www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Eastern Catholics have much to offer US church, cardinal tells bi

Thanks for posting that link, it has some great pictures! I am guessing tomorrow may be a day for more discussions, though I suppose it could be later.

Prayers!

J. Andrew

I emailed "Joan's Rome" also and asked if they had a Roman Catholic mass. I also informed her that they are Eastern Catholic Church bishops and not Eastern Rite bishops.

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Below is a formal letter which was sent to Metropolitan William (and others) regarding the speech that is on this thread-as you can see, our clergy have expressed their concerns on the matter. The time stamp has it posted as being sent this morning (Friday, May 18th), so I am not certain as to whether our Bishops will have the chance to speak to Cardinal Sandri in person, but I would pray that this would transpire, if it be God's will. Regardless, I think there is an important message that this statement has made (negative) waves back in the US.

In XC,
J. Andrew

Subject: Timely request from our Church in America

Christ is Ascended!

Arcbishop William,

I take this opportunity of your still being in Italy, and therefore, in or near Rome, to make a formal request to you. My request is actually meant for all of the Eastern Catholic Bishops from North America, but most particularly to you as the ranking prelate of my own Church, the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh.

The remarks by Cardinal Sandri in his homily to the Eastern Catholic bishops of America have filtered back and are reverberating through the clergy and laity of our Churches in America, as well as the Orthodox Churches. In a similar way that the Health and Human Services controversey in America finds the issue of contraception itself being expressive of a deeper and fundamental issue of religious liberty, so too the remarks by Cardinal Sandri for the Eastern Catholic Churches to "embrace celibacy in respect to ecclesial context" are reflective of a deeper and more fundamental attitude from Rome and the Latin Rite that simply can no longer go unanswered by the Eastern Catholic Churches.

In addition to being chillingly reminiscent of the demeaning attitude of the Latin Rite bishops toward the Eastern Catholic Churches during the beginning of the last century in America, the Cardinal's remarks about celibacy seem to confirm what so many Eastern Catholics in America have suspected for too long: Rome and the Latin Rite see the Eastern Catholic Churches in America as essentially inconsequential, perhaps even in the way of ecumenism between Rome and the Orthodox Churches.

Essentially the Cardinal's remarks send the message that the Latin Rite Church is the 'real' Church, superior to the Eastern Catholic Churches and therefore the Eastern Catholic Churches could be ordered to compromise themselves in deference to the Latin Rite Church, the 'real' Church. To us in America the Cardinal's remarks reflected a paternalistic attitude toward the Eastern Catholic Churches in America. Rome seems to see our Churches in America as simply a diaspora having little value other than ethnic customs and the degree to which we can support our Churches in their homelands.

Archbishop William, my request to you, as the ranking prelate of my Church and especially, if it is still possible while you are in Italy at this time, to meet again with Cardinal Sandri, on behalf of your Church back in America, regarding his remarks and the reaction to his remarks reverberating through the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches in America at this time. Our Ruthenian Church in particular needs to establish a better and more consistent dialogue with Rome so as to present a more accurate picture of the real gift and evangelical power of the Eastern Catholic Churches in America. The Eastern Catholic Churches, and in particular the Ruthenian Church, are actually in a position to indeed supply what is lacking in the whole Church in America and to confront secular society with type of vocabulary and spirituality that we alone can bring to the war on secularism and moral relativism. It seems that Rome understands none of this about us.

For the good of the whole Church and for the good of souls, it is time for our Ruthenian Church in particular stop acting like co-dependent children of Rome. It does not really serve Rome, the whole Church or the people of God for the Ruthenian Church (or any Eastern Catholic Church) to assume a position of weakness and inferiority helplessly waiting for what to many of us is essentially a 'phantom' indivdivual or department in Rome, with so little understanding of our Churches, to singularly decide the fate of our Churches in America. Surely we should have more pride in our Church than this and more regard for the memory of our members who, during Communist oppression, shed their blood out of loyalty to the Pope of Rome.

