Will The East And West Ever Reunite?

[Selah]

Thought this would be better in here. Hopefully we can keep this charitable.

 

In your opinion, do you think that the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church will ever reunite? What hurdles do we have to cross? What do you think would happen if both Churches reunited tomorrow? Do you think it would solve more problems or cause more problems?

 

Discuss  :bounce:

Edited January 6, 2013 by Selah

[Byzantine]

I had a deacon friend who described the problem as largely consisting of three letters. Guess. They're all different letters and rhyme with the Spanish word for friend.

[Amppax]

I had a deacon friend who described the problem as largely consisting of three letters. Guess. They're all different letters and rhyme with the Spanish word for friend.

 

I thought filioque, but that just fails on every level.  

[Selah]

I had a deacon friend who described the problem as largely consisting of three letters. Guess. They're all different letters and rhyme with the Spanish word for friend.

 

What are they?

[Byzantine]

You need all of them to spell the word "ogre."

[Fidei Defensor]

EGO

[Apotheoun]

In your opinion, do you think that the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church will ever reunite?

 

Maybe someday, but not any time in the foreseeable future.

 

 

What hurdles do we have to cross? 

 

The hurdles are theological, ecclesiological, spiritual, and liturgical.

 

Some examples of theological differences include:  the filioque, the monarchy of God the Father, along with other questions related to Triadology and Christology, the nature of grace, and the nature and consequences of the ancestral sin.  While on issues related to ecclesiology the Roman Church and the Orthodox Church do not agree about the nature of the Church and the manner of her indivisible subsistence, and they also disagree about the papacy and about the role and nature of authority in general.  Finally, spirituality and liturgy are two other areas where the Roman Church and the Orthodox Church do not seem to mesh well, and this is especially true when one compares the modern Roman liturgy and the ancient liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.  In fact, most of my Orthodox friends think that modern Roman Catholic liturgical services look like a form of Protestant worship, and sometimes not even good Protestant worship.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Apotheoun

[Apotheoun]

What do you think would happen if both Churches reunited tomorrow? 

 

Absolute turmoil.  I think that many of the Eastern Orthodox Churches would separate from any Orthodox Church that entered into communion with Rome.  Moreover, depending upon the nature of the agreement that reestablished communion (e.g., if it involved Rome renouncing many of its second millennium "dogmas") one could also see large numbers of Roman Catholics going into schism, and establishing SSPX like "traditionalist" Churches.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Apotheoun

[Selah]

Absolute turmoil.  I think that many of the Eastern Orthodox Churches would separate from any Orthodox Church that entered into communion with Rome.  Moreover, depending upon the nature of the agreement that reestablished communion (e.g., if it involved Rome renouncing many of its second millennium "dogmas") one could also see large numbers of Roman Catholics going into schism, and establishing SSPX like "traditionalist" Churches.

 

I was thinking the same thing today. There would probably be several sects breaking away, from both sides.

[Apotheoun]

Do you think it would solve more problems or cause more problems?

 

A quick reunion would cause more problems than it would solve, because it would bring about a greater number of schisms.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Apotheoun

[Apotheoun]

I was thinking the same thing today. There would probably be several sects breaking away, from both sides.

 

I agree.

[Nihil Obstat]

 
not even good Protestant worship.
 

 
good Protestant worship.
 

Rare for you to slip up like that. :hehe: ;)

 

 

[Apotheoun]

Rare for you to slip up like that. :hehe: ;)

 

I didn't really slip up in my use of the word "worship," because I was simply stating what some of my Orthodox friends say, and of course not all of them are that precise in their use of terms.

 

  :smile3:

Edited January 6, 2013 by Apotheoun

[Lilllabettt]

are you a lawyer?

[Laudate_Dominum]

I like to think that reunion in a soft sense is possible in the foreseeable future, but I don't follow these things as closely as Apo, and others.