# Membership in Catholic and Orthodox Communions at the same time **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-in-catholic-and-orthodox-communions-at-the-same-time/282954 "2005-01-04T02:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-in-catholic-and-orthodox-communions-at-the-same-time/282954/21 "2005-01-04T17:03:49Z")
> [@The Asbestos Mango](#): > > Actually, clerical marriage is now allowed for Greek-Rite priests in North America. The Edict of Baltimore was lifted a few years ago. There are, however, a few conditions. > > For a married man to be ordained in North America, he must be at least forty-five years old, and he must have no dependent children- the rugrats gotta be grown and outta da house. There are a dozen or so married Roman Rite priests as well – converts from Anglicanism (and IIRC one Methodist) who were accepted (conditionally reordained) as priests when they were received into Catholicism. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-in-catholic-and-orthodox-communions-at-the-same-time/282954/22 "2005-01-04T17:47:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Orthodox consider that Catholics have valid, if irregular, sacraments, Well, not really. The validity of their sacraments is unknown, for the moderate view, and nonexistant, for the strict view. > [@](#): > > Both the OC and RCC view baptism and confirmation as one time sacraments, never to be repeated. Both view each other’s sacraments as valid. So, if baptized or confirmed in one Church, then you are considered baptized and confirmed in the other, and neither will rebpatize or reconfirm you, even if you switch Churches. Again, not quite true. Historically, the Greek churches have received Catholic converts by baptism, and the Russians by chrismation. The chrismation is seen as a retroactive filling of the empty form of Catholic baptism with grace – without the later chrismation, the Catholic baptism would just be pouring water. Nowadays, the Russians tend to baptize Catholic converts, while, at least in America, the Antiochians and Greeks receive by chrismation. If you converted in Greece, you would likely be received by baptism. > [@](#): > > So, if someone wanted to be involved in both Churches, he or she would be baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church, and then commune at and be involved with both, without specifically joining the Orthodox Communion? No. From the Orthodox POV, you can’t be both. Any Catholic who wished to commune in an Orthodox church would have to go through a period of catechizing, and then be received by baptism, chrismation, or confession and communion, as well as rejecting the errors of Catholicism. An Orthodox who communed in a Catholic church (with very few exceptions) would be seen as having changed religions, and would be considered an apostate Orthodox who is now Catholic. All of the above is a direct result of the Orthodox Church’s view of itself as The Church, period. Other denominations may have a degree of the truth, but the efficacy of their sacraments is at best unknown, and they cannot be said to be part of the Church in the same, unqualified way the Orthodox can. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-in-catholic-and-orthodox-communions-at-the-same-time/282954/23 "2005-01-04T18:21:48Z")
goodness, were to begin… 1. the o.c and the r.c.c. are not repeat NOT in communion with each other. [http://www.oca.org/pages/orth\_chri/Q-and-A\_OLD/Communion-in-RC-Church.html](http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A_OLD/Communion-in-RC-Church.html) 1. the ukraine is a strange situation. there are parishes there that bounce between the catholic church and the orthodox church. the orthodox church says there is no fence sitting, you have to choose one or the other. my priest has said this in church many times. there is a high amount of ukrainian imm. in our church he has said he will not give communion to anyone who has taken communion in a catholic church. he can get into quite a bit of trouble for that. 2. there has been an easing of feelings about the 1054 excommunication. othodox clergy are allowed to attend catholic ceremonies but not allowed to celebrate them and vise versa. [http://www.oca.org/pages/orth\_chri/Q-and-A\_OLD/Western-Rite-Parishes.html](http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A_OLD/Western-Rite-Parishes.html) [http://www.oca.org/pages/orth\_chri/Q-and-A\_OLD/Uniate.html](http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Q-and-A_OLD/Uniate.html) 1. the orhodox church ordaines married men. it must be a first marriage on both parts. if a priest’s wife dies he can remarry only if he gives up being a priest. 2. an orthodox priest is bound by canon law not to give communion to someone who is not orthodox and has not prepared for communion by fasting, prayer, and confession. 3. it is hard enough to get the rocor church and the russian patriarchate to come to terms to reunite. i just don’t see it happening with the catholic church. the feeling on the othodox side is that there are major theological differences and very, very, basicly after vatican 2 to paraphrase mr. nicholson; y’all can’t handle being orthodox and we are not changing our practices to be roman catholic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-in-catholic-and-orthodox-communions-at-the-same-time/282954.md?page=1)