Archpriest Vladimir Puchkov answers.
In our time, when traveling around the world is available to so many, when for various reasons people easily change their place of residence, when moving to another country has become as common as moving to another city a couple of decades ago, believers are often faced with the problem of lack of Orthodox church is not just nearby, but often within a radius of hundreds of kilometers from the new place of residence. Some solve this problem by limiting their own spiritual life to the framework of home prayer and occasional participation in the Sacraments, when for one reason or another such an opportunity presents itself. Others are beginning to think about a temporary alternative. Obviously, Orthodox Christians cannot take communion, confess, or baptize children in churches of other denominations, but participating in the Sacraments and simply coming to church are two different things. So is it possible to at least somehow satisfy your spiritual hunger by visiting a temple of another denomination?
If there is only a church nearby
The most common question among Orthodox Christians who find themselves in Europe is: can Orthodox Christians go to the Catholic Church? At first glance, this question is not difficult to understand. When there is no Orthodox church nearby, isn’t it better to visit at least a Catholic one rather than not visit any? Well, I have to disappoint you: it’s not better. The basis of temple worship is the Eucharist. And the people who come to the Liturgy are, first of all, a Eucharistic gathering. That is, in such a meeting there are no simply “those present and praying”; since the Eucharist is celebrated by the entire meeting, then all its participants are co-celebrants. Of course, the meeting is headed by a priest or bishop, but the Liturgy is a common cause, so it is impossible to stand aside, because everyone present directly participates in the common cause. Taking into account all that has been said, let us ask the same question: can an Orthodox Christian participate in a meeting of a denomination that does not belong to the Christian community to which he belongs? Can he be a participant in the common cause of a community that is alien to him? The answer is obvious: where I cannot receive communion, I cannot pray during the service.
Next, the question seems quite logical: is it possible for Orthodox Christians to simply pray in a Catholic church? When there is no service, just come to the church to communicate with God? It seems to me that it would be advisable to answer it with the same question: is it necessary? Will such prayer give more than prayer at home? Hardly. The only exception, perhaps, can be the fact that there is a pan-Christian shrine in the church, such as, for example, the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari. In this case, it is possible for an Orthodox to pray in a Catholic church and is not at all reprehensible. In addition, there is another purpose for which Orthodox Christians can go to Catholic churches. This purpose is for informational purposes only. Catholic churches can be interesting from a historical point of view, such as Notre Dame de Paris or the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, where the heart of Frederic Chopin is kept. And organ music concerts, often held in churches, are also often interesting.
But Catholics can go to the Orthodox Church, others will tell me; in Soviet times, Catholics were even taken as godparents, and Orthodox priests did not object. Maybe they didn’t mind. But in vain. The godfather, as you know, is a guarantor before the Church for its new member, and only his own can guarantee. So the above-described practice in no way deserves to be cited as an example. On the contrary, it deserves direct condemnation as an unacceptable and unjustifiable violation. However, Catholics are not prohibited from praying in Orthodox churches. After all, there are quite a few Catholics who have not been to a church since their baptism. They often see the difference between a Catholic and an Orthodox church only in the presence of shops. Such a Catholic came to an Orthodox church, the Lord brought him - and well, let him pray to himself, maybe interest will appear, and then he will not be far from joining Orthodoxy.
However, neither Orthodox nor Catholics are alone in the Christian world
Indeed, there are many Christian denominations in the world and they differ significantly from each other. Let us immediately state the obvious: the lack of Eucharistic communion between the Orthodox Church and other confessions is not a random phenomenon and did not arise out of nowhere. That is, despite the fact that we are all Christians, that the Bible is the same for everyone and that our liturgical life has a lot in common, we have doctrinal differences with each of the Christian denominations. That is, the difference between us is in the main thing. And that’s why it’s principled. We can have approximately the same approach as with the Catholic Church to any Christian denomination where the correct understanding of the Eucharist has been preserved as the real transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Such denominations may include the Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, various Nestorian and generally pre-Chalcedonian Churches, that is, for example, Armenians or Copts are allowed to go to Orthodox churches. In any case, they will not take communion with us, and their presence at the service will not interfere with anyone. I must, however, note that all these “possible” and “allowed” come from us Orthodox. I don’t know how the Catholic, Armenian, Coptic or other clergy views this, although I suspect that there may not be unity in their ranks on this issue.
