Hieromonk Maximos of Holy Resurrection Monastery interview

H/T: The Rosemary Tree

Catherine Alexander speaks with Father Maximos of Holy Resurrection Romanian Catholic Monastery in Newberry Springs, CA about Eastern Catholic identity.

Questions Asked:

1. Some people say Eastern Catholics are Roman Catholics of an Eastern rite, some say they are orthodox Christians who are currently in communion with Rome, and some say Eastern Catholics are primarily a bridge of unity between East and West. I'd like to discuss each of these three positions with you.

2. I'd like to discuss the title, "Roman Catholics of an Eastern rite." The emphasis is that they're Catholic first, and believe all things that the Roman Catholic Church believes, while living out that faith through a different liturgical and devotional framework. Will you discuss what it means to be an Eastern Catholic in light of this title?

3. Some people say that Eastern Catholics are Orthodox Christians in communion with Rome as a means of asserting the Eastern Catholic Churches' independence from Rome and their unity with Orthodoxy, especially in the areas of history, theology, and spirituality. What do you think the benefits and pitfalls are of using this title to describe the relationship Eastern Catholics have with Rome?

4. With this balance of being fully Orthodox and fully Catholic, some people believe the Eastern Catholic Churches are a bridge for unity between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. They say unity is the main purpose of the Eastern Catholic Churches, and a failure to bring about full unity means the Eastern Catholic experiment was a failure. Would you shed some light on this position?

5. With those three things in mind, what would you say it means to be an Eastern Catholic?

Part 1:

Part 2: