www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall The Byzantine Forum

Here is what other Catholics, Roman and Byzantine, say about the Byzantine Forum:

http://forum.catholic.org/viewtopic.php?t=36997

I thought that www.byzcath.org is a Byzantine Catholic website, yet some of the administrators of the Byzantine Forum are Orthodox priests. I find this to be quite strange.

Many of the posters are Orthodox Christians. Others claim to be Eastern Catholics, but have not obtained permission to change Churches from the respective Bishops in their old Church and the new Church. A few have not even gone through any type of Rite of Christian Initiation to leave a Protestant Church and join a Catholic Church.

I now understand why so many people have jumped down my throat whenever I have posted something that was somehow inconsisted with the beliefs of the Orthodox Church. I now understand why so many posters are strident anti-Roman Catholics. I now understand why so many posters have said they would prefer to be Orthodox Christians than Roman Catholics if the Byzantine Catholic Church was unavailable.

My Catholic friends - your Forum has been hijacked by the Orthodox.

Finally, I now have learned the place where many people who have left the Byzantine Forum have gone so that they can be part of a Catholic Forum - one of both lungs, Roman and Byzantine. I am going to register now.

My prayers in advance for the administrator who deletes this topic. It is so much easier to stamp out the truth than to address the actual facts. I am guilty of doing the same thing on many occasions.

JP

P.S.

Father Anthony:

After much due diligence, I may have the answer to the Holy Fire of Jerusalem. Send me an e-mail at jppoland@sbcglobal.net if you want to know the details.

Mr. Poland,

This struck me as the saddest part of your post. It seems that you dislike Orthodox Christians, and Orthodox Priests moderating here.

Are Orthodox not Christians? Are Orthodox priests not priests? Are Orthodox faithful not our brothers and sisters in Christ?

I have not found any of the posters to be "strident anti-Roman Catholics," in all the years I have been posting here. "Strident" and "anti" are sure powerful words. Perhaps a bit unfair, or un-Christian, no?

I don't know... I just find your post to be truly sad. Instead of making harsh statements, would it not be better to pray for those you consider your adversaries, especially since both East and West-- both Lungs, are celebrating and rejoicing in the Light of the Ressurection?

I do pray that you will find peace at the new forum. I am sorry that you feel the resentment that you do. I just feel this is a great place where people of all different traditions and faiths have come together. Sure there are sometimes fights or a clashing of ideas, but at the end of the day, I am sure a lot of us pray for unity of all our churches, and for each other.

I hope I can stand next you one day at some Liturgy where both East and West are reunited. I am sure praying and helping to work for that ultimate goal.

I hope you are too.

Be well at the new Forum. I hope you find it a place free of hijackings and other Orthodox interference........

-ukrainiancatholic, a relative of many priests and a bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic Churches who were brutally killed for their unwavering faith in the Risen Christ.

Well one thing I can promise is at the forumscatholic.com where I post, you will find many Orthodox, Fr. Ambrose, the moderator of that forum for one.

This may be one such discussion you have missed - it is sad to me - http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=110269
Unfortunately the discussion is not done in a spirit of love, but confrontation.

But you know what? Here on Byzcath, we have wonderful Orthodox and Catholic Priests and Deacons who give of their time to minister to a cyber world. Yes they stand up for their part of the faith, i.e. Catholic or Orthodox - they must defend it, but more often than not they work to bring about understanding. Not to lead anyone away from where they are but to help us see how the other thinks.

It has been a long time since we have had an all out tug of war here on Byzcath, the admin more often than not gets acused of not allowing anyone to have a decenting opinion. Which is entirely the opposite of what you are saying.

I have been blessed to gain many delightful cyber friends from all walks of the Sacramental Churches here on the Byzantine Forum and I thank God for that precious gift!

Pani Rose

I have found this forum to be one of the few places on the Internet where Latin Catholics and Orthodox can exchange ideas in a spirit of mutual respect and charity.

John Patrick,

I can say that, as a Roman Catholic, I don't really agree with you.

Although this might be a Catholic site, it isn't a Catholic forum, but rather an Eastern Christian one. Therefore, Roman Catholics like myself are outsiders/guests here, and the Orthodox are not.

And though I do agree that at times some posts here can be very "anti-Roman Catholic," there are also quite a few posts that are "anti-Orthodox," to employ your terminology.

I think this Forum sees an ebb and flow of the abovementioned antis, for a few weeks/days seeing a general "anti-RC" attitude and then switching gears to an "anti-EO" attitude in many of the posts. This is totally understandable as many Byzantine Catholics here (rightfully) struggle to find their happy medium.

