Haven't had your daily ration of inter-religious food fighting? Go here to resolve that. For the record, Gabriel Sanchez is right when he calls Patrick Barnes' website polemical, though by no means is it as over the top as some I have run across. In fact, there is a lot of good stuff there. But God knows we do have our share of Ortho-Taliban floating around. Try hitting up some of the blogs run by hard core Old Calendarists if you don't mind crazy conspiracy theories, and often blindly bigoted commentary.
What Gabriel neglects to mention though, is that his own blog is highly polemical in its own right. And it has become a popular watering hole for many of the more virulent anti-Orthodox trolls in the blogosphere (at least one of whom has the extremely rare distinction of being declared persona non grata on this blog).
In any event, I must have missed the memo because it would seem that I am the only one who doesn't have a clue what God's plan for the Orthodox - Catholic divide is. But I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that it probably doesn't involve acidic commentary on the internet.
Angels Sing! Merry Christmas!
10 hours ago
6 comments:
John-
When you receive a copy of the memo, please pass it along to me. It seems God forgot to put this Catholic on the distribution list too.
Another Latin who missed the memo.
You're such an alarmist, John. There is no food-fighting going on over at Crisis piece, nor should there be. But if you can point to a single pot-shot I took in the article, let me know. And no, I am not going to subscribe to the Russian Orthodox narrative concerning "Uniates" if that's what you're looking for.
My blog is polemical? Since when? Since I don't have to subscribe to Orthodox self-generated narratives concerning either itself or the Catholic Church? The hard-hitting posts I have had concerning the Orthodox fall into two categories: (A) Calling out Alfayev and the Russian Orthodox Church for its campaign of disinformation and lies concerning the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; and (B) Calling out a handful of Orthodox polemicists for their pot-shots at Catholicism (cf. Whiteford, "Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy" web-log). What happens in the comments section -- a section I rarely participate in -- is the business of my readers. Unlike you, I don't feel compelled to engage in censorship.
Since you have written what some might describe is "whining" posts about me before, let me challenge you to compose a counter-article, rooted in the actual issues at stake which you seem to believe I either misrepresent or get flat-out wrong, and have them published in a legitimate open forum (i.e., not a private blog). I have published on Orthodoxy twice in Crisis; once in the Angelus; and once in the Remnant (with more to come). So from that "body of work" you should have plenty to draw from. When Joe Hargrave -- a Catholic -- and I had a serious disagreement about libertarianism and Catholic Social Teaching, we took to open forums to discuss the matter rather than retreat to blogs to gripe. Now I am asking you to do the same, or just drop your petty beef with me altogether.
I can think of one thing we might agree on, and be annoyed. In the popular, including Greekorthodox press, whenever one sees "Ecumenical Patriarch" it means "Orthodox Pope". The EP never has and never will correct this misinformation. The big important (?) event is one bishop among many of the Orthodox meeting with the Catholic fellow who thinks he's Bishop Of Earth. Nothing more. The Catholic one makes fewer embarrassing claims about being the "world renowned green patriarch" which is nice of him.
One of the problems in media is that the congenial folks with some measure of equanimity tend to get marginalized by the blowhards... who want to contribute their "distinctives". True no matter the subject, publication, etc. As these guys aren't representative of anything other than media hyperbole intended to attract attention, maybe we would be better to recognize them for what they are, and not to get overwrought about what they're not. Don't know 'bout you, but we have a fair number of Catholic-Orthodox marriages in our parish... and at the ground level of prayer, salvation, sin, love... etc... we have far more in common. Yes there are differences, and viva' le difference... but point that some folks in either church might be more beholdin' to the accoutrements and ideology they make of their church rather than what their churches teach... or their love of Christ... is that really news? Just saying.
"And no, I am not going to subscribe to the Russian Orthodox narrative concerning "Uniates" if that's what you're looking for."
You had not to suscribe. But making connection between Soviets and Russian orthodox Church is dishonest. Yes, Stallin abolished Unaite Church (please bear in mind, this is not some term devised by orthodox to insult them, it was something Uniates used with pride for centuries), but in same mind they ow their existance to state terror. Polish kings were forcing Orthodox bishops for centuries to accept papal autority. So, better not to use historical narative.
"(A) Calling out Alfayev and the Russian Orthodox Church for its campaign of disinformation and lies concerning the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; "
What lies? If anything I saw campaign from UGCC about persecution of Greek Catholics on Crimea. Well, I have enormous problems to swalow this. Greek Catholics are absolutley insignifcant proportion of population in Crimea. In fact, they are insignificant protion of population in Ukraine as whole. They were, for centuries spreading Russophobia in world. (For example on of their Seminaryy rophesors made "theory" about Russian having core Turkish and Mongolian vocabulary). You just jumped in centuries long dispute. Most of Roman Catholics dont even have clue why anti-Roman sentiment is strong among Orthodox. Its not bigotry. Orthodox nations have offten centuries long disputes with soem Roman Catholic ones.
Also, interesting notion about pockets. Well, with all due respect to EP, and his all Holliness. EP and Bartholomew are pockets.If you want dialogue, you had to talk with all of us. N
Dont take me worng, I am not against re-aprochmen, but like I said. Most of Roman Catholics have rather wrong perception of World Orthodoxy.
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