Blessed Sacrament Father Ernest Falardeau is totally dedicated to the
cause of ecumenism – dialogue and cooperation among Christian churches.
He has dedicated much of his life and ministry to working in the field.
Fr. Falardeau was appointed to the Anglican-Roman Catholic
Dialogue by Edward Cardinal Egan of the Archdiocese of New York. The following article appears in the September/October 2010 issue of Bread Broken & Shared.
Orthodox Churches
Introduction
We often hear and read about the Orthodox Churches and are tempted to think they are one entity. As a matter of fact there are two distinct groups of Orthodox Churches that have been separated for more than a fifteen hundred years. The Oriental Orthodox and the Eastern Orthodox have been separated since the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. Both groups accept the three first Ecumenical Councils (Nicea, Constantinople and Ephesus) but the dividing linewas drawn with the declaration of Chalcedon in 451. Chalcedon declared that in Jesus his two natures are complete and distinct. Those who opposed Chalcedon likened this doctrine to the Nestorian heresy.
The Oriental Orthodox seem to prefer the name Ancient Orthodox, because Oriental suggests the Far East, rather than the Middle East; the Oriental Orthodox are very proud of their ancient heritage dating back to apostolic times. Some of the ancient cultures they represent date earlier than the Roman Empire. Their patriarchal sees are located in such ancient cultural centers as Antioch in Syria, Alexandria in Egypt and Cilicia in Armenia. The name Oriental Orthodox is given to this group in official dialogues with the Eastern Oriental Churches, the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches. The Oriental Orthodox are also known as the Pre-Chalcedonian because they were established before the Council of Chalcedon.
Who They Are
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are: the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (India). The Malankara Orthodox Church is also known as the West Syrian Church and its patriarch lives in Chicago. The Syriac Church patriarch lives in Damascus but has ancient ties with Antioch. It changed its name slightly (only in English, from Syrian to Syriac) to distance itself from the political positions of present-day Syria. The Coptic Church patriarch lives in Egypt and is associated with the ancient city of Alexandria. There are many Copts in Iraq as well other parts of the world, especially in the Middle East.
The Syriac Church uses the Syrian language and has great Fathers of the Church among its ranks, like the Deacon St. Ephrem. The Coptic Church is equally old and is an important church in the ecumenical conversation it maintains with Rome and other churches. Less known are the Orthodox Churches of Ethiopia and Eritrea probably because of their size and location.
Ecumenical Progress
It might be helpful to point out that the Oriental Orthodox and the Eastern Orthodox, predominantly Greek and Russian, are in dialogue. In recent years theologians from both Orthodox groups have affirmed that they have alwaysbelieved the same Christology, but differed on how it was formulated. This conclusion was affirmed in a joint declaration called “Middle Eastern Oriental Orthodox Common Declaration.” Roman Catholic theologians share this conclusion.
The Roman Catholic Church has two dialogue groups, one with the Eastern Orthodox and the other with the Oriental Orthodox. The documents issued by these dialogues are available at the official Vatican website (www.vatican.va). Considerable progress has been made with the Oriental Orthodox by the Catholic Church through joint Christological affirmations and through a mutual opening to Eucharistic sharing with some of them.
Conclusion
We would like to explore these churches more closely to learn more about them, their history, their tradition and their current relations to other world communions and ecumenical agencies. Their agreed statements signed by Pope Paul VI and John Paul II and the international dialogues established with Rome and the Eastern Orthodox should also prove enlightening and encouraging.
For further reading, please visit our SSS BookShop for books and articles by Fr. Falardeau, SSS.
