www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Latinizations--Another View

Although I am aware that the North American experience has been extremely negative, I would like to say that here in Perth Australia my family have found the Roman Church to be very supportive of our Byzantine heritage.

I have always known that my family (originally from Donora, Pensylvania) are Byzantine, but ever since they settled in Perth they have practiced in the Roman church. However, since my wife and I have had children we have wanted them to be fully initiated (baptism, conformation and Eucharist) into the church.

We requested our Bishop that our three year old and 6 month old be confirmed and receive the eucharist. This was granted soley on the reason that our family is Byzantine.

Let us get this straight: Until very recently we have never practiced in the Byzantine Rite. We had only ever experienced the Roman Rite. And yet a Roman rite Bishop, Priest, and Parish (including all the congregation) were overwemingly supportive in enabling us to rediscover our Byzantine heritage.

That we are now beginning to practice in a Byzantine parish is due to the gentle and supportive prodding of our Roman Bishop.

The Latin church has the potential to be most enriching even for Byzantine Catholics.

There are positive stories (for Byzantines) to be told about the Roman Church - we just need to hear them more often.

Absolutely. We'd have been sore pressed to survive the demographic fragmentation, and geopolitical conflicts and war, over the centuries, without the support of the Vatican and some of our Latin rite bishops.

I don't think any truly prayerful and spiritually active [which can also mean contemplative] eastern Catholic has any real animus for the Latin rite. They [we], most of the ones speaking out here, simply do not wish to disappear by looking more and more like the Latin rite to the point where there is not way of telling us apart after a while. That's what is of concern to most eastern Catholics whose Churches have been dominated by the Latin rite in the United States and Canada, in particular.

Eli

It would be tragedy of enormous proportions if the Byzantine character of the Eastern Catholic Churches in North America to be diluted by Latinizations to the point that they would cease to be Byzantine in character. This would be a great loss for those who are Byzantine by virtue of their family heritage. Also, it would be terrible with respect to evangelism-there are many Protestants who are disenchanted by the loss of traditional Christian teachings and the impoverished liturgical life of their churches and who are drawn to the beauty of the Liturgy of St. John Chrystostom (I am one such person). It is a blessing both to such converts and to the Eastern Churches that it is by the existence of these very Eastern Churches that such former Protestants have been reconciled to the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." I also believe that such former Protestants, particularly if they are educated about the unfortunate history of forced Latinizations, will, for the most part, be very supportive of a worship life that is true to the Byzantine heritage and freed from Latinizations. However, what they will not be so receptive to is animus towards the Latin Church-rather, they many will find that to be a huge stumbling block. This is why I believe that we must remain charitable in our speech and judicious in our use of the term "Latinization."
In peace,
Ryan

All Eastern Rite Catholics should know by now that Latinisations old, or modern are not on. Latinisms are not an option for Eastern Rite churches. Those days are now ofically well and truly over.

This is made quiet clear in the one document on us in among the documents of Vatican II (which of course we are all familiar with). This has been made very clear again and again since then in writing and in action by the Popes.

So we are to loose the old aberrations and make sure that a new crop don't come in to replace them. There are still reports of Bishops, clergy as well as male and female religious importing post Vatican II Latinisms into various Eastern Rites. The laity must be vigilant and not be passive.

I could not agree more with you, Pavel (who for the record has been instrumental in returning my family and I to the BR).

We (my family and I) do not wish to return to a latinized BR - we may as well have remained in the LR if Byzatiners are not committed to delatinization .

The positive support that I have spoken of is to be understood exclusively in terms of the LR encouragining us to let go of our latin practice and embrace a Byzantine life.

There is nothing positive about a LR that assumes that its practices are normative and acts to influence other rites on this basis. Indeed such an act is incompatible with the LR own practice of brotherly love.

Thanks Paul. Bang goes my reputation. Oh well back to the drawing board.

Welcome home!