Wednesday, November 3, 2010

To continue my previous post.....
It is apparent that the phrase "old catholic" is much too 'loaded' to be used meaningfully by modern Western Rite Orthodox, even if we are the true "old Catholics". Whether we should style ourselves "Western Orthodox", "Western Rite Orthodox" or something like "Eastern Orthodox using the Western Rite" is another matter altogether (it would seem to me that the latter would imply using the Western Rite texts while retaining Eastern Rite Vestments, fasting disciplines and calendar -- which I think is equivalent to a sort of "Creole" or "Pidgen" rite). The important thing is that we are Orthodox while at the same time maintaining the traditions that have come down to us in the West, minus heretical innovations, avoiding "Romophobia" on one hand and "Romophilia" on the other. Moderation, Sir, moderation!

Fr. David

1 comment:

123 said...

Why not "Orthodox Catholic"? I think many would assume "Orthodox" is a qualifier of "Catholic" as it would in "Conservative Catholic" or "Liberal Catholic".

"Western Rite" has little meaning to people already in an of the West. Only from the East can one refer to the West.

I could imagine the stationary header of a St. Mary Orthodox Catholic Church with smaller letters below clarifying it is "A Parish of the Western Rite Vicariate of the Church of Antioch" or "A Western Rite Parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia". Naming the bishop would then clarify any and all questions, e.g., Metropolitan Philip Saliba, Archbishop of New York; Bishop Jerome Shaw, Bishop of Manhattan.