Correcting Some Historic Errors

Don Bosco Explains the Orthodox Churches | Ep. 48
Miracles and Prophecies of Saint John Bosco, 12 May 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdnjrUQknCs

4:18 Actually, Photius himself made peace with a Pope (certainly a Greek ethnic, favourable to him, doesn't mean he was no Pope), in 879.

The Photian schism lasted 10 years, he was himself instrumental in setting it aside. Or rather - even less. In 869, the former Patriarch was reestablished, so, he made peace with him.

As Photius didn't die in schism, one may piously hope he made it to heaven.

Now, the real origin of the schism was Caerularius. A prequel, the last 40 years prior to it, the Diptychs hadn't mentioned the Roman Pontiff. The Diptychs are now inserted into the current text of the Missals, like "una cum papa nostro NN, cum episcopo nostro NN" but back then it would have been written out, a separate tablet the celebrant looked on.

Now, Constantinople had ceased to mention the Roman Pontiffs in the Diptychs since 1012, when there was a clear dispute on whether Benedict VIII or Gregory VI was the true Pope.

Caerularius' own contribution went like this:

• Normans had rashly committed sacrilege against the Host consecrated in Greek liturgy on Sicily
• this was eventually corrected on Sicily
• however it was known in Constantinople and the correction was either unknown or overlooked in anger
• Caerularius declared unleavened hosts invalid matter
• this resulted in a sacrilege against Hosts consecrated by Latin priests in Constantinople
• and Caerularius did not impose a penance for the sacrilege
• so Pope St. Leo IX sent cardinal Humbert to him, resulting in mutual excommunications.

6:03 In 867, Photius held a council excommunicating the Pope, not for papal claims, but for heresy.

He also opposed Papal claims on the matter of supremacy over Bulgaria.

Catholic theologians have since agreed that:

• if a Pope became heretic he would lose the papacy on preaching the heresy (St. Francis of Sales)
• if a Pope could become heretic he would lose the papacy on preaching heresy, but he most probably couldn't (St. Robert Bellarmine)
• a heretic is ineligible to papacy, so a man otherwise elected to papacy but a heretic would be invalidly elected.

Same year he was deposed, 869 he was condemned, 877 he succeeded Ignatius (who had also held the Photian position on Bulgaria) and 879, he was reconciled to Rome.

Most Catholic theologians would agree 869 was the VIII Ecumenical council, some theologians on the other side have considered 879 so. Either way, Photius died reconciled with Rome, if not on all quarrels, at least free from excommunications.

6:13 No, Eastern Schismatics have NOT denied the Divinity of the Holy Spirit.

They have considered the filioque as implying such denial, wrongly, but just because they have wrongly accused us, doesn't make a symmetrical accusation from us over them right.

I am not saying St. John Bosco was calumniating, but he was repeating historical errors he had heard about them.

The denial of Purgatory is partly correct.

They do practise prayers for the dead, but explain the reason differently.

Greeks tend to say, when you pray for a dead man, you are retroactively praying for his last moments back before dying.

Some may also teach soul sleep, and consider one is praying for the dreams the dead experience before they wake up on Judgement day.

Russians often enough believe in "Airy Tollhouses" - a kind of midway between Purgatory and the Individual judgement prolonged over 40 days of tests (like whether a man will be able to give up his lust in these airy tollhouses or get dragged down to Hell for not doing so, along with the lust).

7:21 You have just given the reason why Russian Orthodoxy holds a more prestigious position than the Greek one, despite the latter having greater canonic dignity.

For centuries, the Greek priests were spiritually either debauched or at least compromised by Turkish domination.

It came up in the case of Ukrainean Church Independence a few years ago.

8:09 While Greeks and Latins were in communion, there may have been differences about not yet definitive doctrines before the schism.

Only at Lyons or at least Florence did an ecumenical council formally define in non-controverted terms the Procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son.

The text from 381 is not found in the Greek protocol and has been differently transmitted.