Jimmy Akin - The Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy

Jimmy Akin explains the split between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches to a caller on Catholic Answers Live.

Jimmy Akin is an internationally known author and speaker. As the senior apologist at Catholic Answers, he has more than twenty years of experiencing defending and explaining the Faith.

Jimmy is a convert to the Faith and has an extensive background in the Bible, theology, the Church Fathers, philosophy, canon law, and liturgy.

[thedefender]

I am catholic with a byzantine (orthodox) rite!

[ipso-kkft]

Just imagine what Christendom could accomplish if the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches united. :D That would be instant news. I'm just more worried about doctrinal differences though.

[APOPCI]

I am an Christian Orthodox...the argument in the question above in the video was that the catholic church it is the truth one because of pope being the follow of st Peter the other orthodox bishops at those times...why did not claim the same ??? Priest and bishops are the representative of God in Earth...they are servants of people...r... What did our Lord said to Pilates?...about the use of the power that it was given to the truth of the division ...except the filioqve .. It was the division of the byzantine empire into Rome and Constantinopole...

[CariBaez]

very nice. I am interested in knowing about others catholic churches, other than roman. 7 u7

pleaseeee, Thank you Jesus ! 🙏💕 I love you.

[marcgray]

Be great if Catholic & Orthodox were in communion. I would have thought it will be very difficult when the Catholic Church is so different to what it used too be by that I mean vatican2. I'm Roman Catholic I can't see orthodoxy uniting with the modern Catholic Church from what I've seen of the eastern Catholic Church there more like the traditional pre vat2 church the western Catholic Church is nothing like that anymore. I love the way orthodoxy keeps its traditions & doesn't change way there mass is done. I only wish the RCC could return too that.

[catholicfaithbox]

Always learning with Catholic Answers Live! Love it!

[Polack]

I don't have an issue with papal primacy, the bishop of Rome is definitely the first among equals and his decisions and opinions are regarded with higher honor than that of other bishops/patriarchs. But absolute power corrupts absolutely, so I completely understand the orthodox opposition to papal supremacy and papal infallibility. Pope Francis is a prime example of what the East was worried about when Rome decided to bump it's chest too much. A man who is given supreme and infallible leadership makes it exceedingly easier for the faith to deviate off course.

[ITSbigwillystyle]

It is my understanding that for the first 1000 years of the Church, there was no notion of papal supremacy- in other words, things operated more akin to how they do within the Orthodox Church. The Byzantine emperor was even the one who called the councils.

[kenbilek]

Fairly new to the Orthodox Church, I have learned quite a bit about the Catholic and Orthodox history.  I have a lot of respect for the Catholic church as my sister is Roman Catholic.  Though the two used to be one, They are Worlds apart in Liturgical Practices.  At least from what I can see.  I would describe Roman Catholicism as the Modern church and The Orthodox as the Ancient church.

[CariBaez]

how can I ask a question to this man just like lady called n the phone ?
this man seems like he knows his stuff .. 😄 hehe

[pokya-anakrantau]

Unfortunately the modern Roman Catholic Church as in post Vatican 2 church, in its attempts to modernise has made itself even further away from Orthodoxy; both Eastern and Oriental.

[ukerkater]

Of course the Orthodox Church is in full communion with St. Peter...St. Peter is fully present in our Church as are all the Apostles and Saints. St. Peter established the Church at Antioch, as well as Rome. Our patriarchs continue to guard the faith in a collegial manner just as the apostles and their successors did since the beginning of the Church. St. Peter was given honour, but he was never the overlord of the other apostles....when Rome left, the remaining patriarchates continued the practice of collegial communion.

[Larissafc]

This is false. The Orthodox Church is in communion with Peter. Peter founded the church at Antioch and was the Patriarch for many years before traveling to Rome. Ask yourself this.
The Catholic church used the Vulgate bible (translated by St-Jerome). They didn't allow
Germans, English, French, Spaniards to have a bible in their language for over 1000 years. When these countries finally got bibles in their own languages, they all translated from the Orthodox bible (received text or textus receptus). Why did they not translate from Vulgate Latin?If you are to use the Orthodox bible do not claim superiority over it. In my opinion anyone that does not use the vulgate latin bible of the catholics and uses a textus receptus or even textus sinaiticus/vaticanus translation has already left the catholic church. You are all welcome in the Church as equals and brothers.

[JudithMatta]

