www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology In Communion

I was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church as an infant. Is the Greek church in communion with the Byzantine Catholic church? Would my wife and I be able to partake in the sacraments if we were to attend services in the Byzantine church?

Searching

No, Byzantine Ruthenian and Ukrainian Catholics are in Communion with Rome and are seperated from their Orthodox brethren so communion is not shared.

Ungcsertezs

Forgive me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that Churches in communion with Rome *will* commune Orthodox, but not vice versa.

Jason

I have read in Latin Rite Novus Ordo Missalettes that Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians have permission to receive Communion in Catholic Churches. There is also mention of being obedient to one's own Church.

Since the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are not in Communion with eachother, the Orthodox Church Prohibits Orthodox Christians from receiving Communion and the other Holy Mysteries in Catholic Churches except in dire neccesity. The current "Catholic" position ignores the Theological and Eccesiological (sp?) differences between the two Churches.

That being said, you are in trouble with the Orthodox Church if you do receive the Holy Mysteries in a Catholic Church without dire neccesity. However, I have witnessed members of the Orthodox Church receiving Communion and Confessing in at least one Byzantine Catholic Church. Then again, I've also seen members of other groups also receive the Lord.....

There is no problem, from a Catholic standpoint, of an Eastern Orthodox receiving communiion in a Catholic Church.

However, the Orthodox do not generally permit their parishoners to do this. I would suggest that anyone who is thinking about this consult their parish priest or spritual father first.

Markos

Thank you all for your insight. I guess I now have to pray to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for guidance so that I make the right decisions.

Many blessings to all and I wish you all a blessed Pascha.

Searching

Yes that is correct, but any Orthodox worth His/Her Baptismal garment will not commune at a Roman Catholic Church.

No need to be judgemental. Many Greek-Catholic churches have significant numbers of Eastern Orthodox parishioners, and nobody attempts to stop them from receiving the Holy Mysteries. Before making Pronouncements, it's often worth-while to take a look at what is, in fact, going on.

Fr. Serge

I am not being judgmental, I am simply pointing out the fact that taking communion in a Catholic Church is strictly forbidden for all Orthodox Christians. I am sure Father, that you would be just as unbending about your parishioners knowingly breaking the canons and laws of Your Church.

And the fact that Greek Catholic Churches give Communion to Orthodox Parishioners knowing full well that the Orthodox Church forbids this shows a complete disregard for Orthodox Hierarchy which is actually pushing East and West apart.

But I already know that people will jump all over me right now calling me uncharitable and using the UOCKP as an example of great relations with UCC forgetting that UOCKP is not canonical.

WOW!!!!

I never thought that asking such a simple question would cause such an argument. Forgive me brothers & sisters in Christ, that wasn't my intent. Especially during Holy Week.

I am Greek by birth so I understand the stubborness and arogance of Greeks having to be right. I am Orthodox by baptism as an infant, but I never expected us Orthodox to be just as stubborn and arogant. I see this not just here but on other forums and in the real world.

If there is one Holy, catholic and apostolic church why did we allow it to be divided into not only thousands of denominations, but divided the Orthodox faith into so many jurisdictions? Isn't it time to truly unite all of us in Christ and stop the bickering of who is right, who is wrong, who is going to hell and who is a heretic. Why the ethnic divisions? There is one God. Why can't we worship him in our own unique way, yet still be united as one Holy, catholic and apostolic church? Why can't we just be Christians? Then people wonder why I haven't been to church in over a year and worship at home.

Again I apologize if I may have offended anyone with my inquiry or my opinions. I ask your forgiveness.

I wish you all many blessings.

Searching (well, maybe not anymore)

Searching-

Maybe the right question wasn't asked. If both Churches are apostolic with valid Liturgies, and the question is (maybe) whether or not you would go to a Byzantine Catholic Church for DL, or not got to either, perhaps the answers would be different. According to my understanding, you are certainly welcome in the BCC to fully participate in the liturgy and sacraments. Unfortunately, the Orthodox Churches do not extend the same reciprocity.

Have a Blessed Holy Week,

Alex

Pretending that a problem is not there, does not make it go away.


Before we can commune together we need to solve the issues which caused the rift in the first place.



Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Mat 5:24

I have a serious question -- what canon of the Orthodox Church prohibits an Orthodox Christian from communing in a Catholic Church? I know that there are no canons from an Ecumenical Council that deal with this issue, so I am interested to know what canon (from what Council, on what day, etc.) states this prohibition. I know that as a practical manner Orthodox Christians do not usually commune, but does anyone know where the actual canonical prohibition is to be found?

There is probably no specific canonical prohibition (same for receiving communion at an Oriental Orthodox Church for instance). Fr. Harakas offers a good explanation here of how we are to approach things, and I think his emphasis on how communion is interconnected to the other sacraments is a good point.

http://www.saintbarbara.org/faith/sacraments/holycommunion/holycommunion.cfm

I have also found Bishop Kallistos' book Communion and Intercommunion to be helpful. In that book, Bishop Ware discusses the different approaches to this question taken by modern Orthodox leaders. Some have been strict (as Borislav indicates) but others have been more lax (such as Fr Alexander Men and Fr Sergius Bulgakov, for example).