I think that it is much too soon to even consider reunion with Rome. Rome has to first clean up its own house and get rid of the feminist nuns and pro-gay priests and other theological liberals. Then we must resolve the very real doctrinal issues that divide us. However, equally important is the whole culture around the papacy as the infallible head of the Church. That will be hard to resolve unless Rome is willing to go back and renounce some of the statements that it has made through the centuries claiming to hold all power in the Church. It will be especially difficult for Rome to go back and renounce the decisions of the First Vatican Council. However, short of reunion, we can and must forge an alliance with the Catholics and Protestants still faithful to the moral teachings of the Holy Scriptures to withstand the deluge that will be sweeping over us all as a result of the ill conceived decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the will of the people expressed in two votes in California to ban same-sex marriage and to declare DOMA unconstitutional. We need a new ecumenical movement without the liberal Protestants made up of those who can agree on the morality taught by the Holy Scriptures to withstand the pressure that we are already feeling to change our beliefs to conform to the reign of terror of political correctness that has all but destroyed any vestiges of Christian morality in the secular culture.

Read “Against False Union” many years ago. Thank God Orthodox aren’t like that in actual life, I never would have become a layman. Believe it or not, it actually is the *first* thing the old calendar folk often shove in one’s hands. Welcome to the Gospel! I enjoy reading Fr. Taft, he says things that might get him in hot water with his superiors like the Bishop of Rome not being Bishop of Earth. I guarantee that the Orthodox would be awfully unhappy if unity were there tomorrow. It would mean the bishop in Istanbul would no longer be “First Among Equals”! He would be, perfectly canonically, “Second Fiddle” and exist in even greater obscurity than he does today. Like the odd garb the Ottomans imposed on all Orthodox and they will never abandon, the idea of disunity is our only understanding of things. Taft spoke of Neo-Platonism in our “DNA”, I think it’s reasonable to say disunity is our “epigenome”. It gets passed along and effects the next generation the longer it goes on. Unity on the RIGHT basis is a great hope.

Cynthia, it has nothing to do with DNA. It has everything to do with the fundamental understanding of the Church, human beings and how we inter-relate with one another and with God and the nature of salvation. For Pete’s sake, I am German, Welsh and English by DNA.

This section of Father Taft’s interview I find particularly offensive, ad hominum and simply unnecessary if his intent is to actualy have a discussion rather than it being simply another form of “submit to the Pope and all is well”:

Unless we agree with him, we are not “instructed properly”. Unless we agree with him and accept Rome and their innovations “we are bigoted”

There is a lot we can do with Rome without becoming Rome or embracing their theological views.

Of course, one must always be careful about being “too civilized” about some things. Although that tendency is more marked when engaging non-Christians with destrucive agendas that with other people of faith. Don’t have to be hostile but wise as serpants.

Mr. Bauman:

You make a very good point. In fact, your comment reminds me of Bishop Kallistos Ware’s “The Orthodox Church,” a beautifully humble and factual nondefensive presentation of The Faith. He allows the reader to come to his own conclusions about the Lord and His Church. I appreciate your thoughts.

Polemics don’t help. That is one of the problems with Fr. Taft’s piece.

A clear statement on what is believed and why is really all that is needed. It doesn’t take a bunch of self-congratulatory acedemics to tell me what I “ought” to believe.

Mr. Bauman:

Beautiful job of clearly explaining the differences between the Orthodox and Catholics in spite of the attempts at pseudo-ecumenism. It is very true that both churches are alike in some ways; however, your input nicely shows the enormous valid chasm. Have you ever read the classic 1963 book by Dr. Alexander Kalomiros entitled, “Against False Union?” The book is written in a painful heartfelt explanation of why there can never be a union between Orthodox and Catholics. In this age of “tolerance-at-any-cost,” this sobering book should be required reading for both aforementioned faiths.

He is the ecumenical nightmare who gives interviews with the most liberal “female priest” supporting National Catholic Reporter newspaper.

He is learned and intelligent to the point where his brain has “fallen out the other side of his head.”

See his vanity – he dyes his hair because he fears he will no longer be seen as part of the trendy youthful set when his true grey heir is revealed.

He is a relic of the vatican II ecumenism hey day that has ravaged the traditions of the roman catholic church offering poor leadership for decades and helping millions of souls lose salvation.

Ask Fr. Gabriel Bunge what has to say about Taft.

Its not leting me edit. I mean the Catholics pointed out to me about the Byzantine mob that killed thousands of western merchants in 1182.

1. Purgatory and the entire understanding of soteriolgy of which it is a part
2. Which saints to venerate. (Don’t kid yourself this is a BIG hurdle). Just a couple for examples: St. Peter the Aleut and St. Alexis Toth among Orthodox Saints. St. Francis and Joan of Arc, St. Thomas Aquinas among the Catholic saints as well as any Catholic saints related to the 4th crusade and other acts of violence against the Orthodox. I’m sure there are some on our side who would be problematic to the Catholics for similar reasons.
3. Proper use and writing of icons
4. The conception of original sin and proper anthropology over all (see #10 below)
5. The Immaculate Conception and the proper veneration of Mary, the Theotokos
6. Fasting
7. The nature and form of the Mysteries in general but especially confession, Chrismation and the Euchrist
8. Re-marriage
9. Monasticism, especially since the Archmandrite has already label ours as ignorant, ananchronistic bigots.
10. How human beings participate in the divine life (going back to St. Gregory Palamas/Barlam debates).

I think it would be a mistake to just wave a magic wand and say “we are in communion” when in many ways we don’t share the same faith. I would be concerned that what would occur would be the creation of some massive two halved western rite/eastern rite dichotomy of practice where the schism still lived.

I especially don’t like the good Archmandrite trashing all potential Orthodox opposition as bigoted. Ad Hominum attacks against folks right out of the box is not a really good place to begin and the place where, IMO, the Archmandrite reveals his true motivation despite his nice words.

Guess I’m just an ignorant bigoted Romonphobe. How many of us will be shut out of the “reunified Church” as if we don’t exist under the Archmandrite’s vision?

In short, to quote Patrick Henry: “I smell a rat.”