What to Do if They Sign Union with Rome? 

When Union doesn't happen: "See, we opposed it so much that they didn't dare sign it!" Like a clockwork, every year.

“‘They’re going to sign a union with the Catholics’ is the Orthodox version of the rapture.” That was gold 😆

“If the Ecumenical Patriarch joins with Rome, he becomes catholic and we get a new Patriarch!” -some Greek Orthodox bishop or priest or monk I forgot who

As a Catholic allow me to clear my Orthodox brethren of any worries, there is no way the vatican could get something this big done in two years, we sometimes take longer than this choosing a new pope.

I am a former Catholic who became Protestant and now am Orthodox. I think the doctrine of papal infallibility and the supremacy of the papacy made Rome virtually impossible to commune with. Almost every other theological conflict could be resolved through an ecumenical council, but Rome has unfortunately set herself up as already dogmatically correct. I would love to again commune with my Catholic friends, but it will literally take an act of God to make it happen again.

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware said a reunion would be a miracle of the holy spirit but he didn't think it would happen this side of the second coming.

Technically it was signed at the council of Florinia Florence, which lead to a big revolt from the faithful laity and the clergy other than the bishops who signed it. The bishops who signed were run out of town by their faithful flocks who only accepted the bishops back when they repented. If I remember correctly the fateful priests after Florence Florence place themselves under St Mark of Ephesus or other bishops who rejected the union. Canonically presbyters and deacons can brake communion with a bishop who is openly preaching heresy although he is supposed to appeal to the synod for the bishop to be corrected or replaced and once the synod moves to act the faithful priests are moved to be under another bishop in lue of a new bishop being appointed or the one who has fallen repenting. The last thing the Orthodox Church needs to attempt to union with an unrepentant Rome all it would achieve is more schism and pain in communities already struggling with the calendar and other parts of church politics. What the Orthodox Church needs is for all her children to mind their own business and to focus on repenting rather than speculating on sin (repenting is always a safe thing to focus on and the only thing I wish to concentrate on).

Catholic here. My thoughts: 1. We can't even get Easter on the same date. What makes anyone think we can agree on anything other than basic things? 2. Bishops having good personal relationships with one another does not mean they will have good ecclesiastical relationships. 3. The only people I see who want this to happen on the Orthodox end are people who detest Constantinople so much that they are looking for any excuse to feed their distaste regardless if it is found in actual reality. 4. Don't quote me on this, but I think the Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople signed an agreement in the 60s about not trying to regain communion bit-by-bit because. If union happens, it will be because the whole church decides to submit.

I am not losing sleep over this. Somehow even if deluded elements of the hierarchy go ahead, they will never be able to bring it back to the faithful and make it stick. That is not how Orthodoxy works. Those of us in the narthex have far more power than we realise provided we live up to the teaching of Holy Orthodoxy.

I am a life-long practicing Roman Catholic.....age 77. There are DOZENS of times I have felt like walking away & joining the LCMS! Rest assured the Catholic Church is SO institutionally fouled up, we barely get along among ourselves.....and don't get me started on this present "bishop of Rome!!!" This side of the Second Coming, there will NEVER be lasting "UNION" between the Catholics & Orthodox. Hell will freeze over before that happens. There are way too many GENUINELY GOOD PEOPLE and genuine NUT-CASES on both sides to make such a union genuinely POSSIBLE.

He nailed us with that Rapture thing

I think it might happen if the Belya situation goes worst-case-scenario and brings more churches into opposition to the Ecumenical patriarchate, that the EP attempts Unia. In which case the patriarchate’s holdings are likely to split apart rather than completely defect. This won’t be “the big one.” It wouldn’t even be Florence-tier. It would basically be the Melkite Situation just in Constantinople and the Greek Diaspora

I became a Orthodox catechumen this year was baptized protestant

I am recent convert to Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism.

Defend the faith to the end.

I have no doubt that Bartholomew would love to make this happen, but he knows how isolated he already is among Orthodox patriarchs and bishops over his uncanonical meddling in Ukraine. No one outside of the Ecumenical Patriarchate would accept such a union, which means in the U.S. it would only impact GOARCH and the other jurisdictions under the EP. The entire Holy Mountain would break with him and seek to come under the Church of Greece.

Welcome back! How was vacation

Legit, legitimate, legitimacy, legitimately 😅 you got the point across 👍🏻

The union of the two Churches will happen if the most of Christians want it. There are already some mariages between Orthodoxs and Catholics. We have to be patient for this event and pray for it.

If EP joins with Rome, I’m going to listen to my priest, but I’m pretty sure he’d just condemn the EP. I don’t know I’m a catachumen

🎵🎶In the land of loving loving,it is lovely to be loved 🎵🎶

Bring the unity on.