The "Proof is in the pudding": can one find the God of Holy Scriptures in a church that claims an "infallible man"? There is One Who is the God-Man, and without sin: the Lord Jesus Christ! Look for His Church existing in Jerusalem for 2, 000 years since Pentecost, the Holy Orthodox Church which alone has the understanding and teachings from the Apostles without change. The Divine Liturgy dates (unchanged) from 350 ad collated from apostles Peter and James by St.John Chrysostomos. No one may change the Nicene Creed since the Holy Spirit, being God, does not make errors. Therefore, we need not change. However, s in Europe, the Frankish King Charlemagne (8th century Council of Aachen) dared to change the Nicene Creed, adding what is called the "filioque" - ignoring Christ's own words that "The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father", not as he claimed, "from the Father AND the Son." Being an ignorant barbaric tribal king, his was NOT the Truth, but simply his creation of a "Look-alike" institution which exercised Secular and Religious powers over the populace. (The French Revolution finally threw off this oppressive yoke of Church wedded to Frankish Monarchy.) As the Franks conquered, they killed or imprisoned Orthodox Christian clergy, (see St. Boniface's letters which describe their brutality) and placed his soldiers as "bishops" to rule as those loyal to him alone. And so it continued until (10th century) his successors took over the papal states and placed their appointees as Popes, and the illiterate and paganized papacy began its crusades continuing their wars claiming to be the "original" Christian Faith and substituting its own Augustinian "atonement" of Anselm, latinized clergy and other anomalies revealing their many departures from the Holy Orthodox Christian Faith. The most revealing of all actions was their brazen invasion of the Holy Sophia Church during Divine Liturgy worship, placing a "bull" of anathema on its altar. In this, the One Pope left the other Four Bishoprics worldwide, creating its own heretical cult around the claims of Infallibility which belong only to the God-Man Jesus Christ our God! See more of Church history at www.romanity.org and also under our own youtube videos discussing the theology of the Holy Faith as distinct from the philosophizing of neo-platonist Augustine of Hippo, the foundation of the Latin western church. The Unia adds more duplicity to the "fakery" which dresses the papist beliefs in Orthodox robes, meant to confuse the Faithful of both east and west into believing that there is one Faith held by both. This is not the case, as I know personally, having been a "lady jesuit" trained in RC philosophy and finding the Saving Lord Jesus Christ in His Holy Orthodox Church after much prayer and a seeking heart.

[vasilyjc]

Why must one be in communion with the See of Peter to be in Christ's Church? The response is atypical of catholic apologists who overlook the facts of Church history. The word "pope" was not used exclusively of the bishop of Rome until there 9th Century and in the earliest Roman Christian community a college of presbyters rather than s single bishop provided the leadership. This type of Church governing is still followed in the Orthodox Church. It wasn't until the mid 2nd Century that a single bishop in Rome emerged to oversee the local church. They called and presided over synods. In the Church of the first millennium there was no papal primacy by divine right in jurisdiction or authority over the whole Church. The very idea of a bishop having universal authority was political and became a reality at Vatican I. This was the beginning of the papal monarch.

As in the early church, it wasn't submission to a hierarchy which united them but their common nature. The Church has no need of external bonds in order to be one. It is not a pope or a patriarch. The local Church is something complete, it is not a piece of a larger whole. The Church is the bride of Christ. The Church is the body of Christ, not the bishop alone. Bishops have no right to behave like rulers. The have a responsibility to oversee, to counsel, to guide, to battle against falsehoods, and to preside in love. The unity of the Church is not a matter of obedience to a higher authority or submission to one. The unity of the Church is given buy the communion in the Body and Blood of Christ., the communion with the Holy Trinity. It is a Liturgical unity, a mystical unity, with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the Head Bishop.

The Eastern Orthodox is the only Church that has preserved the traditions and teachings of the early Church. We have not separated from anyone, but are the continuation of the early Church. The Eastern Orthodox have not added new doctrines or changed Church administration. True unity takes place, not under or on Peter, but in faith, in worship and communion. The Church is not built on a person but on our profession of faith in Christ. He is the cornerstone of the Church, the Body and Head of the Church.

[ewd]

The Catholics and Orthodox ARE in communion its called being apart of the Holy Byzantine Catholic Orthodox church or "Eastern rite". I disagree very much with the speaker in saying that "Eastern rite" is not apart of the orthodox community, it was founded by their culture and beliefs. A Orthodox follower who agrees that Peter is the successor to the church of Christ does not cease to be Orthodox just because he deciphers scripture in a different way. It is enough with the politics, we are here to worship God and follow all of his holy prophets he sent on earth most importantly higher than all, his son Jesus Chirst who came not to destroy but to fulfill.

[brentanoschool]

The eastern church does not have the burden of the idea that we inherit the guilt of original sin, We inherit the human condition from Adam and Eve only. The west changed the creed, subjucating the holy spirit to the son, that he should only proceed from the Father - the Son is generated from Him, the father alone being he source of both. The east saw these as inovations of the west - loosing then the Orthodoxy of the Catholic Faith. The Pope is seen as the patriarch of the west etc. but not a supreme pontiff, first among equals, yes, as the apostles were equals - James being the "chairman" of the apostolic council. Peter was given the "keys", at his confession of faith, but lost them at his denial and betrayal, the keys were given to all apostes after the resurrection when Jesus calls the "apostles and Peter" - then he repents - regaining his apostalship - the power to loose and bind is then given to all of them by Christ's grace. Peter was always just an apostle, none of the apostles were ever patriarchs or Popes, that would have lowered their rank. Why then would St Paul be writting to the Romans? An organized chuch already exists before Peter arrives. The Patriarch of Alexandria also had the title of Pope, they compteted among each other, on schools of thought, calendar, etc. Later Alexandria losses it's 2nd ranking to Constantinople who was ranked 3rd, Antioch was ranked 4th, and Jerusalem (the promised land) was 5th. When this happened then Rome started preaching primacy fearing it too may loose it's first position to the imperial city of Constantnople.The east relies on the primacy of historical tradition not on that of one person.

[rraddena]

In fact, with the current Pope and his shannanigans, Russia looks at us more with skepticism. We had a better chance under B16.

[barelyprotestant]

I was really appreciating this video...until the last 30 seconds with the caller's final question. Yup, folks, that's the Roman Catholic hypocrisy. Literally EVERY argument made against the Anglican Holy Orders can equally be made about Orthodox Holy Orders. But of course, theirs are valid while ours aren't. Why? Because...well, okay, because (after all other arguments fail) Rome says so. Nice argument.