I think our Orthodox posters here have always acted with great charity, like Fr. Anthony, Alice, Chtec, Brian, Zenovia, Rilian, etc.

I have my beliefs about the Roman Catholic Church specifically and about the Catholic Communion of Churches as a whole, and I know that many on here disagree with me, but I try to make it a nonissue unless I think Catholic dogma is at stake. Perhaps you could try that route.

Logos Teen

John Patrick,

If that really is your view on our Forum then I have to respect it , after all a great deal of thought must have gone into forming it.

However , being perfectly frank I don't agree with you.

Teen is correct - though the main Site - www.byzcath.org is indeed a Catholic one, the Forum is not - it is a Christian one - and I would ask you to remember that we have had non-Christians posting here.

I can't honestly see any Orthodox bias among the Admins/Mods

Our Admins as far as I can see are spread fairly - 2 Priests - one Eastern Catholic , one Orthodox Christian : 1 Eastern Catholic Lay Member: 1 Eastern Catholic Deacon .

Moderators - one EC Lay Person [ inactive] and three specialist EC Lay People on a specialist Forum [ Kliros], one lay Orthodox Christian : three Eastern Catholic Deacons : two Eastern Catholic Priests, two Orthodox Christian Priests [ one of whom is inactive ]

How can anyone say that the Byzcath Forum has been hi-jacked by the Orthodox ?

Ah well - it takes all sorts to make the world and each person forms his own views.

Mr Poland - I wish you well in your search for a Forum where you will feel at ease - I'm comfortable here , and here I will stay.
I have looked at other Boards - I'm a member in a few other places and I occasionally post on other Boards , but Byzcath is my home and it's Members are my family - we rejoice together , we are in pain together , we pray together , we fight [ at times ] among ourselves - we are a family with all the tensions that there are in families.

When I am in Lourdes later this month I will light a candle for you in the Grotto there and ask Our Blessed Mother , Mary ever virgin , to protect you and lead you to Her most wonderful Son

Anhelyna

We're not Orthodox?

Dear John Patrick,

For your information the link you provided is pretty old news...infact one of the posters felt so bad by it that she posted an apology on the Prayer Thread here. She and I talked it out privately as I had immense respect for her, and as good Christians all is now forgiven and more importantly, all is now forgotten.

It is especially curious to me personally that you feel that there is anti-catholic or pro-orthodox sentiments on the part of moderators because I have been singled out in the past and attacked by some zealous Orthodox posters for 'not REALLY being Orthodox' because I do not do this! :rolleyes:

I wonder, however, if you have a bias towards the Orthodox?

Is this the most perfectly fair forum in the world? Probably not-- but as far as Catholics and Orthodox coming together in love for the Lord who died for all of us, I think that it comes pretty close.

If we cannot discuss with each other, if we cannot debate with each other, if we cannot pray with each other, if we cannot learn about each other and each other's traditions, if we cannot try to see the other's viewpoint, if we cannot cross cultural, racial and ethnic barriers, and if we cannot get to know each other as sisters and brothers in Christ's love, then we have let no human being down, be it an administrator, moderator or poster--we have let our Lord down in not achieving the greatest virtue He desired of us, that we love one another and not judge each other.

Wishing you peace,
Alice

"Others claim to be Eastern Catholics, but have not obtained permission to change Churches from the respective Bishops in their old Church and the new Church. A few have not even gone through any type of Rite of Christian Initiation to leave a Protestant Church and join a Catholic Church."

And how do you know any of this? I don't remember anyone volunteering any of this information.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Friends,

This is the most even handed forum on which I've ever participated. I thank God for John Vernoski and for almost every poster here. Sometimes sparks fly but John and so many others are so knowlegeable and peaceable that they are soon extinguished and the rest of us learn by example. They aren't extinguished by repression but by knowledge and understanding. If necessary some are asked to cool off for a bit but John and the moderators are extraordinarily wise.

I've noticed that on every forum I'm on people come on from time to time who love to stir things up and create conspiracy whether there is one or not. I'd hate to think John Patrick is one such person.

CDL

That's right, and we're simply asking for a paltry "one meeelllleeeon dollars" for you to have it back.

Andrew

This is funny. And I believe it to be the pivotal point for this and another topic

http://forum.catholic.org/viewtopic.php?t=39253

In Christ,

Michael

Dear Andrew,

I have 10 million lira. Will that work?

Michael

I wonder who JP could be? I wonder who wrote this there and here?

At any rate: I think St. Theresa is a wonderful saint. I teach about her and the Thirty Three Doctors of the Church in my classes at the Un. of St. Francis where I teach Catholic Theology and History at a Roman Catholic University. I'm also very much Orthodox in Communion with Rome. JP can like it or not.

CDL