Sarah Mitchell
There are several differences between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, including their views on communion. The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion, with full communion implying unity and partial communion implying some shared beliefs but a lack of complete unity. The Catholic Church is in partial communion with Protestant churches and in closer, but still incomplete, communion with Orthodox churches. The Catholic Church allows its ministers to give the Eucharist to members of Eastern churches who seek it and are properly disposed, and it allows its members who cannot approach a Catholic minister to receive the Eucharist from ministers of non-Catholic churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not permit Catholics to receive Holy Communion at their liturgies, as they view communion as membership in a church. However, there are exceptions in some places, particularly in the Middle East, where inter-communion between Orthodox and Catholics is practiced.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic receiving communion in Orthodox church | Not allowed by Orthodox church, but allowed by Catholic church in cases of "necessity" or "true spiritual advantage" |
| Orthodox receiving communion in Catholic church | Not allowed by Catholic church, but may be allowed by individual Orthodox clergy |
| Communion rules in Oriental Orthodox Churches | Similar to Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church |
| Communion rules in Anglican Communion | Distinguishes between full communion and intercommunion |
| Catholic Church's view of Orthodox Church | In partial communion, i.e., some elements of Christian faith are held in common, but complete unity on essentials is lacking |
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What You'll Learn
- Catholics can receive communion in Orthodox churches in cases of necessity
- Orthodox Christians are permitted to receive communion in Catholic churches
- The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion
- The Anglican Communion distinguishes between full communion and intercommunion
- The Oriental Orthodox Churches have a similar understanding of communion as the Eastern Orthodox Church
Catholics can receive communion in Orthodox churches in cases of necessity
The Catholic Church has a partial communion with Orthodox churches, viewing them as "separated brethren" with valid sacraments. In principle, the Catholic Church permits Catholics to receive communion in Orthodox churches in cases of "necessity" or "true spiritual advantage". This is outlined in Canon 844 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, which states that:
> Whenever necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, the Christian faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister are permitted to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.
However, it is important to note that the Orthodox Church does not reciprocate this allowance. The Orthodox Church does not permit non-Orthodox individuals to receive communion in their churches, as they view communion as equivalent to membership in the church. Thus, to give communion to Catholics would be to affirm that Catholics are members of the Orthodox Church, which is not theologically accurate given the historical schism between the two denominations.
In practice, it may be very difficult for a Catholic to find an Orthodox priest who would allow them to partake in communion. While there are reports of inter-communion between Catholics and Orthodox Christians in some places, particularly in the Middle East, this goes against official Orthodox teachings.
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Orthodox Christians are permitted to receive communion in Catholic churches
The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion. In the case of the former, there is only one Church, whereas partial communion exists when some elements of Christian faith are shared, but unity on essentials is lacking. The Catholic Church considers itself to be in partial communion with Protestant churches and in closer, but still incomplete, communion with Orthodox churches.
The Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism outlines the limited circumstances in which Catholics may receive the Eucharist from clergy of churches not in full communion. These norms are summarised in canon 844 of the Latin Church's 1983 Code of Canon Law, which does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of the Orthodox Church.
Despite this, Orthodox Christians are generally discouraged from receiving communion in Catholic churches. In Orthodox theology, communion is equivalent to membership, and receiving communion in a Catholic church would imply that the individual is declaring themselves Catholic. Orthodox Christians are only permitted to receive communion following the ancient discipline of fasting and confession of sin, which Catholics do not observe.
In some places, particularly in the Middle East, inter-communion between Orthodox and Catholics is practised, despite going against church teachings.
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The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion
The Catholic Church draws a distinction between full and partial communion. Full communion exists when there is only one Church. Partial communion, on the other hand, exists when some aspects of the Christian faith are shared, but there is no complete unity on the fundamentals. In other words, partial communion is when there is an imperfect communion with the structure of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church believes that all who have been justified by faith in baptism are members of Christ's body and have a right to be called Christians. They are accepted as brothers by the Catholic Church. This belief is reflected in the Second Vatican Council's decree on ecumenism, which states that "quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church. [...] Men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect".
The Catholic Church considers itself to be in partial communion with Protestants and in much closer, but still incomplete, communion with Orthodox churches. This is because the Orthodox Church does not have a figure equivalent to the Pope, who performs a function for the whole Catholic Church.
The Anglican Communion also distinguishes between full communion and intercommunion. Full communion refers to situations where there is unrestricted communio in sacris, including mutual recognition and acceptance of ministries between two churches that are not of the same denominational or confessional family. Intercommunion, on the other hand, refers to situations where varying degrees of relation other than full communion are established by agreement between two churches.
The concept of full communion is important to Catholics, as it signifies that a member of one church may partake of the Eucharist celebrated in another, and for priests, that they are accepted as celebrants of the Eucharist in the other church.
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The Anglican Communion distinguishes between full communion and intercommunion
While the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have similar understandings of communion, they are not the same. The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion. Full communion exists where there is only one Church, whereas partial communion exists where some elements of the Christian faith are held in common but unity on essentials is lacking. The Catholic Church is in partial communion with Protestants and in closer, but still incomplete, communion with Orthodox churches.
The Anglican Communion includes the Church of North India, the Church of South India, the Church of Pakistan, and the Church of Bangladesh. It is in full communion with the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, an Oriental Protestant denomination based in India, and the Utrechter Old Catholic Churches, with whom they signed the Bonn Agreement in 1931. The Anglican Communion also has intercommunion with the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Church of Nigeria.
The Catholic Church allows its ministers to give the Eucharist to members of Eastern churches who seek it and are properly disposed. In cases of necessity, Catholics are permitted to receive communion at Orthodox churches, and the Orthodox are permitted to receive communion at Catholic churches. However, there is no Orthodox church that permits Catholics to receive Holy Communion at their liturgies. While there may be individual Orthodox clergy who would give communion to Catholics, it is generally not allowed.
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The Oriental Orthodox Churches have a similar understanding of communion as the Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches have had a long and complex relationship. The two churches were in communion with each other before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, after which they separated primarily over differences in Christology. Despite their similar names, the Oriental Orthodox Churches are not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church today. However, they do have a similar understanding of communion.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, understanding itself to be the Body of Christ, views the church as embracing all Christ's members, transcending time and space and joining heaven to earth. This unity of the church is sometimes called the communion of saints. The church teaches that through consecration invoked by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are composed of six autocephalous national churches, including the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Armenian Apostolic Church. They are in full communion with each other and can take part in all seven sacraments from each other's churches. They believe in apostolic succession, the concept that Jesus Christ gave spiritual authority to the 12 Apostles and 72 Disciples, and that this authority has been passed down to the present day.
While the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches are not currently in communion with each other, there have been efforts to restore communion between the two groups. Dialogue towards restoring communion began in the mid-20th century and is ongoing.
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Frequently asked questions
No. The Orthodox Church does not allow Catholics to receive Holy Communion at their liturgies. Similarly, Orthodox Christians are not permitted to receive communion in Catholic churches. There are some exceptions in the Middle East, where inter-communion is practised.
The Catholic Church makes a distinction between full and partial communion. While there is full unity in a single Church, partial communion exists when some elements of Christian faith are shared but complete unity is lacking. The Catholic Church considers itself in partial communion with Orthodox churches. Orthodox Christians believe that communion is equivalent to membership, so giving communion to Catholics would be equivalent to saying "Catholics are members of the Orthodox Church".
No. The Oriental Orthodox Churches have a similar understanding of communion as the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. All Oriental Orthodox Churches are in full communion with each other. However, there is no leader of all the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and each church operates independently.
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