Catholic Online Forum

CIX

(it took a long time for me to figure out that my friend writing that didn't mean 109...)

Still the same thing. The Catholic position is that Peter is the necessary focus of unity, more or less... and you know what we believe about authority. At the same time, it doesn't mean that the position of the Orthodox in particular has changed - or that our thinking about those Christians has changed.

What struck me was reading the Moscow patriarchy's response - overwhelmingly positive. There is acknowledgement now, I believe, that in order to discuss things, we must be honest about our positions - theological, political, personal. The statement just released will probably prove more fruitful for reunion than waffling about things and refusing to recognise true differences.

Any baptised Christian is my brother (sister). Any baptised Christian not in communion with Rome is separated from me. Nothing has changed.

The Orthodox are true churches - I don't think any Catholic who knew them would say otherwise. They are considered 'defective' in the sense that they do not hold that fullness of authority and above all *unity* which the Catholic Church - eastern and western - possesses. They have the sacraments... the question is whether they have the fullness of the teaching office as well. I would say that they don't (which is why I became Catholic not Orthodox - the Roman side is incidental since I'm more inclined to the Liturgy of St. John than to the Missa Normativa); you would obviously believe that they do (which is why you're not a Catholic, I assume). One point is the disunity of the local churches - impaired communion with us and with each other in some cases.

This position is very different to the position of the Protestant churches, which lack not only the teaching authority but the sacraments (most have valid baptism).

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Jules Xx


What will become of sinners?

Hopefully, Christians seeking Truth?

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Michael D.
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The mercy of Christ is not a cheap grace; it does not presume a trivialization of evil.
Pope Benedict XVI