As a Result

‎"The cardinal (Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches) urged care in helping young people discern their vocation, "maintaining formation programs, integrating immigrant priests (and) embracing celibacy in respect of the ecclesial context" of the United States where mandatory celibacy is the general rule for priests." I think this may result into uproar(IMO) for the ranks of the Greek Catholics particularly in the US, for the Cardinal "urged" them to embrace the discipline of the Latin Church, which is celibacy. Noah doesn't want his Eastern brethren to follow the footsteps of Saint Alexius Toth who was outraged with the Archbishop Ireland's decision to impose Latinized policies(such as clerical celibacy) in the Byzantine Church which resulted to the Saint's schism with Rome. The saddest event which followed by another schism like in 1935. We in ERCF don't want to see events repeated in the past. We pray for understanding between these parties, including those who are hurt on reading my friend's post about it. I hope the good Cardinal will read the letter written by Bishop Isidore (Borecky) of Toronto to Blessed Pope John Paul II about clerical celibacy: From the September 1989 issue of the Corpus Canada Journal, we take the following: Eparch Isidore Borecky pleads with the Pope for married priests (excerpt from a letter to Pope John Paul II, April 15, 1989 protesting Vatican attempts to prohibit married Ukrainian Catholic clergy from exercising ministry in Canada) "Over the last century, the attempt to impose celibacy has not succeeded, but it has provoked at least three schisms in North America, as follows: 1. The schism led by Archpriest Alexis Toth commencing in Minneapolis in 1891. The vast majority of members of the Russian Orthodox Churches in the U.S. and Canada are descended from former Catholics who left the Church through this movement; 2. The schism which formed the Ukrainian Greek-Orthodox Church of Canada during and after the First World War. Except for new immigrants, virtually all the members of this denomination are former Catholics and their descendants; 3. The celibacy schism of the 1930's in the U.S. led by Father (later Metropolitan) Orestes Chornock, which resulted in the formation of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese and its reception into the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople. These schisms were attended by acrimonious court battles, disgraceful public spectacles which resulted in many enduring wounds to the body of Christ, the Church, and serious scandals to the detriment of the Catholic cause. They are still a major obstacle to ecumenical relations.... Hierarchs of Ukraine have been ordaining married priests and sending them to us for a century, from Metropolitan Sylvester Cardinal Sembratovynch, through Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky, Joseph Cardinal Slipyj (who in Rome itself ordained at least 46 such priests for the diaspora without any objection from the Holy See) and now the present Eastern Catholic hierarchs in Ukraine. At the very least, Your Holiness, surely it is not improper to ask for an explanation of this complete innovation. Since Pope Pius Xll established the Eparch of Toronto we have received married priests who were ordained in Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe on the instruction of Cardinal Tisserant, and until today there has been no objection. How, When, and Why has this policy changed? Any attempt to prevent the priests ordained in Ukraine from exercising the sacred ministry would provoke an immediate and vehement protest from the faithful, and even from the reverend clergy. These priests have been received with very great joy, and they are carrying out much needed pastoral work. Suddenly interrupting that work now would do irreparable harm to the peace of the Church here."

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In your Latin Eyes only :P

Eastern Catholic have much to offer US Church, Cardinal say to the Bishop

I do not like to make any comment, but the Statement given by His Eminence Leonardo Sandri, the Prefect of the Eastern Catholic Church, is quite disturbing. Reminding me that Once upon a time, a Latin rite Hierarch show his Bull headed attitude to a Greek Catholic Priest which cause Major Schism in the Americas in the 19th Century. By the way the Prefect of this Sacred Congregation is not even a Eastern Catholic, but a Latin Rite, so as to give you a hint on him. Here is the following quotations of his Address to the Bishop

‎"The cardinal (Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches) urged care in helping young people discern their vocation, "maintaining formation programs, integrating immigrant priests (and) embracing celibacy in respect of the ecclesial context" of the United States where mandatory celibacy is the general rule for priests."

This one gave me the creeps. It seems the Cardinal forget that Eastern Rite Catholic Churches has a unbroken Tradition of Married Priesthood. He also does not forget Married Eastern Catholics are the reason why Archbishop John Ireland refused to recognized Alexis Toth on ministering Greek Catholics is the reason he is a Married Priest. Let us not forget the Ea Semper and Cum data fuerit, which have restrained Celibacy in the Priesthood, resulting to a Schism lead by Msgr. Orestes Chornock. Also, in the Latin Rite, Married Priest also exist, namely in the Anglican Use Personal Ordinariates, though Latin rite holds the Tradition of maintaining Celibate Priests

As usual, this Comment have produced Opinions from Eastern Catholics and even Orthodox as well, so here is the other Article which i see, has prove that once again  the likes of Archbishop John Ireland and Latin Rite supremacist are now making their presence felt:

