I can’t say as I agree with all you have said, but we’ve been through all that before. Here’s the money quote, at least for me:
“...we will always look for a reason to railroad any attempt because, despite all the talk to the contrary, the Orthodox would accept Catholics only if they became Orthodox, and the Vatican would like the Orthodox to turn into “Uniates” at the very least, probably preferably more into Maronites.”
For all the talk flowing from the Vatican or Damascus or Moscow or Constantinople that Uniatism is a rejected form of potential union, still we see exactly that from all sorts of non-Latin, but in communion with Rome, sources. Just today there is posted here an article about a “Russian Catholic” parish in NY which “converted” Russians into communion with Rome and sees itself as an example of what a future union between Rome and Russian Orthodoxy would look like.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2349530/posts
I am absolutely convinced that’s what is in store for us if there is a reunion. Would we do the same? I don’t know. I tend to doubt it, not because we are any holier than the Latins but because our history among the Latins is instructive. Aside from a few odd parishes following the “Western Rite”, Orthodoxy does not have a history of coming into an area where Rome predominates and setting up Orthodox parishes which run NO or even Tridentine masses. In some measure I think this is because we have a pretty good idea of who we are and as importantly who we are not. A cruel history taught us its lessons well, Kosta. It simply not worth it to us to pretend we are something we are not nor is there some pressing need to make other people be “us”. I have observed a number of times on this forum that our church is open to anyone. If people want what we have, they can have it. If, having looked for a short or long period, they reject Orthodoxy, well, that’s alright and we offer them another cup of cafe and perhaps a piece of baklava. I have never once heard an Orthodoxer lecture any inquirer on the terrible sin of schism, etc. Simply put, so far as I can see, Orthodoxers don’t care if Latins remain Latins. That they do so is no insult to us. The opposite doesn’t seem to be true. We are not hounding or subverting Latins into Orthodoxy.
Now perhaps it is among our many failings that we are not so fervid for reunion as the Latins. It probably is, but perhaps the Latins should think twice about letting a bunch like us into their church. In the meantime they should rest assured that virtually no Orthodoxer loses sleep at night worrying that Latins won’t “go to heaven”, notwithstanding their claimed concern for us.
I suggest that all this talk of reunion simply stop. We have much in common, certainly enough to make a powerful witness of The Faith to the world. A secular or pagan world isn’t concerned about the filioque, or our respective ecclesiologies, or created or uncreated grace, the IC, purgatory or who is primus inter pares and what that means in practice. I suggest that if Rome stops “lusting” after the Orthodox churches and simply makes it clear that it wants nothing from us but to work together to, perhaps, actually save the West, maybe we could accomlish something.
***Now perhaps it is among our many failings that we are not so fervid for reunion as the Latins. It probably is, but perhaps the Latins should think twice about letting a bunch like us into their church. In the meantime they should rest assured that virtually no Orthodoxer loses sleep at night worrying that Latins won’t “go to heaven”, notwithstanding their claimed concern for us.
I suggest that all this talk of reunion simply stop. We have much in common, certainly enough to make a powerful witness of The Faith to the world. A secular or pagan world isn’t concerned about the filioque, or our respective ecclesiologies, or created or uncreated grace, the IC, purgatory or who is primus inter pares and what that means in practice. I suggest that if Rome stops “lusting” after the Orthodox churches and simply makes it clear that it wants nothing from us but to work together to, perhaps, actually save the West, maybe we could accomlish something.***
I think that we do need something further of a bond, maybe not blood brother unification, but something more than what we have. We think of the Orthodox as more insular and clannish - that brings with it both good and bad.
But what I am personally after is a strong ally and example of Orthodoxy. We need the very model of Orthodoxy. I was conversing with one late 60s member of our parish who is very active and is our cantor and the conversation fell to the movement of the Church back towards Orthodoxy. I said that the bishop would make a powerful statement about his commitment to orthodoxy by having us push the altar against the east wall and putting the tabernacle in the center and holding Mass in Latin. He stated that he would leave.
And he just might; but he did admit later in the conversation that the other churches (he was Calvinist, born in Geneva and converted later in life) had marshmallow for doctrine and weren’t worth joining anyway.