Re: Uniates and sacraments (was: Brithenig/Aelyan North America)

On Mon, 10 Apr 2000, John Cowan wrote:

> >  Are congregations headed by priests
> > or friars?
>
> Yes.
LOL! (I think he really meant "are they headed by priests, or are
they headed by friars instead?")

> >  Is celibacy enforced?
>
> No.  As in the Orthodox church, a priest must be the husband of one wife,
> which is interpreted to mean "no remarriage".
In fact in the Orthodox Church priests aren't allowed to marry, but
either single or married men may be ordained; so if you have a
vocation, you must decide before ordination whether you want to be a
(celibate) monk or a (married) parish priest.

A married priest who is widowed may not marry again, obviously, but
he may enter a monastery if he wants to because he's now unmarried.
There's a bishop in Serbia whose son is also a bishop: the father is
a widower, the son never married.

> > Protestants also recognise Matrimony, I believe.  :-)
>
> But not as a sacrament personally instituted by Christ.  Ditto for
> confirmation and orders.
In the Orthodox Church the spouses give the sacrament of marriage to
one another. The priest doesn't bestow it, he only witnesses it.

   Irina

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