On Praying With Heretics
Question: What does an Orthodox convert do
when he attends the funerals of his heterodox friends or of his
parents? I know that we cannot pray with non-Orthodox and should
not compromise our Faith. The last time that a non-Orthodox
friend died, a Roman Catholic, I left the funeral during the
reading of the Epistle and the Gospel and during their communion.
(J.C., RI)
Answer: The Canons of the Church forbid us to
participate in non-Orthodox religious services and to engage in
common prayer with non-Orthodox and with those who have been
officially condemned as heretics by the Orthodox Church.
Contemporary ecumenists react to these Canons with outrage, the
Orthodox among them often maintaining that the Canons are
outmoded, ineffective, "non-operational," or whatever.
Many so-called Orthodox "traditionalists," on the other
hand, invoke these Canons as evidence that the ecumenical
movement is illicit, not a few of such individuals taking these
proscriptions to a point that, quite frankly, smacks of religious
bigotry. To understand the Canons correctly we must avoid these
extremist reactions and combine a proper respect for the inspired
content of Church laws with the sense of moderation constantly
prescribed by the very Fathers who wrote and compiled them.
Firstly, we must distinguish between those who have been
condemned by the Church as heretics and those who embrace
incorrect or heterodox doctrines. Like it or not, Latin
Christianity has been condemned by numerous Fathers and several
local councils as heretical. It is, indeed, a traditional
Orthodox position that, lamentable though the fact may be, the
Orthodox and Latin Churches are divided over the fall of the
latter to heresy (e.g., papism, the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception, the filioque innovation, etc.). Therefore, it
is clear that Orthodox may not participate in joint services with
Latin Christians. This applies, as well, to the separated Eastern
Christians (Armenians, Copts, etc.), notwithstanding the fact
that many of these Churches have embraced Orthodox views and
beliefs in recent years and despite the fact that many modernist
clergy, in unilateral decisions which show no understanding of
Orthodox ecclesiology, admit the separated Eastern Christians to
communion. Naturally, the Church also forbids us to join in
prayer with single individuals who may have been condemned for
heretical views. Placed in a medical model, the Church preserves
us from diseased believers who might, because of the many things
that they hold in common with us, pass on, with their correct
belief, the bacterium of their wrong belief.
Now, the Church also recognizes that heresy is not born in a
single moment. It is a process of erroneous thought or spiritual
practice that leads to misbelief. There are those in the Church
today who, though not condemned by the Church officially,
obviously hold views at odds with Her established beliefs. They
are ill, but we do not know whether their diseases are in fact
serious or communicable. A "diagnosis," or judgment by
the Church, has in effect not been made. These instances are
often difficult to deal with unequivocally. Given this, the
Church is careful to guide us with great discretion with regard
to those in error, but who are still uncondemned by the Church.
If we can recognize an error clearly, then we must resist it,
separate ourselves from it, and urge the Church to investigate
the error. But again, we must remain cautious in our actions,
until the Church has actually conducted an investigation and
condemned the presumed error in belief. In the case of clergy or
even entire local Churches that may have fallen into error, but
which are yet uncondemned, we must avoid possible contamination;
but certainly we must not state, on our own, that disease has
overcome the body. We cannot wholly and unequivocally "cut
off' those who show symptoms of disease, until an
"official" and "authorized" diagnosis is made
by the properly appointed Church authorities. [It is indeed for
this very reason that we Old Calendarists do not deny the Holy
Mysteries among the New Calendarist innovators, though we avoid
open communion with them and interact cautiously with them.]
Secondly, as we have seen, the entire matter of heresy and
misbelief is handled very subtly in the Orthodox Church. Those
who want "black" and "white" answers and who
would forego discretion and caution for hasty action will be
quite dissatisfied with the teachings of the Church in this area.
Underlying all considerations of heresy is a deep sense of the
responsibility of the Church, its pastors, and its Faithful to
preserve in detail those paths and means, handed down to us by
the Fathers, by which man might attain to enlightenment and
salvation. Deviation from the "Orthodox Way" is a
fearful prospect simply because we know, by way of the Church's
experience, that even the slightest innovation or departure from
the Church's standards has always resulted in the loss of souls.
In other words, it is compassion and a concern for souls which
underlies the Church's desire to preserve Her "tried and
true" paths absolutely untouched by anything foreign,
heterodox, or untried. It is this compassion which some extremist
traditionalists fail to understand, making a mockery of the
"discipline of love" and transforming compassion into a
smug practice of protecting that which is one's
"prerogative." This even takes on the ugly form of
ethnic exclusivity or of the heresy of philetism. On the other
hand, contemporary ecumenists would throw caution to the wind in
favor of the worldly attention that accrues to one who is willing
to sell his Faith for the modern theories of relativism, all the
while claiming to have done nothing to abandon the Orthodox
Church's claim to spiritual primacy.
Thirdly, we must realize that the Orthodox Church is
"catholic." It is meant for everyone. When, therefore,
we seek to protect those within the Church from the bacterium of
non-Orthodox belief, we must be constantly aware that this is for
the purpose also of preserving Orthodoxy as a pure standard for
all those who confess Christ (if not for all of those who are
not, in fact, confessors of the Christian Faith). We wish to
preserve perfectly and in full force the bread of salvation
taught to us by the Prophets, the Savior, the Apostles, and the
Fathers and Mothers of the Church, lest we offer stones in the
name of Orthodoxy. Our exclusivity, our apparent disdain
for the religious observances of others, and our fear of the
relativism of even the best-intentioned ecumenists are things
that ultimately derive from pure and true ecumenism, which is
expressed in the missionary spirit of desiring with the whole
heart and soul to bring all mankind to Orthodoxy. We must
remember this. And if we do remember it, then we will be very
careful not to hurt, to insult, or to humiliate non-Orthodox. All
spiritual actions are, of course, meant to benefit our own souls;
but, at the same time, they are aimed at the salvation of our
fellow man.
It would seem to us, then, wrong for an Orthodox Christian to
avoid the weddings and funerals of non-Orthodox friends and
relatives. In the case of parents, whether Orthodox or not, our
behavior is determined by one of the Mosaic Commandments: that we
honor our mothers and fathers. It is perfectly possible to attend
non-Orthodox services and behave politely and without offending
anyone. After all, the question of participation is one of
intent. When others pray, lower your head and pray an Orthodox
prayer. If they read from the Bible, what possible harm can this
do an Orthodox Christian? And while they commune, show respect.
They are communing with Christ in their own way and in no manner
compromising our Faith. We are not here calling into question the
true nature of heterodox communion or the true nature of Orthodox
communion. Such is not necessary. We are simply showing respect
for fellow Christians whom, with every cell of our bodies and
every prayer of our souls, we should always wish to see joined to
Orthodoxy. And if, by chance, our quiet respect might at times
offend some other Orthodox, we can easily explain that we pray
our own prayers in these circumstances, showing the respect for
others that every Father of the Church has demanded from us. Such
an explanation can be instructive.
Our remarks concerning attendance at non-Orthodox weddings and
funerals do not apply, of course, to convert monastics. Monastics
should not attend weddings, as dictated by Canons. A good
monastic, too, should avoid funerals, including those of his
parents, and concentrate on intense prayer for the deceased.
There are, of course, cases in which non-attendance at a funeral
might cause undue stress, in which case a monastic's superior
must use proper discretion in relaxing this rule.
From Orthodox Tradition, Vol. IV, No. 3, pp. 18-20.
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