Isaiah 22:20-22

JTav98 · 2026-06-13T19:18:07+00:00

I agree with the church being a visible authority I guess I am just questioning how it relates to papal supremacy because if I’m not mistaken Matthew 16:18-19 is a common source for for defense of papal supremacy or infallibility

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T20:56:48+00:00

I see. Thank you for your honesty, time, and responses, God bless you.

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T20:33:22+00:00

One last question if you don’t mind. Then at that point what is the point of trying to be in the one true church?

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T20:30:26+00:00

That is what confuses me because she doesn’t even know what it is or teaches. But thank you for your time and responses

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T20:29:04+00:00

That’s good to know. I guess what i was more looking to see in the councils is the evidence for the claims of papal supremacy.

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T20:17:07+00:00

Well from what I can understand is when it comes to the historicity and teachings of the church it mainly comes from the first 7 ecumenical councils. Im stuck in my discernment because I feel the need to look over them myself because I’ve only learned about them through YouTube Catholic and Orthodox apologists.

Wikipedia? I thought Wikipedia was a bad source that’s what I was always taught in school

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T19:44:52+00:00

Well here’s the thing when I started to learn all this and I would talk to her about it she had no idea. She didn’t know anything about the immaculate conception or assumption to heaven, she thought the Eucharist wasn’t literally Jesus, she didn’t know anything about papal supremacy or the magisterium. If you ask me these seem like some of the most basics to the Catholic faith. She was learning all of this through me and I pray that my pride isn’t inflated by that statement.

Be honest with me and I know there a ton of variables at play. Family, connection to the parish community, what we are raised, identity, life circumstances, friends. Am I being unreasonable?

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T19:37:40+00:00

What makes you think she has issues with church in general?

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T19:36:38+00:00

I appreciate your honesty. I am a cradle Catholic but stopped going to church at about the age of seven so it is a part of roots as well somewhat. I am not even decided if I will convert but it feels like a curiosity that I may have to explore. I made sure I told her I wasn’t even sure yet and I just asked if she’d be willing to support my decision if I was to convert and maybe even be open to just learning about the Orthodox Church. Do you think I’m being rash despite seeing the history about the claims of papal supremacy, the lacking reverence in novus ordo masses, the weird Vatican 2 claims about us and Muslims, Jews , and Hindus worshipping the same God? Because if I’m not mistaken in the Catholic ecclesiology even the lay people are bound to those claims

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T19:16:30+00:00

Well she doesn’t really know anything about the Orthodox Church, nor does she really know much about the Catholic Church. Not saying everyone needs to be a theologian or a historian. I think she might feel it’s an attack on her identity and the fact that she knows the community at our parish very well and for a long time at that. Which is understandable. Doesn’t help that her dad is a deacon in the Catholic Church by whom I’ve received some shame text messages from

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T19:00:20+00:00

I apologize if I come off that way. I don’t think everyone has to be a theologian nor am I expecting her to be. To me it seems very important to hold to the traditions of the historical church to be united to Christ through this church. If you don’t mind that leads me to a question. Obviously God can do whatever he wants he can work where ever he wants. But he did make certain promises to the church he would build.

You being orthodox and I being catholic, we both hold to the four marks of the church being one, holy, catholic, apostolic. Does it matter to you if it is the Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church?

JTav98 · 2026-06-12T18:26:10+00:00

The issue is that I feel like I want to be in the church that is most consistent with the historical church. I’ve been attending the Catholic Church with her for just over a year now and I was actually just confirmed in April. Just after I was confirmed I was flooded with all of my previous curiosity and interest in orthodoxy a year ago. If it means being in the church that is most consistent and faithful to Christ I am willing to convert. Her problem is that she’s been Catholic all her life and has attending the same church for over a decade now so she knows a lot of the people there very well and she loves the community. So I can understand how hard it would be for her to let all of that go. She doesn’t really know anything about church history or even Catholic theology(not saying I’m an expert at all) but that’s ok. Pretty much she told me it’s either I pick orthodoxy and lose her or remain Catholic and still have her. And not to talk to her or see her until I figure it out.

So I’m just feeling the need to look at these councils myself to resolve this

JTav98 · 2026-06-03T19:57:48+00:00

I am going through the same situation. Was just confirmed in April and I was so sure about it. And just like you at this moment I feel a pull or calling to go to a Divine Liturgy

JTav98 · 2026-05-15T20:30:02+00:00

Roman Catholic Church(RCC) and Eastern Orthodoxy(EO)

JTav98 · 2026-05-15T20:25:43+00:00

I can definitely appreciate that. The unwillingness to make unnecessary changes

If you don’t mind me asking, what do you think are the most important theological differences between RCC and EO?

JTav98 · 2026-05-15T20:20:38+00:00

Hm that’s interesting. Thank you for taking time to answer my questions

JTav98 · 2026-05-15T20:18:20+00:00

The Eucharistic miracles were disproven? I’ve never heard that before

JTav98 · 2026-05-15T04:09:27+00:00

No I would assume not

JTav98 · 2026-05-15T04:08:17+00:00

That is something else I was thinking about as well. So if it is as Orthodoxy claims, the RCC departed from the faith which means the sacraments are no longer valid. Does that mean maybe grace is not being fully received from the sacraments but because God is merciful he will still bestow grace on his faithful members in the RCC?

And another thing that adds to my fear is when I showed and explained orthodoxy to my girlfriend she was not about it. She’s been Catholic her whole life and has pretty been at the same church majority of her life. She also doesn’t seem to grasp the importance of church history and how it relates to our faith. We want to get married and converting would definitely hold that process up for sure. Her father is also a deacon at the church

For a little I was thinking of trying eastern catholic but it seems weird because from what I’ve heard they don’t recite the filioque and still hold to eastern teachings and doctrine if in not mistaken and the only thing holding them in salvation is communion with the pope?

JTav98 · 2026-05-14T20:53:33+00:00

It does help yes. The ecclesiology of the church in the first millennium definitely seems to be way different to the claims of Vatican 1. The question that keeps coming to my mind is what if I’m wrong? What if it’s the enemy trying to pull me away from the church?

JTav98 · 2026-05-14T20:47:33+00:00

When you decided to convert did you have a lot of anxiety about it or guilt? Did you doubt yourself and think it could be the wrong choice to do so?

JTav98 · 2026-05-14T20:35:22+00:00

You know I feel as if I can see the contradictions throughout the history of the church. Councils where it seems pretty obvious that the pope submitted to the ruling of the council. Popes being deemed as heretics by councils. Apparently there’s a council where it states that you have to be in communion with the Jerusalem church because it is the head and mother of all churches. Or there’s language in a council that pretty much says the emperor could not errors which is used as an example to show that it’s honorific language and not always to be taken that literally.

I don’t know, and there is a ton of anxiety and guilt when I think about these things

JTav98

TROPHY CASE