If the excommunications were lifted technically both should be in communion. Geo Politics

I have also noticed the type of people who fearmonger about the possibility (or supposed inevitability) of reunion talk about almost like they want it to happen. They hate the EP and/or GOARCH already - in some cases calling them outright schismatics because of Ukraine or whatever other reason - and seem to just use this issue as another way to grind their axe (and like most who make anti-ecumenism their raison d’etre, will conveniently ignore the way Middle Eastern Orthodox make reasoned overtures of unity with other Christian denominations because they have to for survival). In any case, such concerns are unfounded. If the EP wanted to reunite, he could probably do it tomorrow if he wanted to. Why wait over thirty years into his tenure?

Dear Brother and Orthodox and Catholic Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 'who knows the mind of the Lord? Who may give him advice?' There are many ways to our Unity before (as you think) a formal Union! One of these is maybe first an "informal" conversion of heart and spiritual unity! Veritatis Missio

With Rome, with the maronites, malabars, syriacs, coptics (true patriarchs of Al and An)

In 1965 Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Paul VI lifted the mutual bans of excommunication from each other's churches. That means that Athenagoras recognized Roman Catholic theology as "orthodox." Did anyone break from him then? Yes, a few, but by and large no one was scandalized enough to leave Athenagoras. In 1969, the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican signed an agreement to recognize each other's sacraments and, under certain circumstances, permit their faithful to commune in each other's churches. That means that the MP recognized RC theology as "orthodox." At that time, the OCA recognized the MP as mother church in exchange for their autocephaly. In 2007, the ROCOR accepted the MP as mother church. Seven years ago, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kiril met in Cuba. They declared that they had the same theology and called each other "sister churches." Did the pope become Orthodox? No. That means that Kyrill confesses RC theology as his belief. Whatever they sign in 2025 will be a moot point. The damage is already done, and few care about it.

Regarding the Filioque controversy, if both churches agree with "proceeds from the Father through the Son", would it be acceptable?

Canon 15 of the Council of 861 would probably come into effect in this situation.

There is no way that happens with the current Catholic Pope, who is a flaming communist. It would have to happen with someone much more traditional that's willing to drop filioque & let the priests stay married. This isn't impossible but it's very unlikely. It depends on what the Catholic Church is willing to reverse and embrace from orthodoxy.

Wait, is this no longer Bible Illustrated Hands?

I agree

Damn, but what if Rome changes its stance on stuff? Earlier this year the Vatican released a document that agrees with Eastern ecclesiology, even with regards to the role of the Pope. Of course, if it is just the EP reuniting with Rome as is, then that's messed up. But if Rome yields with regards to the role of the Pope, then I'd say it's a fair adjustment. I pray for the reunion, but truth be told I doubt either part would simply yield completely to the demands of the other. I think that if it ever happens, it'll be under the shape of a mutual compromise of some sort.

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

where do you sent the ideas?

Servant of God Onion is my favorite orthodox commentator

Ill wait until 2050 for the real union

As a Catholic, I've never heard of this before

I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony…🙃🎵 🎵 🎵💕

I follow the teaching of St Theodore, a papal emissary, on the Filioque, namely that the Holy Spirit proceeds indescribably from the Father and the Son (as a single entity). I think that is how St Bede put it. Up to you if you won't let me receive Holy Communion in your church. I made my First Holy Communion at St Bede's RC Church in Jarrow.

How many Orthodox bishops would need to sign this, individually? 387? If a council was planned, somebody would be talking; it would be like herding cats. I live in a country with a lot of Catholics and a lot less Orthodox. A union might make it easier for me to get a date.

I pray that we will accept each other as we are rather than requiring each other to repudiate our history. that cannot be the path forward.

Much more than theological adjustments. There is the recognition of which saints are true to Orthodoxy.

Legitimate. It's just like 'leh-jit-UH-met' but it's 'leh-jit-uh-MATE'. Not 'accurate and true' but ' made accurate and true'.

What happen to my comment? Did you not get the link I sent Bojan?

I’m so sure Jesus would be ecstatic that his Holy Church is ripped apart because of semantics…..🙄🙄 this renders us all powerless in the world compared to our full potential in case anyone doesn’t realize it…. we all know by now that “and the Son” was added to fight a heresy that was spreading, it wasn’t about flexing Papal muscle, and of course there’s more silly tit for tat issues that we all use to destroy Christ’s Church BY OUR OWN HANDS….

As a Catholic I can say this doesn’t seem very realistic and yes it basically is a version of the rapture 😅

As a Roman Catholic I have a question: Could both churches agree to allow their members to receive Holy Communion in each other's churches? I know that I can at least attend an Orthodox Liturgy to fulfill my Sunday Obligation if it is necessary. THANK YOU.

Well, you have two choices. Continue to break apart, since you're already divided like the ptotostants, or accept Peter's authority, as did the saints. The Mohummedans kept the Orthodox from coming back to the Church.

I think union is important but both sides especially the catholic side would need to compromise

I hope for Union between our two church. Both sides needs to stop being stubborn and work out a compromise

Greek old callenarist foresaw this coming 100 years ago

If Rome signs a union it should do it with all the orthodox Churches not only the Church Constantinople. Because All the different orthodox Bishops run their own Church.

Theology is not the problem. So long as the Catholic church does not insist on Papal Supremacy and RC dogma then I don't see a problem. However I think that is unlikely. They would certainly insist on Papal Supremacy at a minimum.

It seems you advocate against your priests. You dont really believe what St Ignatius of Antioch said.

Does like your church authorities ever try to correct you,or do you have their blessing for you to do this?

They wont dont worry ;) I mean what are the odds

Well done for pointing out that the Filioque is the main heresy. Everything flows from that.

Technically the union of the Churches was decide in the 15th century, but nobody cared xD

Dear Brother in Christ, Jesus HIMSELF said: “He That Is Not against Us Is with Us” (Mark 9:38-40) What does this mean??? for Greeks, Romans, Russians coptic to fight amonst ourselves to be supreme in HIS - JESUS cHRIST, THE LORD -view of the world. As a Roman Catholic, I cel;ebrate the Easter tradition, Holy Communion and pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinncer. I do NOT pray to the Catholic church, but with the whole of Christianity, as we call it the Orhodox Communion of Christs body, which includes the Roman Church. It is so sad that: “He That Is Not against Us Is with Us” (Mark 9:38-40) cannot bring us together. Why should your Church not keep attending you Church services. there is no need for a devils advocate in any of this. We are the ministers of that truth of Jesus Christ. I have prayed with Orthodox as a Roman catholic and feel just as welcome as I am in my own Roman Catholic church. I pray for this union, if the Almighty is against it, we will know wont WE. My prayers for your ministry handed down from the tradidtion of Saint Paul and Peter and all the Disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will never submit to heretics!☦️

If Union happen, it's that mean Orthodox Liturgy and Theology will be change to Roman Catholic Liturgy and Theology ?, does Patriarch will be remove and replace by Pope ?

I very desagree but very desagree ! In the time of Jesus even the Jews had differents groups with differents biliefs so a union won't change the name of the Church neber

If there is union with the Catholics, I will join the Old Calendarists, the ones who are not in communion with the New Calendarists.

He recognized the North Macedonian orthodox church, idc what that old bag of bones does but his decisions are definitely pushing me away from this religion

How do you explain the change of the calendar that was made legitimate. This was the first step towards union with Rcc. Then we had the lifting of the excommunication. What changed to lift the excommunication? Co liturgy with Rome which is a blatant opposition to the Apostolic Canons? So why do you think the next step is not coming? It’s only a matter of time!

We can have a Greek Orthodox Pope. 👁👄👁

regardless nice st george in the back

Why would this be bad?

All roads lead to Rome. Matthew 7:14“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

if we continue like this the union will happend after 2 coming of Christ...you dissapoint me bojan i thought you were more open

It will NEVER happen.

MANY UNIONS WITH ROME WERE BY PAST AND WE HAVE THE SAME RESULT REJECT THEM IF THERE IS A NEW UNION REJECT AGAIN THE UNION WITH ROME WILL EXIST ONLY WITH ONE REASON IF THE POPE BECOME ORTHODOX IN THEOLOGY AND REJECT ALL THE WESTERN HERESIES

The Roman Catholic Church will have a Schism in 2023 or 2024 as the Synod on Synodality pushes through changes.

I do not believe the pope is the vicar of god or has extra special powers like infallibility . I am catholic . I do believe that , like in the original church , he is first among equals as an honorary title and that title should have a blessed and appointed by a vote as the bishop of Rome . Each group can have their own traditions , end the filioque , set the Easter date so both always celebrate together . After that figure out the stratification of the lower offices so former Catholics and orthodox can visit churches of both together to show unity

All based on hate, greed, and power! We are “one church”, East/West, but in our flesh, with a load of help from the evil one, we continue the longest running ungodly feud ever! Shame and sinful Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches! Our fight actually brought about Protestantism! ☦️✝️

Switch to Russian jurisdiction.

Also the filioque is not a heresy

Join Rome is what to do