[annalex]

I did not mean to imply that the West is free from its own sicknesses, but in viewing how the East is approaching the prospect of reunion, I see fear and chest-thumping, and very little love. Exceptions are few, and when they happen, they are heartening. May they happen more often.

[kosta50]

The fear comes from seeing what the Catholic Church did less then 50 years ago at the Vatican II. It also has to do with the Vatican I's insane papal infallibility dogma. Those two events pretty much doubled the gap that existed prior to that and threw the reunion key into the River Tiber.

The Orthodox look at the Catholic liturgy, the pantsuit nuns, the alter girls, the barren Protestant-like churches and say "What?" Then we read that there are forces (not small) in the current Latin Church that absolutely hate +BXVI and want the Traditional Latin Mass permanently banned.

Why would the Orthodox want a reunion with such a Church? It only serves to prove to them that the Schism was not about the East leaving the West but the other way around.

If there were genuine, rather thaaforced attempts to return Catholicism to its Patristic roots, there would be very little chest-thumping and fear among the Orthodox.