And let us remember again that in the churches of the same Armenian or Coptic Churches there may be ancient pan-Christian shrines, prayer in front of which is not at all reprehensible. In addition, some pre-Chalcedonian Churches, for various reasons, since the time of our unity with them, have preserved many ancient traditions in worship, which forces many, including Orthodox, researchers to attend their services, although mainly for scientific purposes.
Is it possible to pray with Catholics?
Many Orthodox people participate in common events with Catholics: they discuss current problems of society, exchange experiences in social work.
Such interfaith events often begin and end with common prayer. But church rules prohibit praying with non-Orthodox people! What is the meaning of such a ban, is it not outdated? Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, cleric of the Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the city of San Francisco, answered these questions to the Neskuchny Garden correspondent. – Father Peter, does the canonical prohibition of praying with non-Orthodox people apply only to prayers during divine services?
– Church canons prohibit not only praying with heretics, but also entering their churches, eating with them, washing together in a bathhouse, and even being treated by them. It must be taken into account that in the first centuries, when these canons were adopted, all heretics were knowledgeable, convinced people who went against Christian teaching not out of ignorance, but out of pride. And the doctors not only examined the patient and prescribed treatment, but also prayed and talked for a long time; the topic of faith was relevant at that time. That is, at an appointment with a heretic doctor, the patient would inevitably become acquainted with his heresy. For a person inexperienced in theology, this is a temptation. It’s the same in the bathhouse - they not only washed there, but spent a lot of time talking. The canonical rule is still relevant today, it’s just that life has changed. In the secular world they talk little about religion; the likelihood of religious disputes in a bathhouse or at a doctor’s appointment is almost zero. But if we apply this prohibition to today's life, then I am convinced that an unprepared person who does not know our faith well should not have a long conversation with sectarians, much less let them into the house for a cup of tea (and many sectarians - Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons - go around preaching houses). It is tempting, unhelpful and dangerous for the soul.
Some believe that the prohibition on congregational prayer applies only to worship services, but that it is possible to pray at the beginning of a general meeting. I don't think so. “Liturgy” is translated from ancient Greek as “common cause.” Prayer at the liturgy is not the private prayer of each parishioner, it is a common prayer, when everyone prays with one mouth, one heart and one faith. And for the Orthodox, any common prayer has some kind of liturgical meaning. Otherwise there is no power in it. How can you pray with a person if he does not honor the Mother of God and the saints?
– In the modern secular world, representatives of not only other faiths, but also other religions are perceived rather as allies in relation to abortion, euthanasia, and other phenomena. It would seem that it would be bad if they prayed together?
– In the West now the dominant idea is that there is nothing important or insurmountable. That is, you have your own faith, I have mine, and as long as we don’t interfere with each other. Of course, there is no need to interfere, and we must love all people and respect their feelings. I had to attend funeral services for Catholics - relatives of our parishioners. I was there out of respect for the deceased and his family, but I did not pray during the service. For each of these people I can pray privately, as I pray every day for my Catholic grandmother: “Lord, have mercy on Thy handmaid.” And then “God rest in peace...” and in the Orthodox way I remember all my Orthodox relatives. But I cannot serve a memorial service for this grandmother, or take out pieces for her at the proskomedia. Church prayer is prayer for members of the Church. Grandmother knew about Orthodoxy, she made her choice, we must respect it, and not pretend that she was Orthodox. Prayer is love, but love must help. Let us assume for a moment that our church prayer for the repose of the heterodox, people of other faiths and non-believers is heard by God. Then, logically, they should all appear before the Court of God as Orthodox. But they did not understand or did not want to understand Orthodoxy. We will only harm them with such “love”.
An example of truly Christian love for non-Orthodox people was shown by Saint John (Maximovich) - I compiled a book about him, which was recently published in Moscow. He often visited hospitals where non-Orthodox and non-Orthodox people were hospitalized. The Bishop knelt down and prayed for each patient. I don’t know, maybe one of them prayed with him. This was an effective prayer - Jews, Muslims, and Chinese were healed. But it is not said that he prayed with the heterodox. And when at the parish he saw that a Catholic had been entered into the registry register as one of the godfathers, he issued a decree that the names of heterodox godparents should be deleted from all registry books. Because this is nonsense - how can a non-Orthodox person vouch for the upbringing of a person baptized in the Orthodox faith?