Rome to US Eastern Catholic: New Priest should embrace Celibacy

It has been widely center of talk in the United States. And the Cardinal, if ever i gave him a Benefit of a Doubt, i will not do so because at the first instance, he is a Latin Rite Ordinary, does he know everything on Eastern Catholic Church, i hope it is because by the way he speaks History will happened again, People like him in the Roman Curia is making Complications affecting Eastern Catholics

Honestly i have goosebumps every time i post this Picture. The same People who have forced Alexis Toth on jumping to Orthodoxy are the same People telling Eastern Catholics to do the same. You want Union, sorry to say but Thanks but no Thanks at all. This is the price of becoming a Eastern Catholic, its either you get persecuted by not just the Orthodox but their Brethren Latin Catholic as well

Below will be another Article which is a letter written by a Ruthenian Greek Catholic Priest to his Metropolitan Archbishop which is performing a Ad Limina visit in Rome

Archbishop Ireland anyone

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History of the Byzantine Catholics in America

Many thanks to the Blog St. Elias... Today for this Link of Information regarding the start of the Greek Rite Catholicism in the United States



Historical Mirror Greek Rite Catholics 1884-1963

This link contains Facts from the History of the Byzantine Catholic Church in the United States. Also included here are the Papal Encyclicals Ea Semper and Cum Data Fuerit and the initial reactions, even the mass exodus of some Greek Catholics to Orthodoxy because of this somewhat "repressive" Documents


On showing this Files of accurate Historical evidences, we are not engaging for Polemics or whatsoever. By showing this Link we are trying to imply here that we should not repeat the mistakes from the Past, so as to fasten the healing from the Division cause by Schism, as the Papal Encyclical Oriental Lumen of His Holiness Blessed Pope John Paul II states: "That all maybe ONE"

Пресвята Богородиця, захищати США
(MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, PROTECT US)
Господи Ісусе Христе Сину Божий, помилуй мене грішного
(LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER)

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A Defence of using Vernacular in the Sacred Liturgy from a Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch during Vatican II Sessions

"Christ offered the first Eucharistic Sacrifice in a language which could be understood by all who heard him, namely, Aramaic. … Never could the idea have come to them [the Apostles] that in a Christian gathering the celebrant should read the texts of Holy Scripture, sing psalms, preach or break bread, and at the same time use a language different from that of the community gathered there … because this language [Latin] was spoken by the faithful of that time, Greek was abandoned in favor of Latin. … Why, then, should the Roman Church cease to apply the same principle today?"

His Beatitude Cardinal Maximos IV Sayegh

______________________________________

One friend of mine told me before ( He is not anymore my friend, he is a Latin Traddie) that Eastern Catholic Hierarchs has nothing to do during the Sessions of the Vatican II Ecumenical Councils and should interfered on issues involving the Latin Rite. Well by these we can see totally how Eastern Rite Catholic Hierarchs championed reforms and even influencing the Sacred Liturgy of the West. Ooppsss it has nothing to do with that celebrated  Archbishop Annibale Bugnini or those Modernist and Freemasons Boo boo but the very old Traditions of the East being introduced in the Latin Rite, namely Concelebration and the use of the Vernacular. Seemingly there are some case of Latin Rite Traddies who are denouncing using the Vernacular in the Pauline Mass but attending Eastern Rite Divine Liturgies in Vernacular, look at this One sided Foolishness. Anyways i will thank Hierarchs like His Beatitude Maximos, who even defeated in a Debate the famous Traditionalist Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani after he has lost the time to make a rebuttal, well can you beat that, so will you say Latin is the OFFICIAL Liturgical Language of the Whole Church if you have Church Slavonic, Arabic, Greek, Malayalam, Armenians and others to be named eh  :P

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Why Eastern Catholics Do Not Accept Western Theology

Ending the controversies on dogma once and for all!

Many have been curious as to why many Eastern Catholics do not accept the Filioque, Purgatory, Transubtantion, etc. Every time an Eastern Catholic mentions that he or she does not believe in—let's say—Purgatory, Roman Catholics flare up and start crying out “Heresy!” or labeling that person “Heretic!” which is actually quite hilarious providing that the Holy See allowed the Eastern Catholics to maintain their original beliefs.

Allow me to explain why Eastern Catholics hold the things I’ve mentioned, using proof text from the Treaty of Brest, which dates back to 1595, even way before the hailed Modernist council (according to the ultra-traditionalists), Vatican II.

My commentaries are the ones not in block-quote form, and my words of emphasis are in bold.

The Filioque:

1.—Since there is a quarrel between the Romans and Greeks about the procession of the Holy Spirit, which greatly impede unity really for no other reason than that we do not wish to understand one another—we ask that we should not be compelled to any other creed but that we should remain with that which was handed down to us in the Holy Scriptures, in the Gospel, and in the writings of the holy Greek Doctors, that is, that the Holy Spirit proceeds, not from two sources and not by a double procession, but from one origin, from the Father through the Son.

This clearly means, following the statement “we should not be compelled to any other creed”, that the Eastern Catholics do not have to accept the Filioque. However, as stated, both the Romans and the Greeks have to accept that the Spirit proceeds from the Father, through the Son, since procession—strictly speaking—does not describe origination, unlike in the Greek version of the creed. But it's [the concept of the Spirit's procession] distinct from the Filioque per se in a sense that it's fundamental.

