Orthodox Bishop Shares Communion With Catholics

[mortify]

[b]Orthodox bishop shares Communion with Catholics [/b]
[url="http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=58680"]Link to article[/url]

[color="#0000FF"]Timisoara , May. 27, 2008 (CWNews.com) - [b]A Romanian Orthodox bishop has shared Communion with Catholics[/b], causing a sensation in a country where Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox have a history of tense relations.

At the consecration of the Queen of Peace parish church in Timisoara on May 25, [b]Orthodox Metropolitan Nicolae Corneanu of Banat[/b] asked to share Communion. The Orthodox metropolitan approached the altar and received the Eucharist from his own hand.

[b]Romanian Catholic Bishop Alexandru Mesian of Lugoj[/b] was the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Catholic church; [b]Archbishop Francisco-Javier Lozano[/b], the apostolic nuncio to Romania, was also present.

[b]Although Orthodox and Catholic bishops often join in ecumenical services, and occasionally participate in each other's liturgical ceremonies, they do not share Communion-- an indication of the breach in ecclesial communion between the Orthodox churches and the Holy See.[/b] In Romania, tensions between the Orthodox Church and the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church have been pronounced, adding to the surprise created by Metropolitan Corneanu's action.

With [b]some Orthodox believers outraged[/b] by the metropolitan's sharing Communion with Catholic bishops, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Romania issued a statement saying that at the next meeting of the Orthodox synod, in July, Metropolitan Corneanu "may be asked to give an appropriate explanation" for his action.

The statement from the Orthodox patriarchate went on to say that ecumenical relations with the Catholic Church, "already quite fragile, cannot be helped, but are rather complicated," by sharing in Communion.

[b]Metropolitan Corneanu-- who was one of the first Orthodox bishops to admit that he had cooperated with the secret police under the Communist regime-- has a record of friendship with Romanian Catholics.[/b] He was among the few Orthodox leaders prepared to return church properties that had been seized by the Communist government from Catholic ownership in 1948 and handed over to Orthodox control. [/color]

[jeffpugh]

This is quite amazing. I don't know what else to say about it.

[CatherineM]

I forget the provision now, but I know you can get permission to receive in an orthodox church if you are somewhere where you don't have access to a Catholic church. I guess it is the bishop that gives the permission, so they can give permission to themselves, I suppose. I wonder if they discussed it with the Pope before doing something so public.

[N/A Gone]

*waiting for Todd*

[CatholicCid]

I wonder if this Bishop will be converting soon with such an act. Will be interesting to see his response when called upon.

[jeffpugh]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1547543' date='May 28 2008, 10:56 PM']*waiting for Todd*[/quote]
*Sits and waits w/ Rev for Todd*

[Laudate_Dominum]

There are like four threads that are "waiting for Todd," hahaha. Where you at brutha?

[jeffpugh]

Oh, it's just L_D...

Get in line, man!

lawl...

[Apotheoun]

I wouldn't read too much into Metropolitan Corneanu's action, but what will be important is the synod's response in July.

[jeffpugh]

The man has spoken.

[Laudate_Dominum]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1547876' date='May 28 2008, 11:51 PM']I wouldn't read too much into Metropolitan Corneanu's action, but what will be important is the synod's response in July.[/quote]
Good point.

[Apotheoun]

I will add this much to my original comment: my Eastern Orthodox friends, and the various Orthodox blogs I participate in, are not viewing the Metropolitan's actions favorably.

[jeffpugh]

In brief, why would that be? (I'm sure I could guess, I suppose)

[Apotheoun]

The answer to that question is complex. Some Eastern Orthodox Christians consider the Roman Catholic Church (and the Eastern Catholic Churches) to be heretical, while others consider them to be merely schismatical. Now, those who hold to the first position normally see only sacraments celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as valid (i.e., as containing grace); while those who accept the second idea believe that the Catholic Church (both East and West) is in schism, and so they are disturbed by the idea that an Orthodox person would receive communion in a Catholic Church, because the reception of communion involves a recognition of unity in both faith and practice, and that is lacking between the Roman Catholic Church (and the Eastern Catholic Churches) and Orthodoxy.

There are probably other reasons that could be given, but these two probably express the mainstream positions of most – but certainly not all – Orthodox Christians.

[jeffpugh]

Off topic, but what's their solution to saving the Catholics? (in first case) Make us all Orthodox?

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' post='1548907' date='May 29 2008, 10:07 PM']Off topic, but what's their solution to saving the Catholics? (in first case) Make us all Orthodox?[/quote]
Yeah. Conversion would be the generally held answer.

[mortify]

Orthodox Old Believers see such events as further confirmation that Orthodoxy is lost.

[Apotheoun]

Actually "Old Believers" think that they are Orthodoxy.