An Orthodox bishop, who is based in my city, converted to the Catholic Church and kept his dignity as bishop.

What do you think?

The Priest’s answer

Dear,

1. Orthodoxies recognize Holy Orders as a sacrament.

Like Catholics, they know the transmission of the divine power to consecrate and to forgive sins through the imposition of hands by ministers, and theirs are ordained too and are linked to the power which Christ conferred on the apostles by an uninterrupted succession.

This is the so-called apostolic succession.

Therefore, their priests and their bishops are true priests and true bishops.

2. On the contrary, Protestant pastors do not recognize Holy Orders and do not possess apostolic succession. Therefore, they have neither the power to consecrate nor the power to forgive sins.

3. Those, who in turn have received the sacred power, transmit it by imposing hands. Pius XII writes in Mediator Dei: “Only to the apostles, and thenceforth to those on whom their successors have imposed hands, is granted the power of the priesthood, in virtue of which they represent the person of Jesus Christ before their people, acting at the same time as representatives of their people before God. This priesthood is not transmitted by heredity or human descent. It does not emanate from the Christian community. It is not a delegation from the people. Prior to acting as representative of the community before the throne of God, the priest is the ambassador of the divine Redeemer. He is God’s vice-gerent in the midst of his flock precisely because Jesus Christ is Head of that body of which Christians are the members. The power entrusted to him, therefore, bears no natural resemblance to anything human. It is entirely supernatural. It comes from God. ‘As the Father hath sent me, I also send you’ (John 20:21). […]

That is why the visible, external priesthood of Jesus Christ is not handed down indiscriminately to all members of the Church in general, but is conferred on designated men, through what may be called the spiritual generation of holy orders.

This latter, one of the seven sacraments, not only imparts the grace appropriate to the clerical function and state of life, but imparts an indelible “character” besides, indicating the sacred ministers’ conformity to Jesus Christ the Priest and qualifying them to perform those official acts of religion by which men are sanctified and God is duly glorified in keeping with the divine laws and regulations.” (rf. EE, 6, 468-469).

4. Since the Orthodox bishop, whom you speak of, is truly a bishop, he retains episcopal power.

And since the bishops govern the people of God together with Peter (Pope) and under Peter, an Orthodox bishop retains episcopal power, and exercises it only if the Pope gives him permission.

5. It is worth underlining this detail too: the Orthodox ignore the indelible character defined by the Council of Trent. Therefore, their Church may remove the dignity conferred on a bishop, a priest, or a deacon to ensure that these are no longer even in root bishop, priest, or deacon.

6. On the other hand, as the Catholic Church recognizes the indelible character of Holy Orders; so, it can suspend a divinis, that is, temporarily deprive of the legitimate exercise of power, and it can also reduce to the secular state and therefore consider as simple lay people those who were previously in Holy Orders, but it cannot take away the character imprinted in their souls.

7. By moving into the Catholic Church, this Orthodox bishop may no longer be deprived of Holy Orders. Rather, the Catholic Church recognizes them for him, even in case of preventing their exercise.

Wishing you all the best, I bless you.

Father Angelo

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