QUESTION:
5/3/2010: Is there any way an Orthodox christian who marries a non-Christian (outside the church, since it is not permitted within Orthodoxy), may return to full good standing and recieve the churches sacraments with out the christian converstion of the non-christian spouse or Divorce? I am aware that through economia there are situations where a repentant Orthodox may recieve the sacrament of confession and then recieve Holy Communion once or twice a year (Pasca and Nativity). But other sacraments like the healing oil and regular communion are not permitted. The fact that through economia communion may be offered once per year but other sacraments denied as well as frequency of communion denied seem very well, hypocritical. It is like saying No you can't have the sacraments because you are not in good standing but we forgive you a little bit so will let you have some of the sacraments only sometimes, but thats all you get. But the other Orthodox who commit other major sins may show up once in a while and go to confession, and they can recieve all the sacraments as frequently as they want.
Again this seems very hypocritical. And I would like to understand how this scenerio is anything but. |
ANSWER:
The example given here (occasional communion, no other sacraments) is certainly unusual and is not the norm.
If indeed an Orthodox Christian marries a non-Christian, the bishop (who is the head and "chief rabbi") of the Church will (this almost automatic and discussed beforehand with the parish priest) pronounce a sentence of excommunication and with it a time of penance. Once this time of penance (which can be long) has past, the priest will hear confession and reunite the person to the Church and therefore to all the sacraments. Economia means that the full force of the disciplinary canons may be reduced by the bishop for pastoral reasons, i.e. the salvation of a person's soul. |
