Byzantine Catholics, Orthodoxy, and the Pope
Posted by Karl (October 13, 2006 at 10:40 am)
It is a familiar story to anyone who runs in Eastern Catholic circles: one of the best and brightest members of the parish “‘doxes”, converts to Orthodoxy. It’s happened with Rod Dreher, the writer of “Crunchy Cons.” You can read his account of himself here.
In Rod’s case, it has a great deal to do with his courageous journalism about the clergy sex scandal, and the threats and mistreatment he received at the hands of evil Catholic clergy and bishops. Of course, as he says, none of this in itself makes the claims of Rome dubious, but when taken together with the state of current Catholic life, it brings to mind the possibility that Rome’s claims are dubious. If the spiritual, liturgical, and catechetical life at many Catholic parishes actually leads people away from Christ, then perhaps something is wrong. Add to that the general ambivalence or ignorance about the office of Peter, and something is clearly wrong!
Why be Catholic, after all? Why not move to another apostolic Church with a better sense of everyday Christian life? For Byzantine Catholics, this is an important question, for it goes to the very heart of our reason for existing. I think there are two very important tasks we need to undertake in order to be an evangelical Church: 1) Affirm and defend papal claims, and 2) fully embrace our Orthodox spiritual heritage. To do less is to die.