Thank you for consideration of my request,
--Fr. Thomas J. Loya, STB.,MA.

One cannot fail to appreciate the fine Roman sense of irony in His Eminence’s encouragement to “embrace celibacy in respect of the ecclesial context of the United States where mandatory celibacy is the general rule for priests” whilst bemoaning the fact that “you have encountered opposition, indifference and ignorance along the way."

Once again, Roma locuta est; causa PERDUTA est!

Several times I have seen the words "where mandatory celibacy is the general rule for priests" (which were originally part of the journalist's article) appended to the Cardinal's quote. Did he actually say this?

Because one of Pope Benedict's concluding points [press.catholica.va] to our bishops was not about embracing celibacy for clergy - but embracing the consecrated life, and urging the bishops to foster it.

For all that it is important to hold to our traditions - in effect, we end up rejecting clerical celibacy as a way of life, and even state or imply that the Roman Church would be better off without it. How does this help our witness in a society where the human NEED for ongoing sexual activity has become an unstated assumption, driving contraception, explicit sex education, abortion, etc.? Do we really BELIEVE that it is possible for a single, chaste adult to live a wonderful life? Let alone a life dedicated to the Gospel, when we often imply that a priest really really needs a wife to be happy?

I thank God for both the married and unmarried priests I've known; and all the monks and nuns I have met. I wish there were more. I am afraid that sometimes we overreact on the issue of the married priesthood, and unwittingly weaken the overall role of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches as countercultural forces.

That is why I would REALLY like to know if the Cardinal's mention of celibacy in the ecclesial context is referring to OUR ecclesial issues ("Married priests now!") or to what Archbishop John Zizioulas meant by referring to the ecclesial way of existence - which definitely provides a place for celibacy, and always has.

In Cbrist,
Jeff

While I appreciate your sharing Father's letter, I hope that you had his permission to post it.

May God then Archbishop William and Father many blessed years.

I share Deacon Paul's concerm about permission and am removing the text until that assurance can be provided. As I will not be on-line until tonight, such assurance should be pm'ed to any mod or admin who's online at the time, so it can be restored.

Many years,

Neil

Jeff, my friend and brother,

I suspect your kindness or lack of cynicism is showing through - the admonition to 'embrace celibacy' seems too clear to me - and he did say that.

Many years,

Neil

Thank you for posting the link to this message from HH Benedict XVI to the US bishops. Just to clarify that this is addressed to all the US bishops. Our EC bishops were the final group of US bishops, by region, to have an ad limina visit with the Pope, so the ad limina visits have concluded and this is his overall response to all those visits.

My mistake. I see it was only written to the bishops of Regions XIV-XV, which is our EC bishops, and the bishops of the Latin Church ecclesiastical provinces of Miami and of Atlanta.

All,
I would not share something without permission.
In XC,,
J Andrew

Excellent. I'd already written and then put into "drafts" pending word of this permission, an email to Fr Tom thanking him for expressing so fully the concerns.

He's probably already recorded his program which will air this Sunday, but I bet we will be hearing about this topic on "Light of the East" and I very much look forward to what he will have to say.

J.Andrew,

Thanks very much for providing the text of Father Tom's letter. I have restored it to the thread.

Many years,

Neil

As requested, I've moved the discussion of Rite and Church as terms to its own thread in East & West - titled Taxonomy - Rite & Church & Whatever (because something else is sure to arise and be thrown into the mix)

Many years,

Neil

Hi likethethief. I'm intrigued by your suggestion that the visit might strengthen both EC and OC Churches, and I'm curious as to how you see that coming about? (The simplistic interpretation is that it could strengthen OC Churches in a back-handed way -- that is to say, someone who is considering joining either Catholicism or Orthodoxy might decide on Orthodoxy because of the "married priest troubles" in Catholicism. But I'm pretty sure that isn't what you meant. )