Eastern Orthodox Mass for Catholic's Sunday Obligation?

[Gabriela]

I know this has been asked before but my memory's like a sieve right now. If I go to an Orthodox Mass, will it fulfill my Sunday obligation? I know I can't receive communion because they're not cool with that, even though we are. I'm just wondering about the obligation.

[truthfinder]

17 minutes ago, Gabriela said:

I know this has been asked before but my memory's like a sieve right now. If I go to an Orthodox Mass, will it fulfill my Sunday obligation? I know I can't receive communion because they're not cool with that, even though we are. I'm just wondering about the obligation.

From what I know, and also this article, it appears the answer to this would be no, it does not fulfill the obligation.

http://www.ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur486.htm

[cappie]

Canon 1248.1 states that the requirement to attend Mass on Sundays and holydays is satisfied by assisting at Mass wherever it is celebrated in a Catholic rite. It would be incorrect to assume the liturgical celebrations in Orthodox churches constitute Catholic rites.

It's true the Catholic Church recognises the validity  of sacraments administered to the Orthodox faithful by Orthodox clerics because the Church holds that the Orthodox clergy are validly ordained priests. The Orthodox churches are officially in a state of schism cf canon 751.

So when Canon 1248.1 mentions the need for Catholics to attend Sunday Mass anywhere in a Catholic rite, the phrase is not intended to include Orthodox churches. 

Yes the Catholic church holds that it is a valid Mass; but it isn't a Catholic Mass so doesn't satisfy the regular Sunday obligation.

So does this mean that Catholics can never attend Orthodox liturgy and have it fulfil the Sunday obligation?

Of course there are specific out of the ordinary situations in which this may take place and these are addressed in Canon 844.2. A Catholic may receive the sacraments of Penance, the Eucharist, and anointing of the Sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches sacraments are valid if it is impossible for the Catholic person to approach a Catholic cleric for these Sacraments; the danger of indifferentism is avoided and there is genuine necessity or spiritual advantage to be gained from it.

So you could imagine that you are backpacking through Greece and there is no Catholic church you could consider that attending the Sunday liturgy is more spiritually fulfilling than doing nothing at all. But in that case there would be no obligation anyway as there is no Catholic rite available.