– But is it bad to read the Lord’s Prayer together before sharing a meal with a Catholic?
– This is probably sometimes acceptable. In any case, I must say a prayer before eating. If different people gather, I usually read a prayer to myself and cross myself. But if someone else suggests prayer, an Orthodox person can suggest: let's read the Lord's Prayer. If all Christians are of different denominations, each will read to himself in his own way. There will be no betrayal of God in this. And ecumenical prayers at large meetings, in my opinion, are akin to adultery. This comparison seems appropriate to me, since in the Gospel the relationship of Christ and His Church is described as the relationship of the Bridegroom (Lamb) and his Bride (Church). So let’s look at the problem not from the perspective of political correctness (we definitely won’t find the answer here), but in the context of the family. The family has its own rules. The family is bound by love, and the concept of fidelity is closely related to the concept of love. It is clear that in the world everyone has to communicate with many people of the opposite sex. You can have business relations with them, be friends, but if a man enters into a relationship with another woman, this is treason and a legal (for his wife) basis for divorce. So is prayer... The question of prayer with non-Orthodox people is usually raised either by spiritual people, for whom the main thing is good relationships, or, most often, by apologists of ecumenism. Yes, the main thing is love, God is Love, but God is also Truth. There is no truth without love, but also love without truth. Ecumenical prayers just blur the truth. “Even though our God is different, but we believe in God, and this is the main thing” - this is the essence of ecumenism. Lowering the high. In the eighties, Orthodox Christians actively joined the ecumenical movement. Please answer me, thanks to the testimony of Orthodoxy at ecumenical meetings, has at least one person converted to Orthodoxy? I am not aware of such cases. If there were individual cases (in reality, the Lord Himself leads everyone to faith, and for Him everything is possible), they were hushed up, if only because they do not correspond to the ecumenical spirit - tolerance and tolerance for everyone and everything. I know cases when people came to Russia, prayed at the liturgy in churches and converted to Orthodoxy. Or they went to monasteries, saw the elders and converted to Orthodoxy. But I have not heard of ecumenical assemblies leading anyone to the truth. That is, such joint prayer does not bring fruit, but by the fruits we know the correctness of our actions. Therefore, there is no point in general ecumenical prayer. And I believe that today the ban on prayer with heretics is relevant precisely in relation to ecumenical meetings.
– We sit together, discuss issues, exchange experiences in social work and at the same time consider them heretics?
– Of course, today we try not to call anyone heretics. This is not only incorrect, but also ineffective. I began with the fact that in the first centuries every heretic consciously went against the united Church. Today, in the secular world, the majority comes to faith at a conscious age, and, as a rule, people start with a religion or confession traditional for their country or family. At the same time, many are interested in other religions and want to learn more about them. Including about Orthodoxy. "Hello! You are a heretic! - Shall we start a conversation with such a person? His interest in Orthodoxy will disappear. Our task is the opposite - to help people come to the truth. If a person is sincerely interested in Orthodoxy, wants to understand it, reads books, communicates with Orthodox priests and theologians, at some point he himself realizes that his religious views, according to the definition of the Orthodox Church, are heresy. And he will make his choice. In the United States, Orthodox communities have been growing rapidly in recent years, mainly at the expense of Native Americans. Why are Americans converting to Orthodoxy? They see tradition, the immutability of Christ's faith. They see that other Churches are making concessions to the world on issues of the female priesthood and same-sex marriage, while Orthodoxy remains faithful to the commandments. You don’t feel it that way in Russia, but for us this is a real problem - in San Francisco there are churches of different faiths in every block.