Transubstantiation:

3.—That the Mysteries of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ should be retained entirely as we have been accustomed until now, under the species of bread and wine; that this should remain among us eternally the same and unchangeable.

Nowhere does it state that the Easterners ought to believe in Transubstantiation, but merely in what happens during consecration, that the bread and wine turns into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which of course, they have always believed in. It is that simple.

Purgatory:

5.—We shall not debate about purgatory, but we entrust ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Church.

This is very clear. The Church did not and does not compel the Easterners to believe in Purgatory. However, as stated, they should entrust themselves to the teaching of the Church—where a state of cleansing occurs after a person, who is deemed worthy of entering heaven, dies. Another very simple fundamental concept which Latins in denial find hard to accept.

Did you catch all that? It was actually the Roman Catholics way back when who permitted the Eastern Catholics to adhere to their original theology. This was way before Vatican II. As a matter of fact, the Union of Brest happened a few decades after the Council of Trent, the much celebrated council by most Latin supremacists, and the council which formally declared the dogma of Purgatory.

(And no, this is not a conspiracy by Modernists and free-masons.)

I believe the Treaty of Brest is very self-explanatory. Anyone could have understood what is written on it without my commentaries and my emphasis.

And now, I shall wait for the negative and violent comments from the Latins who might call me a heretic—an insult laughable and unsuitable at best, considering what the Holy See maintained regarding Eastern Catholic theology. I’m ready for them, so come on—hit me with your best shot.

And in case you're wondering, I am ranting.

By Jared Dale Combista

Full Text of the Treaty of Brest

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When some asserts that one Rite is the Dominant one within the Catholic Church!!!!!

His Grace Most. Rev. Soter Stephen Ortynsky de Labetz, O.S.B.M, is the first Hierarch of the Greek Catholics (Both the Ukrainians and the Ruthenians) in the United States, though the Apostolic Exarchate was erected in 1913. But the problem regarding his Appointment is he as a very small Episcopal Authority, so i am wondering why he was Ordained a Bishop but does not have any Capacity to act such. Here is such a Testimony of how little is his Eparchial function:

"Bishop Ortinsky was forced to obtain the approval of each local Roman Catholic bishop in whose diocese a Greek Catholic parish was located before he could exercise any authority over that particular parish. In effect, Ortinsky functioned as a vicar general for all Greek Catholics in the various Roman Catholic dioceses in America. Lacking the necessary authority, Bishop Ortinsky was unable to impose the ecclesiastical discipline over both clergy and laity needed to bring order to the contentious, but still growing, Greek Catholic community in America." (Excerpt)

Though he answers directly to the Holy See, it seems that Eparch Soter Ortynsky has no power to fulfill his Episcopal Duty, and he acts as if he is no Equal with the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Bishops until 1913 when he was granted full Ordinary Jurisdiction by the Vatican, making it independent from Local Latin Rite Ordinaries.

Many years later, in 1945, when His Holiness Pope Pius XII published his Encyclical "Orientales Omnes Ecclesias" Addressing the Byzantine Catholics on the 350th Anniversary of the Union of Brest. He state this following Excerpt from the Papal Encyclical:

"From all this it is evident that our predecessors have always shown the same fatherly love to the Ruthenians as to the Catholics of the Latin rite. They have also considered it most important to defend the rights and privileges of their hierarchy. When many Latins asserted that the Ruthenian rite was of inferior standing, and some Latin bishops even declared that the Ruthenian prelates did not enjoy full episcopal rights and functions but were subject to them, this Apostolic See rejected these unjust and fanciful opinions; on 28th September 1643 a decree was published to the following effect: "Cardinal Pamphili reported divers decrees of the special Congregation for the united Ruthenians and His Holiness approved the decree of the same special Congregation of the preceding 1st August, that the Ruthenian bishops in union were bishops, and were to be so called and regarded. He approved the decree of the same Congregation that the Ruthenian bishops should be able to erect schools in their dioceses for the instruction of their youth in letters and sciences, and that the Ruthenian ecclesiastics enjoyed the privileges fori, canonis, immunitatis, libertatis, which the priests of the Latin Church enjoy."

Now i am getting creepy on this one. If the Pope is saying about the Equal enjoyment of Eastern Rite Catholic Hierarchs and the faithful, why there is still a Misunderstanding with them and the Majority Latin Rite???  I guess i can have that answer in the near future

He is right all along. Well the Pope are Advocates of the Eastern Rite,  but not the People around.

What about this Latin Rite Ordinary??? Seems familiar

At this Moment i do not want to Spoil the Fun, for i will later post a Article regarding this Ordinaries in the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Church who have caused many sufferings for the Eastern Catholics, namely of the Byzantine Rite because of it Unusual Tradition and Practice, but frankly because of what i will call Supremacy, which i will posted later on in this Blog

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