His Broken Body: Understanding and Healing the Schism Between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches

LibraryThing Review

This is by far the most complete and most balanced introduction to the issues separating the Roman Catholic Church from the Orthodox Church that I have yet read. Father Laurent is very thorough and ... Read full review

This book has two commendations from people who obviously know the subject well: one from the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I and the second from Roman Catholic Cardinal Walter Kasper, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Cleenewerck presents an analysis of the schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism from an Orthodox point of view but does so without resorting to polemics. In the process, he should gain the respect of readers on both sides of the debate as the above commendations demonstrate. For example, he is not afraid to present the strongest Catholic arguments for papal universal jurisdiction and papal infallibility, which then serves as a basis for a convincing theological analysis of these issues from the Orthodox point of view (pp. 241-315). The author points out how popular apologetic texts, both Orthodox and Catholic, either misrepresent or over-simplify the evidence or fail to tell the full story. Besides the issues related to the papacy, he also discusses other areas of divergence: the Filioque, Purgatory and Indulgences, Celibacy, Birth Control, Divorce, etc. However, Cleenewerck, an Orthodox priest, is refreshing to read for while he persuasively argues for his position he still holds out hope for an eventual healing of the schism between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, though admitting the wounds are profound and he remains pessimistic of an immediate reunion of the two Churches. Still, Cleenewerck is in no rush to a false unity that ignores the very real divide between Catholicism and Orthodoxy. He argues that both sides need to face the doctrinal differences honestly and fairly. His concluding section: “A Vision for Unity,” presents some bold ideas that won’t please everyone, especially as he also points out that both sides need to make changes so that unity might eventually occur. If one is considering the competing claims of Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy – this is the book to read to understand the Orthodox position.