Church.

His book, referenced in one of the articles is:

Constantin Simon, S.J.: Pro Russia: The Russicum and the Catholic Work for Russia. Rome: Orientalia
Christiana Analecta 283, Pontifical Oriental Institute, 2009

Are there only Catholic professor's at POI? No Orthodox or Assyrians?

I am sure there have been non-Catholic professors at the POI; I just don't like there have been any who were ex-Catholics.

I guess those Jesuit vows to "defend to the last breath" the Papacy can leave some Jesuits . . . breathless.

The problem with Catholicism is that it just can't match Orthodoxy for its beautiful liturgical and spiritual disciplines.

Ukrainian Catholics see themselves as being "Orthodox" in their rites etc.

But I've met Ukrainian Orthodox who attend UGCC parishes in Canada who tell me they miss the "spirit of piety" that they have always found in their Orthodox parishes and which isn't nearly the same in the UGCC parishes.

As for Fr. Simon, I guess Jesuits can withstand torture but are overwhelmed by Orthodox liturgy . . .

If Rome can't trust the Jesuits, who can it trust?

Alex

I knew a man who went to the Russicum and is now a Greek Catholic priest. He came from a strong Greek Catholic background, his father was a refugee from the old country and both were strong Russophiles. I am sure if this man were a change of rite, he would have ended up Orthodox. I am assuming from this Fr. Simon's name that he is a change of rite...and perhaps a lack of family connection to Greek Catholics gave him lassitude. As good a job as many Greek Catholic parishes do, on some levels it is no match for the Orthodox, not only in liturgy, but especially in ascetical practices. I see the ROCOR version of Orthodoxy mostly, but it is hard to take fasting admonitions seriously in the Greek rite when bulletins post just fast regulations around Lent only, and the Latin rite observance of them.
If truth be told, as lovely as the Russian Catholic observance is, and however sincere the earlier Russian disciples of Solovyov may have been, I do not see the use of the Russian Catholic observance in the West unless it is for Greek Catholics who crave more authenticity -- mostly change of rites, which I am, I confess-- and the usual group of Catholics disappointed in the Latin rite. (Breath.)An old chum went to Montreal in the '60s and, yes, there were real Russians there. Now that church belongs to another rite, and good for them.
To paraphrase Katy Perry, I went to Mulberry Street and I liked it.
But I wonder if all of the alternatives that the Catholic Church offers does not just mislead a lot of people into thinking that "I can have everything I like the way I like it", and then there is a realisation that one cannot.
I would doubt someone could lose their position at a Catholic instituion just for becoming Orthodox. Catholic instituions regularly hire non-Catholic biblical scholars and philosophy profs. Again, if truth be told, lots of instructors at Roman higher institutions are plain nonbelievers, just so long as what they teach is orthodox they can stay.

Previous to the above work, he also wrote a two-volume tome on the history of the Russicum:

Russicum: Pioneers and Witnesses of the Struggle for Christian Unity in Eastern Europe: Leonid Feodorov, Vendelin Javorka, Theodore Romzha: Three Historical Sketches, Volume 1
Rome: Opere Religiose Russe, 2001

Russicum: Pioneers and Witnesses of the Struggle for Christian Unity in Eastern Europe: The First Years 1929-1939, Volume 2
Rome: Opere Religiose Russe, 2002

It would really be scandalous from an ecumenical POV if this fellow lost his teaching position because he became Orthodox.

The idea is horrifying to me!

Alex

So...do you think that if a vice-rector of an Eastern Orthodox seminary, who also happens to be an Orthodox priest, leaves Orthodoxy for Catholicism, would not be asked to step down?

Dear Nelson,

But are you really comparing apples to apples here?

The last time I looked, Orthodoxy had nothing even closely resembling the ecumenical POV toward Orthodoxy that Catholicism has had since Vatican II especially - am I wrong?

Orthodoxy is generally quite serious about seeing Catholicism as . . . God knows what since it is outside the one true Orthodox Church.

Pope Paul VI once said that unity between Orthodox and Catholics was "almost complete." From the Catholic perspective, Orthodoxy is the true Church etc. and one could go on.

So my point is that IF this former Jesuit turned ROC (and he is not the only one in recent times) were to lose his teaching position because he became Orthodox . . . it really would be a scandal since it would fly in the face of everything Rome has been about - verbally, at least - with respect to its ecumenism with Orthodoxy.

Orthodoxy has made no similar overtures or has no similar position toward Rome.

So I'm right here, I believe and you are wrong (as I also believe).

But I think you know me and you know that I an change my view if you can convince me otherwise.

So go ahead, Nelson, and "cut to the Chase."

Your servant listens.

We both share in the shock of hearing of yet another Jesuit becoming Orthodox (is anyone safe anymore, we might ask?).

Yet, it was the Jesuits who promoted the Union of Brest in 1596 in order to create an experiment to determine if this would be promising for success with Russia.

And the Union didn't do that at all - quite the opposite in fact. The Union of Brest became Rome's perennial source of ecumenical embarrassment ever since where Latinization of the Ruthenian EC's (Belarusyan, Ukrainian and Carpathian) had, one could argue, as its first order of business the subtle smothering of that failed ecclesial unification experiment to avoid it poisoning future such attempts.

One might make the argument that the Jesuits involved in such ecumenical affairs with Russia and who join the ROC simply get very impatient knowing that the Russicum, as another Uniate experiment, will do nothing to bring the ROC into communion with Rome.

So they will do what is to their minds the logical next step - they will themselves become ROC and enter into personal communion with Orthodoxy.

These are the views of a number of ecumenical EC theologians I've come across.

Perhaps they are entirely right.

Alex

First, this is all likely been largely worked out and is just being dealt with quietly to keep scandal contained. No mater what happens with his professional career there will be some folks who are upset. The Catholic preference seems to be keep conversions from Orthodoxy quiet, so I can't imagine them not doing the same here. Also, if Fr. Constatin just dropped this bombshell on his religious superiors, bosses at the POI, and close colleagues the damage to his personal relations would likely require a great deal of work to repair.

Secondly, even if the POI wants to keep him on they may not be able to. He was a Jesuit, who I would imagine lived in a house owned by the order with other Jesuits, ate food provided for by order and had medical care provided by them as well. His appointment at the POI may not have even had much real money behind it, even if it had real money behind it, he was likely cheap from a financial perspective (ex: why would he bother negotiating raises). Now that he is not a Jesuit, the financials might require a change in status.

Justin

I do not believe that Fr. Simon was a "change of rite" from the Roman Church. From the information found in the links I originally posted, they state that Fr. Simon is from Ukrainian/Ruthenian and Hungarian descent.

His home parish is Saint Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church [stmaryscarteret.org] in Carteret, New Jersey where he celebrated his first Divine Liturgy following ordination. Newspaper article on his first Divine Liturgy. [antimodern.ru]

I don't believe it was a bombshell. I think Fr. Simon gave his superiors advanced notice of his plans to convert. As I mentioned before, Fr. Simon was no longer vice rector for the previous academic year at the POI, although he was still teaching.

In the interview with Fr. Simon, he states of attending the Orthodox liturgies in Rome, finding warmth there while finding the liturgies at the Russicum to be cold (according to the Google translation of the Russian interview).

So, I would surmise that this was a gradual process for him that was known to his superiors.

As for still having a position at the POI, I don't think that it would be prudent having an ex-Catholic and ex-Jesuit teaching at a pontifical institution run by Jesuits. It would certainly be awkward to say the least. Despite the good relations that exist between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches, it must be remembered that Fr. Simon has technically gone into schism.