Dialogue
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Where Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox agree, and the Catholic case on what still divides us: the papacy, the filioque, purgatory, and the councils.
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No Salvation Outside the Church: Did Vatican II Contradict Florence?
Did Vatican II reverse the Council of Florence on "no salvation outside the Church"? No. Both teach one dogma, explained by invincible ignorance since 1863.
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Leavened or Unleavened Bread: Does It Matter for the Eucharist?
Leavened or unleavened bread? The Council of Florence defined that Christ's Body is truly confected in both. Why the azymes dispute never justified schism.
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Why Do the Orthodox Reject the Immaculate Conception?
Orthodox see ancestral sin as corruption, not guilt. Why Scripture and the Fathers point to Mary immaculate from conception, in harmony with Eastern hymns.
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Infant Communion: Why Does the Latin Church Wait?
Eastern Catholics give infants Communion; Latin Catholics wait. Why the Latin practice is discipline, not doctrine, and why both live in one Catholic Church.
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Essence and Energies: Can a Catholic Accept St. Gregory Palamas?
The Catholic Church never condemned St. Gregory Palamas; Melkite Catholics keep his feast. Essence, energies, theosis and simplicity: the real issue is Peter.
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Is the Pope "First Among Equals" or Head of the Church?
Orthodox say the pope is first among equals with a primacy of honor. Scripture and the first millennium show more: St. Peter's keys and real jurisdiction.
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Why Did the Council of Florence's Reunion Fail?
In 1439 East and West signed one faith at Florence. Why the reunion collapsed, what the Orthodox objections are, and why its failure was political.
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Did the Fourth Crusade Cause the Schism?
The 1204 sack of Constantinople was a grave sin that popes condemned and repented of. But the schism began earlier, and it did not move St. Peter's chair.
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Pope Honorius: Did a Pope Teach Heresy?
Was Pope Honorius a heretic? He was condemned by the Sixth Council, but that does not disprove papal infallibility. The council said Peter spoke through Agatho.
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Do the Orthodox Allow Divorce and Remarriage? A Catholic Response
Do the Orthodox allow divorce and remarriage? Yes, up to three marriages by oikonomia. A Catholic response from Christ's words, St. Paul, and St. Basil.
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Was the Pope's Primacy Recognized in the First Millennium?
Was the pope's primacy recognized in the first millennium? What Catholics and Orthodox agree on, what councils and Fathers show, and what is disputed.
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Is the Orthodox Church the True Church? A Catholic Response
Is the Orthodox Church the true Church? A Catholic response: what we share, the Orthodox claim, and why Christ's Church subsists in the Catholic Church.
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Do the Orthodox Believe in Purgatory?
Do the Orthodox believe in purgatory? They reject the name and some Latin explanations, yet pray for the dead at every Liturgy. Where East and West meet.
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Are Eastern Catholic Churches Really Catholic?
Are Eastern Catholic Churches really Catholic? Yes: 23 Churches in full communion with the pope, with their own liturgies, laws, and married priests.
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Can Catholics Receive Communion in an Orthodox Church?
Can Catholics receive Communion in an Orthodox church? Normally, no. The narrow canon 844 exception, the Orthodox discipline, and what to do instead.
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What Caused the Great Schism of 1054?
What caused the Great Schism of 1054? The long drift between East and West, the events of July 1054, what came after, and what still divides us.
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The Filioque: Does the Spirit Proceed from the Father and the Son?
Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father and the Son? The filioque explained: Scripture, the Fathers, the Orthodox objection, and the Catholic answer.
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What Is the Difference Between Catholic and Orthodox?
What is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox? What we share, and the real differences: the papacy, the filioque, purgatory, and councils.