What are the prospects for unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches?
Catholics and Orthodoxy have been split for about 1000 years. Will they ever be reunited?
Roman Catholic -- Orthodox Christian Dialogue
In Rochester for the last several years a group of Latin Rite Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians have been gathering regularly to dialogue and learn more about what we have in common and what there is in each of our traditions.
In recent years, ecumenical relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have given way to a greater harmony between Western and Eastern Christians, bridging a gap between two faiths that has historically been characterized by a tense relationship. The original disunity between West and East suffered a definitive rift in 1054 known as the Great Schism, but it developed over time as a disagreement over matters such as the existence of Purgatory, the role of the papacy, and the use of thefilioque clause in the Creed (a reference to the nature of the Holy Spirit as proceeding from both the Father and the Son).
In more recent years – and particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries – the political events in world history have also influenced the way in which East and West view one another. According to Dr. George Demacopoulos, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University, the Enlightenment – a philosophical revolution with significant socio-political repercussions that swept across Western Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries – did not sit well with Eastern cultures. The ideas that came to predominate in the West as a result of this movement – individual autonomy, the fixation with reason (to the detriment of religiosity), societal progress, and popular (democratic) governance – never had much influence in the East during that time, and therefore led to an even more distinct sense of identity between the two halves of the European continent.
Of this, Demacopoulos says, “To the extent that the East was politically linked to the West, you had a simultaneous ‘under the cover’ reaction against the West.” That is, if something came to be painted with “Westernisms”, Eastern cultures would naturally associate it with the liberal reforms of the Enlightenment – a movement in which they had no desire to partake. This has continued throughout the 20th century, as Marxism spread throughout the East, but was always viewed by the leaders of the Orthodox Church as an extension of the liberal reforms of the Enlightenment. In this way, what was originally a theological rift became more complicated, subsuming politics into itself.
But regardless of these historical circusmtances, the fact that recent popes have shown great interest in fostering improved relations with the East has made the possibility of unity ever more hopeful. Pope Benedict XVI, in particular, has often been referred to as the “Pope of Christian Unity”; this designation is in no small part due to his esteem for the Orthodox Church, as well as his outspoken defense of theological tradition. Benedict’s continued attention toward the plight of Christians in the Middle East (most of whom are members of the Orthodox Church), has also been greatly appreciated by the Orthodox. Furthermore, as secular society moves further away from its Christian origins, the Orthodox see in the Catholic Church a great ally for the defense of the very underpinnings of civil society.
Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that relations between West and East are better now than they have ever been before, Demacopoulos cites numerous obstacles moving forward. The original theological questions concerning the papacy, the filioque clause, etc. still remain, and competing models of theological adjudication – the magisterial hierarchy of Rome vs. the horizontal and autonomous structure of the East – will be a significant obstacle to overcome. “If they can’t come to an agreement on how to resolve theological differences, there will not be unity,” said Demacopoulos, stressing the importance of theological methodology. “An identification of the structures by which these theological questions might be resolved will be crucial.”
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Catholic Church throughout the world consists not only of the familiar Latin Church (with its multiple liturgical rites), but also of 22 sui iuris Eastern Churches, each of which has retained its own particular liturgical traditions in their entirety. While these Churches have accepted the theology of the Catholic Church as their own, it does reveal Rome’s openness to legitimate forms of liturgical and cultural diversity within the Church. This, Demacopoulos says, is an encouraging sign of what might ultimately be.
In more recent years – and particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries – the political events in world history have also influenced the way in which East and West view one another. According to Dr. George Demacopoulos, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University, the Enlightenment – a philosophical revolution with significant socio-political repercussions that swept across Western Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries – did not sit well with Eastern cultures. The ideas that came to predominate in the West as a result of this movement – individual autonomy, the fixation with reason (to the detriment of religiosity), societal progress, and popular (democratic) governance – never had much influence in the East during that time, and therefore led to an even more distinct sense of identity between the two halves of the European continent.
Of this, Demacopoulos says, “To the extent that the East was politically linked to the West, you had a simultaneous ‘under the cover’ reaction against the West.” That is, if something came to be painted with “Westernisms”, Eastern cultures would naturally associate it with the liberal reforms of the Enlightenment – a movement in which they had no desire to partake. This has continued throughout the 20th century, as Marxism spread throughout the East, but was always viewed by the leaders of the Orthodox Church as an extension of the liberal reforms of the Enlightenment. In this way, what was originally a theological rift became more complicated, subsuming politics into itself.
But regardless of these historical circusmtances, the fact that recent popes have shown great interest in fostering improved relations with the East has made the possibility of unity ever more hopeful. Pope Benedict XVI, in particular, has often been referred to as the “Pope of Christian Unity”; this designation is in no small part due to his esteem for the Orthodox Church, as well as his outspoken defense of theological tradition. Benedict’s continued attention toward the plight of Christians in the Middle East (most of whom are members of the Orthodox Church), has also been greatly appreciated by the Orthodox. Furthermore, as secular society moves further away from its Christian origins, the Orthodox see in the Catholic Church a great ally for the defense of the very underpinnings of civil society.
Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that relations between West and East are better now than they have ever been before, Demacopoulos cites numerous obstacles moving forward. The original theological questions concerning the papacy, the filioque clause, etc. still remain, and competing models of theological adjudication – the magisterial hierarchy of Rome vs. the horizontal and autonomous structure of the East – will be a significant obstacle to overcome. “If they can’t come to an agreement on how to resolve theological differences, there will not be unity,” said Demacopoulos, stressing the importance of theological methodology. “An identification of the structures by which these theological questions might be resolved will be crucial.”
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Catholic Church throughout the world consists not only of the familiar Latin Church (with its multiple liturgical rites), but also of 22 sui iuris Eastern Churches, each of which has retained its own particular liturgical traditions in their entirety. While these Churches have accepted the theology of the Catholic Church as their own, it does reveal Rome’s openness to legitimate forms of liturgical and cultural diversity within the Church. This, Demacopoulos says, is an encouraging sign of what might ultimately be.
