Byzantine, Texas

This week the Vatican issued a declaration stating the establishment of "blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage." The worldwide response of Catholic episcopal conferences has been swift and lopsided. Almost the entire continent of Africa, the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ukraine , England , and many other dioceses around the globe have responded in the negative to this innovation. Others, like the USCCB , have chosen to pretend as if nothing has changed... "The blessings that it allows for those in irregular relationships are not liturgical in nature and hence do not imply any approbation of such relationships. Rather, these benedictions are informal and spontaneous, designed to call upon God’s mercy to heal, guide, and strengthen. Despite some misleading coverage in the...

It seems that Orthodoxy has decided to go another way than the Catholic Church. Or, said more correctly, it has stayed the course. The OCA's statement can be found here . ( Orthodox Times ) The Holy Community of Mount Athos has urged the Greek government to refrain from enacting legislation regarding same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by same-sex couples. In their statement, the Holy Community firmly declares, “Any form of marriage or adoption that contradicts evangelical teachings and the enduring traditions of our pious nation and heritage stands in complete opposition to us, particularly concerning the sanctity of the traditional family.” Read the full announcement below: Following recent discussions regarding the Greek Government’s proposal to legalize marriage for same-sex couples and their potential adoption of children, our Holy Community voices profound concern echoed by all Athonite Fathers. Mount Athos, a sanctuary of prayer and asceticism, holds a humble reve...

One of the abiding lessons people in high profile positions learn is that the more emotion or fear that surrounds an issue, the more important it is to be very clear about what you are saying and, if possible, preface a larger statement with the bounds of what is being proposed. So, for example, should you be the wife of a soldier on deployment or a parent of an elementary school child, a phone call might start with, "There's nothing wrong, Mrs. Piddlesworth. We just needed to contact you about the Christmas party." The same mental process that says one should walk carefully on an iced over driveway is enacted for similarly dangerously slippery topics of discussion. There is an entire lexicon of words that are perfectly harmless, but are not used as they might cause offense to the unlettered. Find me an article boasting usage of such phrases as niggardly tipping, taking the best feck of a year to finish a task, or open-mouthed mastication in public and I will guess that i...

Quick points for readers to forestall questions in the comments box. What's the deal? Vatican II brought some good things for the Eastern Catholic Churches and some bad things. Here the priests started facing the people. The Vatican wants everyone to return to their liturgical practices before the Jesuits et al. burned their texts and forced Latinizations. The proposed change is to face the people for a portion of the service and a portion "ad orientem." The clergy are refusing. What is the ecumenical ramification here? Rome often points to how it treats the Eastern Catholic Churches as a model for how Orthodoxy would be left to handle its own affairs in a reunited Church. Mandating they face west, waiting a few decades and demanding they face east, then splitting the difference and demanding they do both, is not a great look. What is a Major Archbishop? It is a term made up by the Vatican to give a cleric all the powers of a patriarch, but not actually call him a patriar...

Here's a video for a bit of context on who these people are. Bombay ( Crux ) – Shortly after Pope Francis’s personal representative to the troubled Syro-Malabar Church returned to India on Wednesday, a group of some 300 dissident priests held a meeting, among other things demanding a “thorough investigation” of a recent video message from the pontiff calling for obedience. Slovakian Archbishop Cyril Vasil, a former number two official in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Eastern Churches who’s currently serving as Francis’s legate to the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly, arrived back in southern India Dec. 13 after meetings with Vatican officials, including Pope Francis, in Rome. An earlier mission by Vasil over the summer ended in frustration, as deadlines he had set for adoption of a uniform mode of celebrating Mass in the Syro-Malabar tradition came and went without compliance of a wide swath of priests and laity. On Dec. 7, Francis accepted the resignations of 78-year...

Oh, look! The Church can talk about gender in a mature way using Scripture.   

( Orthodox Times ) - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a message in every direction on the occasion of the feast of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. The Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the Divine Liturgy in the basilica of St. Nicholas, where the tomb of the Saint was located, in Myra (Demre), Lycia. The Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the service along with Metropolitans Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Apostolos of Derkoi, Arkalochori, Andreas of Kastelli and Viannos and Job of Pisidia, and Bishop Ambrosios of Evdokiada. The local Shepherd, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Myra, presided over the Orthros (matins). Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said that “what we consider as the East, which is the magnificent work of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Andrew the First-Called, John the Theologian, is actually the historical way and place of education in the time of the Church. The East is not just the birthplace of great saints but also the cradle of th...