And i am serious about this one to be exact, here is a reaction of a Eastern Rite Orthodox Christian on his wall regarding this Post on the Demise of the Coptic Christian head Shenouda III, here is what he have to say on the recent posts extending not just Condolences and even calling "Memory Eternal" to the late Hierarch:
"With the recent death of the charismatic leader of the Coptic Church of Egypt, Pope Shenouda, a few Eastern Orthodox religious leaders have declared their sympathy and condolence to the Coptic faithful as they pray "Memory Eternal" to the Coptic Pope.
It should be remembered and understood that in the Eastern Orthodox tradition the prayer "Eternal Memory" refers to REMEMBRANCE BY GOD, rather than by the living, and is "another way of praying that the soul HAS ENTERED HEAVEN and ENJOYS ETERNAL LIFE."
An Orthodox Christian prays to God for the "Eternal Memory" of the beloved departed who has fallen asleep in the Lord so that he or she shall be "eternally alive in the eternal memory of God." If follows that this "Eternal Memory" prayer is applicable only to the departed faithful and not to those who have died outside the true Faith, and outside the Holy Church.
It is a common knowledge that the Coptic Church of Egypt is not in communion with the Holy Orthodox Church since it rejects the Declaration of Faith at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 AD). The Monophysite heresy was condemned and its followers were anathematized by the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. Their excommunication from the Church still remains to this day and will only be lifted once they accept the Declaration of Faith.
Therefore, how can anyone who denies the True Faith be eternally alive in the eternal memory of God? Monophysitism and Orthodoxy has nothing in common and is totally incompatible.
As an ordinary faithful of the Orthodox Church, it is against my conscience to pray "Eternal Memory" to someone who willfully deny the True Faith and died outside the Church. I pray for the Lord's mercy that his heresy may be forgiven. I also pray that the Copts return back to the bosom of the true church, the Holy Orthodox Church. I also pray for my Orthodox brethren who unknowingly fell victim to the deception of false ecumenism. Lord have mercy on me."
With all due respect, i have to make things straight on having a Clarification, though we are still extending our Condolences, we cannot say anymore Glorifying words but instead offer Prayers of Mercy on this Patriarch, who still until now Upholds the Schism they have committed in 451 A.D in the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon on which the Coptic Pope of that time Dioscorus who is a proponent of the Heretical view of Monophysitism have even Excommunicated the defender of Orthodoxy which is Pope St. Leo the Great, who by his Tomes has declared not just the Copts but the Churches in Communion with Anathematized, as it was stated by the Holy Ecumenical Council of Ephesus. Making the Clarifications so that i am not going to be mislead and be swayed by False Ecumenism. Below is the Chalcedonian Definition of Faith:
"ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON: DEFINITION OF THE FAITH (451 A.D.)
"So, following the saintly fathers, we all with one voice teach the confession of one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and a body;
Consubstantial with the Father as regards his divinity, and the same consubstantial with us as regards his humanity;
Like us in all respects except for sin; begotten before the ages from the Father as regards his divinity, and in the last days the same for us and for our salvation from Mary, the virgin God-bearer as regards his humanity;
One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only-begotten, acknowledged IN TWO NATURES which undergo NO CONFUSION, NO CHANGE, NO DIVISION, NO SEPARATION;
At no point was the difference between the natures taken away through the union, but rather THE PROPERTY OF BOTH NATURES IS PRESERVED and comes together into a single person and a single subsistent being;
He is not parted or divided into two persons, but is one and the same only-begotten Son, God, Word, Lord Jesus Christ, just as the prophets taught from the beginning about him, and as the Lord Jesus Christ himself instructed us, and as the creed of the fathers handed it down to us.
Since we have formulated these things with all possible accuracy and attention, the sacred and UNIVERSAL SYNOD DECREED that NO ONE IS PERMITTED to produce, or even to write down or compose, any other creed or to THINK or TEACH OTHERWISE.
As for those who dare either to compose another creed or even to promulgate or teach or hand down another creed for those who wish to convert to a recognition of the truth from Hellenism or from Judaism, or from any kind of heresy at all: if they be bishops or clerics, the bishops are to be DEPOSED from the episcopacy and the clerics from the clergy; if they be monks or layfolk, they are to be ANATHEMATISED.
We have deemed it right that the canons hitherto issued by the saintly fathers at each and every synod should REMAIN IN FORCE."
His Holiness Blessed Pope John Paul III with the Coptic Pope and Patriarch Shenouda III
We still pray for Christian Unity though, and also it the Decrees of the Council of Chalcedon is still enforce upon the Miaphysite Churches, namely the Coptic Christians. A merely joint Statement from the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch has no weight compare to the Decrees of a Ecumenical Council, we also include in our Intercession the Lifting of Excommunication from the 451 Chalcedon Council, just like the Lifting of the 1054 Excommunication of both His Holiness Pope Paul VI and His Beatitude Patriarch Athenagoras in 1965
For more here is a Video Link of the brief History of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon
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