Orthodoxy & Catholicism

QUESTION:

Dear Father,

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

What should our proper attitude be toward the Roman Catholic Church? They too claim Apostolic Succession. Should we be working towards unity?

Mark Braun St. Thomas The Apostle Church Waldorf, MD

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ANSWER:

As Orthodox Christians, our attitude towards the Roman Catholic Church must be that of love. This is the approach of our Metropolitan Nicholas. His Eminence is a firm supporter of engaging in a dialogue of love with the hierarchs of the Roman Catholic Church. His Eminence is a member of the Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops in America. This committee was formed to give a forum for an open and honest discussion of the theological issues that are in disagreement between the two churches. The purpose of our involvement in such a dialogue is merely to witness to the core beliefs of the Orthodox Church. He was also appointed by His All-Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew, to be the official representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (observer) at the Annual Conference of American Catholic Bishops in Rome several years ago.

In order to fully answer your thought provoking question, a brief review of church history is warranted. Up until the 11th Century there indeed was only ONE Church. The Church was known as simply The Church or The Catholic( Universal) Church. (After the Great Scism of 1054 - the Church of Rome became known as the Roman Catholic Church and the Churches of the East as the Orthodox (Catholic) Church)

The Orthodox and Catholic Churches have the core dogmas of the Christian Church that were articulated by the Seven Ecumenical Councils in common. As you rightly pointed out, the Catholic Church does have Apostolic Succession - the Bishops of the Catholic Church trace their line of succession back to the Apostle Peter.

By the nineth century, disagreements between the Churches of the Eastern Part of the Empire and the West (The Church of Rome) began to arise. The chief issue of contention, was the role of the Bishop of Rome in the Universal Church. At the First Ecumenical Council, it was decreed that the Church of Rome would enjoy a primacy of honor, first among equals. It was intended to be a primacy of honor not of authority . This important issue is the greatest source of tension between our two churches today. As Orthodox, we hold dearly to the Apostolic understanding of the Conciliarity of the Church which guarantees a unity of love between the churches which is reflective of the unity of the Holy Trinity. During the scholastic era in the West, the Church of Rome deviated from Orthodoxy in attempting to systemize theology and over-dogmatize in regards to the matters of faith. This is seen in the doctrines of The Immaculate Conception and Papal Infalliability, which are alien to the faith and spirit of the Apostolic Faith. Another issue today is modernism in the worship of the Post Vatican II Catholic Church which is of grave concern to The Orthodox Church.

In short, while there is much that we have in common, there are many differences, serious enough that we are not in communion with one another.

At every Liturgy, we sing in the Orthodox Church:

We have seen the true Light, we have received the Heavenly Spirit, we have found the True Faith...

Our sung theology, rightly implies that we believe the Orthodox Church to be the True Church, faithful at all times throughout Her 2000+ year history to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Apostles. We can historically trace numerous divergences from the teachings of the Early Church Fathers in the Roman Church. While other Christian groups have maintained many elements of the apostolic faith, we believe that the eternal truth of God's revelation in Jesus Christ is preserved in its full integrity in the living tradition of the Orthodox Church, under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Finally our attitude towards the Roman Catholic Church necessarily should be that of speaking the truth in love. While we indeed have the responsibility to proclaim the truth of Orthodoxy, we must not do so in a cavalier or triumphalistic manner, but rather with great humility and with a keen awareness of our own human weakness and sinfulness.

It is not enough to speak about or proclaim the Truth of Orthodoxy - we must live it. With hearts burning with love, it is our Christian duty to pray for those who are outside of the Orthodox Church, that they may find their way back to the fold. We are called to work unceasingly for Christian Unity by being witnesses in all that we say and do to the power and beauty of the Pearl of Great Price, the Orthodox Christian Faith.