Friday, February 05, 2016

Fr. Hunwicke on the Contemporary Papacy

Bishop Schneider and Cowardly Rabbits

The Holy Eucharist

"Fr Alexander Rentel explains the meaning of Holy Eucharist."

Posted by Orthodox Christian Network on Friday, February 5, 2016

May It Happen

It was announced on Friday that Pope Francis will hold a meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in Cuba on February 12th. It marks the first ever meeting between a Pope and a Russian Primate.

Posted by Vatican Radio - English Section on Friday, February 5, 2016

Joint Press Release of the Holy See and the Patriarchate of Moscow
Press conference at DECR on Patriarch Kirill's forthcoming visit to Latin America

To Speak en tais ekklēsiais

1 Corinthians 14:34

Sometimes this is interpreted as saying that woman should not teach within the church building, or temple. But if St. Paul meant the home temple (or building) where Christians gathered to worship or to celebrate the liturgy or Eucharist, would he have not used that word instead of ekklésia, assembly, congregation, or "Church"? If that is the case, it would not matter if the Church is assembled in the temple or outside of the temple, a woman should be silent. And this would apply to any instantiation of the Church, including in a academic setting?

Unless St. Paul is just bound by the customs of his time, of course...

But that sort of misreading of the Church by English-speakers who do not know Greek and do not know the context well is easily cleared away. One could object, rather, that St. Paul is talking about the assembly of Christians for worship. Even though he is touching upon problems with the Church of Corinth, especially upon disorder during worship and prayer (and not necessarily just the Eucharist), would worship and prayer be the only reason for Christians to assemble? And would their time of assembly be a mix of prayer/worship, teaching, listening to readings, and so on? Would instruction proper to a formal master/disciple relationship, as opposed to the informal giving of information or doctrine, have taken place within the assembly or outside of the assembly?

Is it so definitively clear that St. Paul is referring only to the assemblies of Christians for prayer and worship? Or can a reading that He is referring to any manifestation of the Church, ekklēsía, including assemblies for prayer and worship, be justified?



"Il mistero nuziale e le sfide del gender" (The nuptial mystery and challenges of gender) is the title of a new book...

Posted by Vatican Radio - English Section on Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Any mention of the authority of the husband?

Eastern Christian Books: Church in the Making

Eastern Christian Books: Church in the Making
Chiesa: Married Priests? At the Gregorian They’re Voting Against by Sandro Magister
Cardinals Parolin and Ouellet are lining up in defense of the celibacy of the Latin clergy, in a conference at the prestigious pontifical university. But once again the pope has let the German bishops know that he wants to break with this tradition

[Roman] Catholicism: Crisis or Catastrophe?

From 2013: