www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Is here anything wrong in learning from an Orthodox priest?

In my desire to increase my knowledge about all things Eastern, I visited an Orthodox parish and met the wonderful priest they have. He has agreed to meet me personally on some days to answer my inquiries about the Orthodox faith (not inquiring about becoming Orthodox, I made that clear to him. But the beliefs that the Orthodox have which we Eastern Catholics should bear).

Many Catholics I know advised against meeting with this priest. I don't see why its bad. We read their books and catechesis to learn our faith more. Why can't we talk to them directly? Is it wrong for a Catholic to do so?

Constantine,

There is certainly nothing wrong with a Catholic speaking to an Orthodox priest or with any clergyman whom he or she respects.

I treasure the rare opportunities that I have to get together and chat with an Orthodox priest whom I consider a personal friend and others with whom I've also been close over the years.

There are other Orthodox clergy with whom I have long-standing internet relationships and friendships, but whom I regret greatly that I've never had the chance to meet in person - both Father Ambrose and Father David come immediately to mind. The same is true of Pastor Thomas, a Lutheran clergyman who posts here and of whom I think highly. I'd be delighted to sit down and discuss matters, religious and secular, with any of them.

That there are Catholics who will warn you off from such conversations is no surprise. And, in fairness, if the situation were reversed and you were Orthodox, you could easily find Orthodox who would warn you away from sitting and talking with a Catholic priest. The thinking, in either case, would be that one was putting oneself at risk of being led away from his or her own church and into the 'other' church.

Is that a concern for you? Only you can answer that. Will the priest in question seek to entice you from your church? Only he can answer that. My personal expectation would be that a priest who understood that I wasn't seeking to be convinced to do so and didn't want to be evangelized would respect that and act accordingly.

Frankly, if I came to feel that I did want to leave my church but believed that I had been purposely led to that conclusion, I might still leave but would immediately find myself a different priest.

Which is not to say that one could not find oneself convinced of the truths of what a priest of another church said, with no effort made on the priest's part. That possibility or risk. however one wishes to term it, is always there.

Many years,

Neil

For years now I have been "hanging out" at St. Seraphim OCA Cathedral in Dallas, attending various services and taking advantage of opportunities to get to know both priests and parishioners there. I often literally sat at the feet of the late Archbishop Dmitri (may his memory be eternal) to learn from him. I found these lessons useful in trying to become a better person and I almost always came away with insights I could use to become a better Greek Catholic. It quickly became clear to them I wasn't going to join the Orthodox Church so any efforts to "convert" me were abandoned.

One Roman Catholic lady I know became fearful that if she attended there, or even a Greek Catholic church, she might get it into her head she should become Orthodox. I just told her that if her conscience one day started telling her the Orthodox Church were more authentically Christian than the Catholic Church, then she'd be obliged to join it; and that even from the Catholic point of view, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. It certainly would not have been like switching over to the Baptist church or some other non-sacramental Protestant church; or like going over to a non-Christian religion.

She remains Roman Catholic to this day.

I will admit, this feels like "cheating"

Please try not to be over-scrupulous in your observance, or you risk being more 'strict' with yourself (and others) than the Church herself is.

If our leaders of the Byzantine Catholic Churches thought there was something wrong with learning from Orthodox priests, they wouldn't be invited guests at our days of reflection, as was the case with Fr. David Mastroberte, and their work would not be cited in our catechetical material. I think the key is to be open with our spiritual fathers/mothers about our spiritual sources of insight.

Christ is Risen!
JAD

Er, well, I do not have a spiritual father/mother.



I'm trying not to, I was going to go through with it until people start telling me not to do it. So now I am wondering if it is the right thing to do or not.

Constantine, my brother,

I strongly suspect that I know 'where' you've been given such cautions and, although I'm not as conversant with the crowd presently there as I once was, I do keep enough of an eye on things to know that the mix of individuals there is certainly not any more open-minded than it ever was - much less so, in fact. (The exceptions being several long-time and treasured friends who remain stalwart in their efforts to try and maintain some semblance of an Eastern mindset and atmosphere in a venue that staunchly resists it.)

My brothers, sielos, j.andrew, and Deacon John have all made valid points about the relationships between our Churches and our clergy. Orthodox writings are regularly prescribed reading in our seminaries. Orthodox clergy teach at those.

I'd confidently bet that most - almost all - of the opinions to which you allude have been offered to you by Latins with little, if any, real knowledge and understanding of the East. I also rather suspect that a couple of other factors are at play. It's my impression that the EC and EO Churches in Canada are more distant from one another/less connected than is the case here in the US, as much of the animosity 'on the ground' has yet to be dispelled.

Additionally, I have a strong sense from the comments of others that latinization remains more of a factor in EC Churches there than is the case here. There are probably two compelling factors involved there - the mindset of some religious order clergy and a reluctance on the part of a strong and continuing influx of immigrant faithful who see such as what defines them as 'different' from their Orthodox countrymen and want to hold onto that difference. (Such is, of course, also part of the arms-length distance at which the Churches hold themselves.) At the same time, there are notable centers of influence that strive to be truly 'Eastern' - St Elias in Brampton beimg right up in the lead in that respect. Still, there is a long way to go - likely decades, if the experience in the US is any comparable indicator.

Unlike the environment where you are being warned off the 'risks' of having Orthodoxy rub off on you, here you'll generally (though not in every instance) find a different viewpoint. I don't believe that there are any among us who don't love their own Church and don't feel regret when they see another leave it. But, the overwhelming majority understand that everyone has to make their own peace with God and serve Him in the way that they find most conducive to their spiritual well-being. So, we don't hurl anathemas, we prayerfully support one another in those kind of hard decisions.

And, if that's what we do when one among us makes such a choice, how can we possibly justify warning someone away from educational intercourse intended to help themselves be stronger in their faith and understanding of Eastern Christianity. That would be pretty hypocritical.

Many years,

Neil

Not just from CAF, even people I know from outside of CAF. Even Eastern Catholics, those who are devout in the Eastern faith and even would go themselves to Orthodox parishes for services.

I would stay away from CAF and many of the more popular RC blogs. I have found them to be spiritually unhealthy.

DITTO!!!

Point of information, please, who or what is CAF?

Catholic Answer Forums forums.catholic.com

ConstanineTG... go ahead and stay away from CAF. I've seen your recent threads and comments on there, and quite frankly the EC forum has slipped into some Mel Gibson crazy rant session from supposed "traditional" Catholics who really speak more like sedevcantists...

Sadly, I agree with you Dave. But there are still a few good people there. Br. JR and Alexander Roman are a couple of people I enjoy even just reading what they have to say.