www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Eastern Catholics - why are you in union with Rome?

J.M.J.
A.M.D.G.

Hello everyone, I started this thread to ask the Eastern Catholic here why they are in union with Rome. What patristic writings brought them to accept the primacy of the Roman Pontiff, and his universal jurisdiction. I am NOT seeking the Orthodox Perspective. If you wish for that please start your own thread.

Catholig

May I ask why you assume that Eastern Catholics accept the concept of the Pope's universal jurisdiction?

Alexandr

Because, as far as I know, this is something you have to accept to be Catholic.

Hmmm.... Some might disagree with you on that.

�So, then, if anyone says that the Roman Pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, and this not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those which concern the discipline and government of the Church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that he has only the principal part, but not the absolute fullness, of this supreme power; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the Churches and over all and each of the pastors and faithful: let him be anathema.�

Vatican I

Might I ask what Vatican I has to do with Eastern Catholicism?

Dear Catholiq,

On ByzCath we do not have selected response threads. Either the topic is open to all or it will be shut down. Choice is yours, but an immediate answer is expected.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+
Administrator

God is clear in his directions for us, do you really want to know ...

We sought the Lord. Our oldest son was four years old and we knew he needed to be somewhere. That year we went to Easter Services with his grandmother at All Saints PNC, of which his grandparents had been founders of. http://www.allsaintspnccpa.org/easter2007.html
It was wonderfuly beautiful. I remember asking him if the priest was concerned that they did not get enough exercise at home since they had to stand and kneel so much. After all, I was just a small town southern girl, what did I know. We knew that was where we wanted to be, but living over two hours away was not possible. However, that began our search for a Catholic Church that had very similar small �t� traditions of his grandma�s Church.

Well God was glad to oblige us. We were both involved in the JCs at the time, a civic organization. I was president of the Women�s JCs in Wintersville, and had become fast friends with the President of the Toronto Women�s JCs. We spent a lot of time together with our kids, then one day she said, �Well there is a Church here, they don�t use Latin and they don�t use English, but it is Catholic and I will find out what it is.� She called the next day, and said it was St. Joseph�s Byzantine Catholic Church in Toronto, Ohio. (Can�t find a picture) That was the last time we ever spoke. I guess she had finished the work God wanted her to do for us.

So, I talked with Archpriest Michael Moran and just knew we had to go. My husband was obstinate, and would not go until he met him. So meet him we did, we only talked for about fifteen minutes, and thought we had known him all our lives. He said you must come at least three times to get the hang of the worship of the Divine Liturgy, and we said OK. The funny thing is, it only took one time. We knew we were home. Then I remembered Jesus showing his face to me at Ridgecrest (a Southern Baptist Camp) and shared it with Fr. Michael. He said that God was faithful to his promise, that he was letting me know he was going to be there to always take care of me. And he did, and he has!

But, it didn�t stop there. We came into the Church on Lazarus Saturday, 1979. Everything was just wonderful. It was like all the Scriptures I had learned as a child literally jumped off the pages at me. Above the Holy Doors in every Byzantine Churche is an icon of the Last Supper. The icon always has Christ and the Apostles sitting behind the table with the front empty � that is because we were there with them, for in Christ there is no time.

The priest prays: (After the fraction of the sacred Bread, the priest says in a low voice):
The Lamb of God is broken and distributed; broken but not divided. He is forever eaten yet is never consumed, but He sanctifies those who partake of Him.

It was so alive, I knew that I was there. That standing in front of that icon, I too was at the Last Supper, that the same particle he fed to his apostles, he was feeding to us.

The Lord clearly led us East in Communion with Rome!

Since the initiator of this thread has not cared to respond to my request, I am declaring this thread open to response to all posters.

There are NO selective response threads on this forum. Catholiq is hereby warned that selective response threads are not permitted on ByzCath.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+
Administrator

Thank you, Pani Rose; that was beautiful. I am a Latin Rite Roman Catholic. Frequently, I am also drawn to Eastern Rite churches, but then I very often am ramrodded with "everything good in the West comes from the East" attitude of some who are so sad and bitter (against everyone and evrybody, it seems) that I always fly back to the Latin Rite.

Let us pray that the Lord might have His way and bring the bitter and lonely back to His loving-kindness. So, I thank you...

Father, I did not know your policy, however it wasn't a matter of not caring to respond to you - I was simply offline. I turned off my computer and everything.

Catholig

oH my, I just realized what that the question above was directed to you. I couldn't figure out what the initials meant - rofl - anyway.

I am so sorry that is happening to you.

God loves us all. Each Church brings gifts to the Lord. We all bring Christ to a hurting world. Unfortunately, we all to often don't put aside the 'self' of us and show Christ instead.

I think until we humble ourselves before our God this is going to continue to happen. After all - Scripture says to us: If my people will humble themselves and seek my face, I will hear their prayer and heal their land. I pray that in some small way, this forum is part of seeking the Face of God, bringing forth understanding, that we may allow him to heal us and heal our land.

Pani Rose,

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "I am so sorry that is happening to you." Are you talking about me making a mistake by making this a selective thread or something else?

Catholig

I think your post came in between the post I was making in respince to the one above, sorry.

Well contrary to vocal parties persisting in presenting the norm as necessarily otherwise, a good deal of us believe in fact it was an ecumenical council and it is binding to those of us in the Catholic communion.

Of course anyone willing to look at about a half dozen threads on this board occuring in the past week or two can see that this has been an ungoing debate. Without desiring to make this the NEXT thread to be consumed by the question, it could perhaps suffice to say that a larger than negligable portion of Eastern Catholic faithful feel Vat I is binding and pertinent to us.

The simplest answer for ASimpleSinner is that I am in union with Rome because I accept the arguments for the papacy as offered by Rome.