We must share cooperation and joint prayer. These are different things. We have a lot to learn from the heterodox: from Protestants - knowledge of Scripture, missionary assertiveness, from Catholics - social activity. And we are not saying that they are all dead and missing. We only stand on the fact that Christ founded one Church and only one Church has the fullness of grace and truth. Of course, there are very devout, pious Catholics who receive communion at their Masses daily. Especially ordinary people in Italy or Spain - piety has been preserved there. In America, Catholics are trying to adapt to the spirit of the times. And the question of joint prayer is also of this spirit, a new question. People are offended when you explain to them that you cannot participate in prayer with them. Especially at official events, when everyone dresses for prayer, Protestants also wear special clothes. For them, this is perhaps the only liturgical event, since they do not have the Eucharist. And they perceive everyone who participates in this action as like-minded people. This is a big temptation. In the Church Abroad, almost half of the clergy are people who converted to Orthodoxy from Catholicism or from the Anglican Church. They are very sensitive to such phenomena; they understand that a compromise in matters of common prayer will lead to undesirable consequences. Therefore, we do not call anyone heretics, we try to maintain good neighborly relations with everyone, but we stand on the truth of our faith. But ecumenical prayers make a person indifferent to the truth.
– Orthodox people in Russia are very fond of the works of Clive Staples Lewis. Anglican. His books are sold in many Orthodox churches, and they are indeed very close in spirit to Orthodoxy. Is it possible that if Lewis were alive today and came to Russia, the Orthodox would refuse him to pray together?
– I myself love Lewis very much, but my mother is simply his favorite writer. His books are a wonderful bridge from a purely earthly, secular perception of life to the spiritual. You cannot immediately give solid food to unprepared people—spiritual babies. Without preparation, they simply will not understand the Holy Fathers. And it’s hard to imagine better literature for beginners than Lewis’s books. But my mother and I are convinced that if Lewis had lived in our time, he would have converted to Orthodoxy (in his time in England this was very difficult, it meant abandoning his ancestors and family). If only they would lovingly explain to him why they couldn’t pray with him. And if they said that there is no difference, he is almost Orthodox, he can pray, why would he convert to Orthodoxy?
There is a wonderful example in the Gospel - Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman. He asked her, she answered, the Savior probably prayed both before the meeting and during the conversation, I don’t know if she prayed, but there was no common prayer. And after the conversation, she turned around and ran to tell everyone that she had met the Messiah! The Samaritans were heretics for the Jews at that time. We must reveal our faith, its beauty, its truth; we can and should pray for every person, but a common prayer with a person of another faith will only lead this person astray. That is why you should abstain from it.
Interviewed by Leonid Vinogradov
Archpriest Peter PEREKRESTOV was born in 1956 in Montreal. His father was the son of a white officer, his mother emigrated from the USSR. Since childhood, he served in the church and studied at the parochial school. He graduated from Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, studied Russian language and literature in graduate school, and served as a deacon in Toronto. In 1980 he was ordained a priest and moved to San Francisco. Cleric of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”
What if the country is not Christian at all?
The list of countries regularly visited by our compatriots also includes completely non-Christian ones: Muslim countries, Asian states, India. Needless to say, places of worship and buildings of other religions are extremely undesirable places for Christians to visit. Direct or indirect participation in any non-Christian religious ceremonies is unacceptable for a Christian. At the same time, our natural ignorance of all the intricacies of Buddhist or pagan rituals can play a cruel joke on a Christian who finds himself in a Hindu or Buddhist religious site as a tourist. Often, passive or direct participation in a religious ceremony is part of an excursion program in a particular religious building. If we add to this the fact that we have nothing in common with the culture of India or Asian countries, then the most reasonable recommendation for Orthodox Christians would be to avoid any places of worship of other religions, and not to go there either as a sightseer or as an idle onlooker.
The same can be said about mosques. Alas, it cannot be taken away from the fact that the craze for Turkish TV series a few years ago formed among our people a somewhat strange attitude towards Islam, they say, “they are almost us,” they also believe in one God, they also venerate Christ, though as a prophet... I can’t help but agree that Islam is one of the Abrahamic religions, and, moreover, unlike Hinduism, it is monotheistic. However, all this in no way connects Islam with Christianity. For us, Islam is a completely different religion, completely different from Christianity and therefore foreign to Christians. There is no need for a Christian to come to the mosque to pray. Even if the country of residence of a Christian is completely Islamic and, apart from mosques, there are no places of worship in it. No one can forbid or hinder us from praying at home; there is not the slightest need to look for a special place for this in conditions where there is no Orthodox church within a radius of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers.
