Catholic Online Forum

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In Christ
Kim, M



"....abstinence and chastity, dispose man very much to the perfection of intellectual operation.” St Thomas Aquinas

Kim,

His comment doesn't surprise me. When it comes to talks of unification the Russian Orthodox are usually the ones most likely to say that it will never happen. It has been happening – slowly. Most, if not all, of the Byzantine rites within the Catholic Church were once part of the Orthodox Church.

We should also keep in mind that this archbishop speaks for the Russian Orthodox Church, not all of the Orthodox. The various Orthodox groups, while united in some ways, can act independently from in each other in other ways.

A priest once told me that he believes that it will begin from the bottom up – in other words, from the laity. I thought he made a good point. We’ve seen cooperation between the two Churches within Muslim countries where Christians are a minority and often persecuted. We’ve seen cooperation in areas where there are few Catholic or Orthodox Churches. Perhaps unification is more likely when there is a need for it.

We should all pray for unification between the Catholics and the Orthodox.


Effie

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“The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected.” –G.K Chesterton

In my opinion, the differences, that are very unlikely to be resolved, will hinge upon the differing views regarding marriages, divorce and divorce and remarriage.

I do not see a "compomise". If the Catholic position were to be "watered down", which is already well on its way but not "official yet", the Church will disintigrate to all but a remnant.

God help us.


KJ

I do not worry about the Church watering down its Teachings. I believe Christ had a protective mechanism in mind when He said to the Church "whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." Mt 18:18
If Christ knew that the Church will make what is erroneous, as binding on the faithful, He would never have said this-after all, Heaven will not hold as binding what God sees as "wrong". Christ knew that He will give His Church a quality that no other institution has: infallibility. By that promise of Christ, we can be 100% secure that what the Church teaches as binding, is indeed binding even in Heaven.

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In Christ
Kim, M



"....abstinence and chastity, dispose man very much to the perfection of intellectual operation.” St Thomas Aquinas

Really? I have never heard of these being a sticking point in Orthodox-Catholic unity, much less a major one. The nature of the primacy of Rome and the kingship of the father seem much larger stumbling blocks. Why do you point to this one?

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Jeff Stevens

I would say we don't differ at all in this area, we just use different vocabulary. An Orthodox divorce is the same and as difficult to acquire as a Catholic annulment, and has the same consequences. Perhaps marriage of clergy, but even then this is no great obstacle. I would agree that issues such as papal supremacy and infallibility, and dogmas since spoken ex cathedra are far greater than this. I'd say regarding areas such as sanctity of marriage and similarly sanctity of life we can stand united and be a beacon to a society that's spiraling out of control.

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In Christ

Ryan

"Grant, O Lord, that I may now love Thee as once I loved sin itself, and that I may labor for Thee without laziness as once I labored for Satan the deceiver."

Well, "very unlikely" events happen all the time, even in nature. In fact, miracles are the very definition of "very unlikely" events.

So, we should not be discouraged.

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--Justin

It's not over until we draw our last breath.

If thou have much give abundantly: if thou have little, take care even so to bestow willingly a little. For thus thou storest up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity. Tobit 4:9-4:10