NEW YORK (Episcopal Assembly) – Christians from the Orthodox and Catholic Churches in the United States and Canada have engaged in dialogue for more than a half-century. Most recently, the representatives from the two faith traditions, announced the publication of new agreed statement on marriage, The Pastoral Care of Mixed Marriages: Neither Yours nor Mine – but Ours. The Theological Consultation is currently co-chaired by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR, the Archbishop of Newark, and Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. The document was completed in Spring 2023 at a meeting hosted by St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Ontario. Like most dialogue-agreed statements, this document does not speak officially for either Church. However, it has been drafted by prominent theologians and circulated to those representing both traditions for prayerful reflection and discussion.
While commonalities exist between the two faith traditions, the Theological Consultation acknowledged that estrangement can often be seen when a Catholic and an Orthodox Christian enter into marriage. Instead of dividing the parties in a mixed marriage into “yours” and “mine,” the Consultation proposed that the parties begin with a joint solicitude for the spouses and embark on the pastoral care of each mixed marriage as “our” concern. Otherwise, they stated, the division often experienced is a painful reality for the mixed families. The new agreed statement on marriage addresses past understandings, further emphasizing the sacredness of all Christian marriage, the lifelong nature of matrimony, remarriage, the importance of the spiritual formation of children, and the need for shared and continuing pastoral care.
Differences in canonical practice between the Churches were acknowledged regarding the dissolution of the marital bond, as well as in their understanding of the constitutive elements necessary for its formation. An affirmation was made that, in both traditions, sacramental marriage takes place in an ecclesial context through the ministry of the Church. The Consultation made recommendations on the celebration of mixed marriages in both churches, the recognition of remarriage after divorce, joint pastoral care, mutual recognition of the married life in Christ, updating of pastoral materials, and the avoidance of indifferentism as well as spiritual confusion.
The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation is sponsored jointly by the Committee for Ecumenical Relations of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Since its establishment in 1965, the Consultation has issued some 31 agreed statements on various topics, which may be found on the respective websites of the Assembly of Bishops, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Furthermore, as part of the ongoing dialogue on the American side, the Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops has been meeting annually since 1981 to discuss pastoral issues between the two churches. A summary of their work may be found here. An analogous initiative has also long existed in Canada.
A summary of the recommendations:
1. That for the present the Catholic party of the proposed marriage with an Orthodox be married with the Orthodox bishop or priest officiating, after consultation by the partners with their pastors, and with an official dispensation, for the Catholic partner, from ecclesiastical form. What an interesting recommendation, acknowledging what Orthodoxy says about sacramental boundaries between us and what Catholicism holds.
2. That Orthodox hierarchs consider the extension of ecclesiastical economy to Orthodox parties in legal contractual unions that have been established through the exchange of matrimonial consent and made with the intention of a lifelong bond in the Catholic liturgical and canonical tradition. Such an economy would be extended solely to the Orthodox spouse for the purpose of his or her canonical standing in the Orthodox Church, reflected in continued eucharistic participation and subsequent sacraments offered in the life of the Church such as the ability to serve as godparent at a baptism or sponsor at a wedding, and full participation in parish ministry life, including serving on the parish council. This is of course not the present practice. Currently, if I had an Orthodox spouse who married outside the Church, they would not be permitted to be a godparent/sponsor.
3. That Catholic hierarchs seek ways to receive the pastoral decisions of Orthodox spiritual courts and hierarchs and not only recognize, with the Orthodox hierarchy, the remarriages, in some carefully examined cases, of divorced spouses in mixed marriages, but also allow such divorced and remarried Catholic parties, in marriages with Orthodox Christians, eucharistic participation in the Catholic Church. Can't see how most Catholics would accept this one.
4. That both churches exercise their responsibilities for the pastoral care of spouses and their children in mixed marriages jointly in a spirit of love and mutual respect. Easier said than done.
5. That the spouses of a mixed marriage have a mutual recognition of their shared life in Christ and their assistance of each other on the way towards salvation as a foundation of their marital unity.
6. That materials for Christian marriage and family life be updated and jointly developed, both for the guidance of the clergy and for the use of the people involved in Orthodox-Catholic marriages.
7. That these materials accurately reflect both the pastoral preparation and the decision-making required prior to any wedding to avoid indifferentism and spiritual confusion.
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