Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!ucsd!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: walsh@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Validity of Baptism (Was Re: In Communion with Rome?) Message-ID: Date: 9 Nov 90 05:54:01 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 39 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article <1865.2736ebd7@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com>, walsh@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com writes: > > Another interesting difference is the RC view that once you are made > a priest, you are a priest forever and you can (if you're a bishop) > keep making valid priests and you have a chain of grace intact from > Christ, even if you're in heresy. > The Orthodox view is that if a priest or bishop goes into > heresy, they loose their membership in the Church, and anyone they > ordain or baptize is bogus. Therefore, RC's would admit valid > baptism and orders among the Orthodox, but it wouldn't work the > other way around. > > ando. in a separate message, our moderator wondered whether this view of breaking the chain of priesthood in a heretical priest or bishop would fall under the heresy of Donatism. Since our emailer at this site is eratic, i'll answer with a post. every definition of Donatism i've ever seen defines it as linking the personal holiness or sanctity of a priest or bishop with the efficacy of his office. Donatists believe that if a priest leads a sinful life (e.g. isn't faithful to a vow of chastity) then he isn't a priest. The Church rejected this because a) we're all sinful to some extant and b) you'd never know who was a real priest and who wasn't. The orthodoxy of faith is separate from your morals and has nothing to do with Donatism. If a bishop OPENLY preaches, for example, that Christ is a reincarnation of Krishna and that Mohammed is Christ, he is outside of recognizable Christianity and outside the Church. If he ordains priests from that point, those priest are bogus. (of course there's probably more to it, maybe he'd have to be given a chance to come to his senses, etc). This, i believe, is a basic difference between Orthodox and Roman Cath. teaching on the priesthood. Catholics (according to my understanding) believe that no matter what a priest or bishop does or believes or preaches, he is always has the grace of his office to some extent. ando.