The first paragraph of this reply brings to mind something I've contemplated regarding a theoretical East-West reunion: that the Orthodox would need to place their trust in Rome's ability to respect the limits of its authority over them.
Yet what has Rome demonstrated through the way it treats the bishops and rites already under its purvi…
The first paragraph of this reply brings to mind something I've contemplated regarding a theoretical East-West reunion: that the Orthodox would need to place their trust in Rome's ability to respect the limits of its authority over them.
Yet what has Rome demonstrated through the way it treats the bishops and rites already under its purview? It abuses its authority through overreach, selective enforcement, bureaucratization, and increased centralization of power to itself. Comparative respect for Eastern rites notwithstanding, it's not irrational to be wary of your estranged father who mistreats your siblings who live at home.
Barring divine intervention, we can't expect true East-West union until the West fixes its own dysfunctional relationship with authority. How can we bring our Eastern brethren to a proper view of the Church's hierarchy while we're catastrophically failing to model it ourselves?
Until we do that, we're stuck arguing Petrine primacy *and* the complexities of Recognize & Resist when we speak to Orthodox believers. "Yes, the Pope has authority, though he frequently and egregiously abuses it, so here's how to spiritually and psychologically defend yourself should you submit to him." Individuals are sometimes won over by this, but it's not a promising basis for widescale unification.
The first paragraph of this reply brings to mind something I've contemplated regarding a theoretical East-West reunion: that the Orthodox would need to place their trust in Rome's ability to respect the limits of its authority over them.
Yet what has Rome demonstrated through the way it treats the bishops and rites already under its purview? It abuses its authority through overreach, selective enforcement, bureaucratization, and increased centralization of power to itself. Comparative respect for Eastern rites notwithstanding, it's not irrational to be wary of your estranged father who mistreats your siblings who live at home.
Barring divine intervention, we can't expect true East-West union until the West fixes its own dysfunctional relationship with authority. How can we bring our Eastern brethren to a proper view of the Church's hierarchy while we're catastrophically failing to model it ourselves?
Until we do that, we're stuck arguing Petrine primacy *and* the complexities of Recognize & Resist when we speak to Orthodox believers. "Yes, the Pope has authority, though he frequently and egregiously abuses it, so here's how to spiritually and psychologically defend yourself should you submit to him." Individuals are sometimes won over by this, but it's not a promising basis for widescale unification.
I so agree with your comments!