To: one Lord one faith one baptism; rzman21
Let me know when the Orthodox Church accepts the Pope as head of their Church. Just the simple fact that Catholics feel they trace their lintage from Peter makes one wonder who the leader is of the Orthodox?
There is much more. It is nice to say the Orthodox and Catholics get along so well. But someone’s doctrine must be wrong. And that presents a problem when one claims their doctrine is guided by the Holy Spirit and the Church cannot be in error.
68 posted on
11/08/2011 4:04:46 PM PST by
HarleyD
To: HarleyD
To: HarleyD
The Orthodox don't deny that the Pope of Rome is the successor of St. Peter. They dispute Rome's interpretation. I've flirted with Eastern Orthodoxy over the years, but I haven't become Orthodox because the preponderance of the Church fathers upheld papal authority. BUT it wasn't the sort of monarchical authority that evolved in the West during the Middle Ages out of necessity. After the Roman Empire fell the papacy was the only significant institution to survive, so it unfortunately adopted secular as well as religious authority. From the Council of Florence: "We also define that the holy apostolic see and the Roman pontiff holds the primacy over the whole world and the Roman pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter prince of the apostles, and that he is the true vicar of Christ, the head of the whole church and the father and teacher of all Christians, and to him was committed in blessed Peter the full power of tending, ruling and governing the whole church, as is contained also in the acts of ecumenical councils and in the sacred canons. Also, renewing the order of the other patriarchs which has been handed down in the canons, the patriarch of Constantinople should be second after the most holy Roman pontiff, third should be the patriarch of Alexandria, fourth the patriarch of Antioch, and fifth the patriarch of Jerusalem, without prejudice to all their privileges and rights. The Melkite Church has been one of the most vocal opponents of papal absolutism for over 140 years. Papal primacy and authority yes. Papal monarchy no.
72 posted on
11/08/2011 6:30:44 PM PST by
rzman21
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