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Originally Posted by Scott1
Whom, exactly, is this "we" that you speak of? You personally.... Romanian Orthodox members.... every EO on the planet except for the Patriarch?
I love ya James, but it blows my mind that you seem so firm in your denouncement of anything that leads towards healing our Church. Pope JPII and Patriarch Bartholomew have Mass together, recite the Creed in its ORIGINAL GREEK form together... and this is foolishness?
ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, and APOSTOLIC... if you are not working towards making this a reality, you are working AGAINST the Holy Spirit.
May the Mother of God intercede for you James,
Scott
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I'm sorry that you feel this way. I am certainly not working against unity, but I am opposed to the kind of false, politically motivated unity that Patriarch Bartholomew seems to favour (whilst I admit that this may be only an appearance and not his intent). I can assure you that the vast majority of Orthodox Christians feel this way and it's safe to say that whereas you speak of healing our Church as though we were already one but simply haven't been talking for the last 1000 years we would say that unity is about trying to bring Rome back into the Church that she split from. In saying this, I am trying to be honest and not trying to cause further offence.
I'm unaware of the EP actively participating in Mass with JPII and would be surprised to find that he had. Attending a Mass but not actively participating in it is one thing, but for him to do what you seem to be implying would result in his falling under an anathema. That would almost certainly end in his being deposed and/or a further schism within the Orthodox Church. I do not question the EP's motives but I certainly do question his wisdom if (and, as I said, I do not know what you say to be true) his acceptance of the decidedly non-Orthodox 'two lungs' theory has lead him to flout the canons.
As for the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, I'm sure you understand that we already believe that this is a reality - it is the Orthodox Church. We do not believe that the Church can be simultaneously one and divided or that we can have any unity without unity of faith - and the latter we most certainly do not have.
I'm not sure that I need the intercession of the Theotokos in this particular regard but I will take your prayer as sincere nonetheless. I would pray in turn that the intercession of all the saints of the western Church will lead Rome back into a true union with us. I love you and all Roman Catholics also, and I mean this sincerely, but I am not willing to compromise on my faith and hope that you can see that I am articulating my sincere beliefs and not attempting to cause needless friction between us.
James
09-02-2005, 01:30 AM
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