However, there are exceptions. On the territory of modern Turkey there are many ancient historically significant temples, which at various times were converted into mosques by the Turks. It should be remembered that for us Christians, a temple always remains a temple, even despite the dismantled throne and suras from the Koran hung on the walls. The most famous example is the Church of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. Therefore, a Christian can, of course, come to such churches both for prayer and for research purposes.
In conclusion, I note that many of the problems described above can be avoided if, when moving to live abroad, the issue of the proximity of the proposed home to an Orthodox church is not the least important consideration. As for tourist trips, a believer should not forget that he is first of all a Christian, and only then a tourist or vacationer.
Harvest1
HOW TO BEHAVIOR IN A CATHOLIC TEMPLE?
HOW TO NOT BE CONFUSED IN A CATHOLIC TEMPLE, KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT CATHOLICITY?
The contents of this article are instructions . Or safety rules, whichever you prefer. no spiritual reasoning here , nor a story about the essence of the Catholic faith. This is just a short story about how to avoid getting into an awkward position when you first find yourself in a Catholic church.
So, if you have never been to a Catholic church, but decided to go there: the eternal Russian question arises - what to do?
1. Who can enter the temple: non-believers, unbaptized, those who know nothing about Christianity, simply curious people, Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, children, tourists. In most churches you can take photographs, the main condition is not to disturb those praying.
2. How to get inside. If you are just passing by, all you need to do is open the doors and go inside. If you are a man, you need to remove your hat. If you are a woman, then you can a) go to the temple without a headscarf b) go to the temple in trousers c) go to the temple during menstrual periods. Before entering, it is advisable to turn off the sound of your mobile phone: this is a courtesy to the place of prayer.
3. Inside the temple you can calmly and fearlessly look around, come closer to statues or icons, and look into the chapel. You can sit on a bench, think, pray. Remember that the benches in the temple are intended specifically for prayer, and not just for relaxation.
You can light candles in Catholic churches. Where to get them: usually candles are either in a box next to the candlesticks, or in a church shop, if there is one. When asked “how much does a candle cost” you can often hear the phrase: “for a donation”. This means that you can give any amount of money for it, and no one will look at you condemningly. In Catholic churches there is no custom to allocate different places for candles “for health” and “for repose”. You can put your candle where your desire and heart tells you.
In Catholic churches you can see both statues of saints and paintings, as well as icons. Prayer before an icon is an ancient practice of the Catholic Church, however, unlike the Orthodox tradition, it is not customary to venerate icons by kissing them.
4. Inside the temple you can meet different people. Perhaps many of them, like you, came to the temple for the first time, so if you have any questions, the easiest way is to contact the person on duty at the temple, the sisters (nuns) or the priest. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
5. The easiest way to identify a priest is by his clothes. He may be dressed in a cassock (everyone has seen it in the movies, a long black dress with buttons), in a monastic habit (a special vestment of monks, it is difficult not to notice it), or in the collar of his shirt there is a characteristic white insert (colorat), which everyone has also seen to the cinema.
6. How to reach people in church?
A win-win option for addressing any person: just say “Hello!”
If you want to address a nun, you can say “Hello, sister.”
If you want to address the priest, you can say “Hello, Father.” The appeal “holy father”, familiar from films, has long gone out of use and will bring a sincere smile to the face of your interlocutor.
Sound advice: if you want to ask the priest about something serious and time-consuming, it is best to approach him after the end of the liturgy.
7. If you decide to spend a little more time in the church, you can stay for the service - Mass. Choose a place on one of the benches and stay as long as you like. No one will look at you askance if you sit quietly in your place during prayer; if the desire arises, you can stand up or kneel at those moments when the rest of the worshipers do so. And again, we kindly ask you to turn off the sound on mobile phones: a sudden playful melody from the speaker will only embarrass you. At the moment when the majority of those present line up towards the altar (this is the line for Communion), do not succumb to the feeling of collectivism and continue to sit quietly: only Catholics receive communion at Mass.
8. Almost all Catholic churches have a church shop. There you can buy various Catholic household items (crosses, rosaries, figurines of saints, icons), as well as literature dedicated to Christianity and Catholicism. Perhaps you will find something interesting for yourself or just keep a nice souvenir.
In short, an introductory visit to the Catholic Church is safe for health. Seeing with your own eyes means broadening your horizons and abandoning imposed myths and stereotypes.
Author – Anastasia Palamarchuk.
