Orthodox Metropolitan Nicolae Corneanu of Banat joined Romanian Catholic Bishop Alexandru Mesian of Lugoj at the altar on May 25, sharing the Eucharist with the Catholic prelate. His action outraged some Orthodox believers, and the Romanian Orthodox synod announced that Metropolitan Corneanu “may be asked to give an appropriate explanation” at a synod meeting in July.
Now another Romanian Orthodox leader, Metropolitan Bartolomeu of Cluj, has introduced a move to excommunicate Metropolitan Corneanu. That proposal will be discussed at the orthodox Synod meeting in early July.
The move to excommunicate Metropolitan Corneanu has inflamed new hostility toward Catholics– and especially Eastern-rite Romanian Catholics– among Orthodox hard-liners who regard any association with Catholics as suspicious. Critics have also raised heresy charges
against the Orthodox Bishop Sofronie of Oradea, who participated in an ecumenical blessing-of-the-water service in January, on the feast of the Baptism of Christ, with his Romanian Catholic counterpart.
Metropolitan Corneanu has said that he does not regret joining Catholic bishops in the Divine Liturgy. But the Orthodox prelate has rejected the idea that he is likely to become a Catholic, saying that he is loyal to the Orthodox Church and will accept the consequences of his actions.
Editors Note: That’s it let us use the very thing that should bring us together to keep us apart. Jesus must be very happy today. God save us from these clowns!
Thats it! Thats that question! WHERE IS THE LOVE…These clowns are our leaders, then, God help us!
some times when something is right you need to stand up. some times excamunication is better then breaking the law of loving each other.i think jesus would have done the same thing he beleaved in people first and rules second. anne
I have to come down on the opposite side of this issue; I’m grateful that actions are being taken to uphold the integrity of the Orthodox Church and its stand on communion with the non-Orthodox.
The fact is that Orthodoxy and Catholicism are two separate Churches. We can have an abstract philosophical discussion on whether or not that should be so, but the objective historical reality is that that is the case. If we act as if they are not separate we are not telling the truth by our actions. I’m all for taking a loving attitude towards Catholics and everyone else, but trying to express love in a way that contradicts the truth does not help anyone, nor does it do genuine service to the cause of Christian unity.
Mark AC