Discussion on Orthodox-Catholic Relations

If you have half an hour you might listen to this interview with Fr. Ted Pulcini at The Illumined Heart. Fr Ted is a former Roman Catholic priest, now an Orthodox priest in Pennsylvania. It is an interesting and balanced discussion on what the recent article released by the Vatican means for Catholic-Orthodox relations.

A Meeting of East and West

Chris and I had the pleasure of attending St Gregory's Orthodox Church in Washington, DC last Sunday, as well as the luxury of having a good amount of time to spend meeting people afterward before heading to the Roman Catholic mass. St Gregory's is a small, intimate Western Rite parish a mere two blocks from the friend who normally hosts us while we're in town. It was our first experience at a Western Rite Orthodox parish.

The idea of visiting a Western Rite Orthodox church had been lingering since just after our previous visit to DC. There are very few WR parishes in the US and even fewer near Raleigh. Lynchburg, VA is the closest at 3 hours away, but I'm told they primarily celebrate the more Anglican-based liturgy of St Tikhon. St Gregory's, the next closest at 4 hours away, celebrates the liturgy of St Gregory which is similar to the Tridentine mass.

We both enjoyed our experience for different reasons. Chris enjoyed seeing the Tridentine mass as it used to be celebrated in the West. I was mostly lost, but I enjoyed being in a Western rite environment without needing to worry about the orthodoxy of the priest. Many of the things that bother me about the Roman Catholic tradition were absent, though elements of the mass were present that I still don't understand. Afterward we both had a great time meeting the parishioners and discovering the many intricate connections between St Gregory's and my home parish of All Saints. One girl had even been to my house before while on a mission trip to NC! We left with new things to think about, many warm wishes from our hosts, and a mug that Chris uses every chance he gets.

Chris tends to think that people in the West should identify more strongly with a Western style of worship, and that those of us who embraced a more Eastern style did so out of rebellion against our heritage. I don't think that's the case. While it's true that even parts of the Orthodox Western Rite had elements in it that I associate with Protestantism (and thus could bolster his argument), I did truly miss some of the absent elements found the Eastern liturgy. The "otherness" of the Eastern tradition may initially draw disaffected Westerners in, but there is an enduring quality to the Eastern liturgy that keeps us there and slowly transforms our lives.

I believe that the Orthodox story in America is still just beginning to be written. Orthodoxy has not yet defined its legacy here. We see many examples of Orthodox Christians from long-established traditions complaining about the innovations brought to the faith by American converts. I hope that what is really happening is that these American converts are doing the job of translating Orthodoxy into a language that Americans can understand. Our history books record the development of translations and even new languages so the faith could be brought to new lands. What they don't record are the many ways in which that new land was transformed in unwritten ways to receive the Truth. Little-t traditions will change, but the Tradition of Orthodoxy will not change or it will cease to be Orthodox. I hope our mentors in the faith can be patient with us a while longer while we continue our great work.

Intangible Differences

I am constantly struggling to put into words exactly what I observe to be the difference between Eastern and Western Christianity. I try to move beyond the form of the liturgy, the changes in doctrine, the influences throughout history, etc, because sometimes in conversation with Chris we are able to find common ground on all these things. But that doesn't mean our traditions are the same.

For example, there hasn't been a priest at his parish whose service of the Mass hasn't set my teeth on edge -- until these past two weeks. Who is this priest? An Eastern rite Catholic priest who has been given permission to serve the Western Mass.

There are outward things he does that I like: he crosses himself the same way I do, he doesn't say the filioque, he doesn't tell jokes, and he doesn't break right after communion for announcements. I don't think those things are the reasons I can endure Mass, though they certainly help. What is that thing? I don't know. It's whatever causes him to not tell jokes, not have everyone sit down and relax right after communion, and not give sermons on popular topics of the day. I can't explain what that thing is, but I'm sure it is the major difference between East and West that keeps escaping me.

I know there are Orthodox priests who approach their station less reverently than others, and there are probably some humble and pious Roman Catholic priests, but I don't believe that our traditions are just the sum of our priests. To me it seems that the thing I can't quite identify informs everything that we, both Eastern and Western Christians, do.