Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

Inter-Communion

Question:

I have a couple of questions and am hoping that they can be addressed.  First of all I am Ukrainian Catholic and my husband is Ukrainian Orthodox.  We married in a Ukr. Orthodox church and baptized our son in the Orthodox faith.  We are all members of the Orthodox church as well as the Catholic church.  Here are my questions:

1 - Can I take holy communion in the Orthodox church and can my husband take it in the Catholic church?

2 - My son will be attending a Catholic elementary school.  Upon registration for the 2008 September school year I was questioned as to why I wanted my child to attend a Catholic school when he was not Catholic. They also asked if I would re-christen him.  I didn't think you could do that but asked if it was mandatory for his entery into the Catholic school and was told that it wasn't. So my answer to them was that I would not re-christen my child.  With that answer I was then told that he would learn all the Sacraments and everything else that leads up to First Communion but could not partake in the actual event itself at the church that is affiliated with the school.  Is this true?  I have heard of other Ukraininan Orthodox children (where one parent is Ukr. Catholic and the other Ukr. Orthodox) actually partake in First Confession at the Orthodox church and at the same time partake in First Communion at the Catholic church.  Does this depend on the church/priest?  I am very confused and thought I would get some answers here first.

Answer:

Very Reverend Ihor Kutash kutash@unicorne.org

There is currently no inter-communion between the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches, although the relations between them are generally very warm and the Clergy, with the approval of their Bishops, may on occasion even celebrate a Panakhyda or Moleben' together.

Sometimes eucharistic hospitality is extended by Orthodox clergy to Ukrainian Catholic faithful and vice versa.  When this happens it is a question of "ekonomia", which means that the usual procedure is relaxed for the sake of expressing the saving love of Christ, Whom both Churches worship and seek to follow.  But this love is sometimes also expressed by "akrivia", which is the strict adherence to the principle of no inter-communion without unanimity of belief.

Although there are fruitful theological dialogues going on between the Orthodox and the Catholics, there remain significant doctrines on which we have not yet found a way to agree.  One such example would be the Catholic doctrine on ecclesiology, i.e. the nature of the Church, recently re-iterated by Pope Benedict XVI.  According to this doctrine, Churches that are not under the authority of the See of Peter (as Catholics refer to the Papacy) are lacking in the fulness that such subordination would give them.  Many Ukrainian Catholics might disagree with such a statement, especially with regard to their Ukrainian Orthodox brethren, but their Church is certainly expected to follow this principle together with their Latin-rite brethren.

Thus although Ukrainian Catholic Clergy often seem to be more willing to extend eucharistic hospitality to the Orthodox than vice versa, when they do so they, too, are doing this as an exception and not as a common rule.  That is why your son would not be getting the Eucharist at the Church associated with the school he is attending.

It is not usual, however, for the Clergy of either Church to suggest "re-baptism".  As I understand it, those who have been baptized in either of the two Churches are generally accepted into the fold of either Church - when this occurs - simply on the basis of receiving the Eucharist as an expression of acceptance and confession of the faith of that Church.

There may sometimes be exceptions, such as the one you mention, in which children of an ecumenical - Orthodox and Catholic - marriage, partake of first Confession in the Orthodox and first Communion in the Catholic Churches (you may be aware that there are also Ukrainian Catholic Churches who follow the Orthodox practice of giving Communion to baptized infants, and give the first Confession when they turn 7, just as the Orthodox do).  They are just that: exceptions.  And some might even say that such exceptions hinder rather than foster the eventual reconciliation and unity among the Churches for which we hope and pray.

I hope I have helped to clarify the confusion somewhat.  Let us continue to hope and pray that one day such confusion will be part of a past which ultimately gave way to the fulness of the unity which for now remains a prize for the gaining of which we must ever aspire.

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