Finding Jesus: A Testimony

VII - Church History, II

There are several considerations when approaching discernment between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.

(1) The similarities of the churches;

This is to see what the church has universally agreed on considering the two churches were one for a thousand years. The sacraments (or Mysteries, as it is called in the East) is an example of this. Similarities are important in separating the churches from those outside it and keeping focused on the bigger disagreements. Private opinions are not a matter of severance.

Even though we may agree on these things, it is not really enough to only consider them or to focus too heavily on it — ultimately, it slows down the discernment process. Once the understanding of which church is truly established by the Lord is solidified, then other investigations can be pursued carefully.

(2) The differences of the churches;

A lot of the differences are oriented around rites (the aesthetics, traditional architecture and vestments, liturgical languages and prayers, matters of spiritual practice like the rosary versus prayer ropes, and such of this nature). These differences do not sever the church but are typically an expression of a culture, especially one that has grown and further beautified by faithful contributors.

Varied rites were a lot more common in the first thousand years and would eventually consolidate into major rites. In a similar sphere, there is also that of private opinions which comes from regions, and concerns how we express dogmatic concepts and the grey area surrounding it.

An example of this is the Holy Orders and marriage. Overtime, East and West agreed that the higher office of the bishop should remain celibate. This enables him to focus his attention on matters of management, especially considering this is not just individual churches but a region, and maintaining departments and resources for the benefit of the faithful. The area of disagreement concerns that of the priest. While the West restricted the priest for a similar reason as the bishop, the East continued to allow priests to marry. This gave the church a family, and would give a female title equivalent to that of the priest without affording the same office, becoming the mother of the church. For example, presbytera the wife of the presbyter—i.e., the priest.

East and West will disagree with each other on the practicality of the positions. "The priest needs to be accessible at all hours of the day for spiritual emergencies and caretaking," the West may say, adding: "And as a plus, he can dedicate his time to charity and study without having to attend familial events or work another job." On the other side, the East would reply: "We've been managing without issues. The priests have families and help build upon the culture of the church, gaining relatable experience within it. The family understands his importance and maintains his accessibility."

So, these differences are considerable but not something that would result in a schism. This specific one became a highlight when the West, at the time of the Great Schism, factored it in when attempting to force it upon the East.

(3) The points of severance;

This leads into the next primary consideration. While it is interesting to learn about the history and applications of devotions and other spiritual praxis, the key area is points of actual division—that is, the matters which impede the reunification of the church.

In my opinion, the pivotal point is the office of the papacy specifically. East and West share the common view that the office held what we call the position of first among equals; in other words, a primacy. What this means is in disagreement between the two. I'll provide what Roman Catholicism teaches, as revealed at their ecumenical council and has declared anathema to, and what Orthodoxy teaches after.