News Roundup: July 13, 2026 + Schisms and Not Full Communion

JMJ

Lots happening this month ... so instead of just the list of articles that popped above the noise, I have includes some commentary on two of the articles, the regular news list and a chatGPT summary on the validity of Orthodox Sacraments.

P^3

Commentary on Articles of Note

As to be expected, there has been a veritable media storm preceding and following the SSPX consecration of four bishops.

Everyone seems to have an opinion, some factual, some not so much.

Two that caught my attention were the:

Chancellor for canonical affairs in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (link)

Susan Mulheron: “What they were doing was not just refusing the liturgical adaptations that had been made, but they were refusing the whole teaching authority of that council,”
Tradicat: As usual there are distinctions that are not being made. The first the teaching authority of the Second Vatican Council was defined at the end of the council (link) (Fisheater link2) (Catholic Culture link).

"Taking conciliar custom into consideration and also the pastoral purpose of the present Council, the sacred Council defines as binding on the Church only those things in matters of faith and morals which it shall openly declare to be binding. The rest of the things which the sacred Council sets forth, inasmuch as they are the teaching of the Church's supreme magisterium, ought to be accepted and embraced by each and every one of Christ's faithful according to the mind of the sacred Council. The mind of the Council becomes known either from the matter treated or from its manner of speaking, in accordance with the norms of theological interpretation."
Nothing new in V2 was held to be at the level of the faith (declared as binding) - so it remains at the lower level - it is part of the magisterium and is not a 'Super-Dogma'.

Where the SSPX takes issue is when the Council Documents are ambiguous or perhaps even counter previous equivalent doctrines. So following the words of the Secretary of the Council the SSPX

Accepts everything that simply re-state prior doctrine and dogma,
Accepts ambiguous statements with interpretations aligned with pre-conciliar doctrine,
Asks elements that are 'hard to reconcile' for correction.

Why Does the Vatican Recognize Orthodox Marriages but Not Those of the SSPX? (link)

The SSPX, who recognizes the primacy of the Roman Pontiff is in schism and the Orthodox churches who don't are in 'not full communion'.

Schism is: "... a refusal to recognize the authority of the head of the Church, or to communicate with those subject to him. ...." (Tradicat Link)
As far as I know the Orthodox refuse to recognize the authority of the Roman Pontiff as the head of the Church. That makes them schismatics.
However, we have the Balamand Document | Uniatism, Method of Union of the Past, and the Present Search for Full Communion that contains "...passing beyond the outdated ecclesiology of return to the Catholic Church ..."

For reference I will add after the news links a ChatGPT summary of the validity of Orthodox Sacraments based on Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Fathers John A. McHugh and Charles J. Callan.

News Roundup - Upto July 13, 2026

- Includes both pro and con articles -

1 Popes Past Present and Future

Tradicat: Nothing appeared above the 'noise' created by the consecrations.

ChatGPT Summary of the Validity of Orthodox Sacraments

Do the published editions of Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Fathers John A. McHugh and Charles J. Callan, discuss the validity of the sacraments of Orthodox churches?

Yes, but only briefly and incidentally. The published editions of Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Fr. John A. McHugh, O.P. and Fr. Charles J. Callan, O.P. do not contain a sustained treatise on the validity of the sacraments of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Instead, the topic appears in discussions of the sacraments, jurisdiction, schism, communicatio in sacris, and ecclesiastical law.

The general position presented is the standard pre–Vatican II Catholic theological position:

The Orthodox Churches are schismatic (and, in some cases, associated with ancient heresies depending on the church under discussion), but
They have preserved valid apostolic succession.
Consequently, they possess valid bishops and priests.
Therefore, they celebrate valid sacraments that require valid Holy Orders, even though these sacraments are ordinarily celebrated illicitly because they are outside communion with the Holy See.

Specifically:

1. Holy Orders

McHugh and Callan accept the common Catholic theological teaching that Orthodox ordinations are valid because:

episcopal succession has been preserved;
valid matter and form are used;
the minister has valid episcopal orders;
the intention is sufficient.

This follows the teaching already established by theologians such as St. Robert Bellarmine, Francisco Suárez, Dominic Prümmer, and Adolphe Tanquerey.

2. Eucharist

Because Holy Orders are regarded as valid, the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the Orthodox Churches is understood to confect the true Eucharist.

Thus:

the Real Presence exists;
the Sacrifice of the Mass is validly offered;
Communion truly contains the Body and Blood of Christ.

The authors distinguish validity from liceity.

3. Confirmation (Chrismation)

Since bishops—and, in the Eastern discipline, priests using properly blessed chrism—possess valid orders, Orthodox Chrismation is likewise considered valid.

4. Penance

The treatment becomes more nuanced.

McHugh and Callan note the traditional Latin requirement that a confessor possess both:

valid priesthood, and
jurisdiction (faculties).

The question is how Orthodox priests possess jurisdiction after separation from Rome.

Traditional Catholic theologians generally appealed to one or more of the following:

supplied jurisdiction,
extraordinary jurisdiction,
the Church's concern for the faithful,
historical principles concerning the Eastern Churches.

McHugh and Callan follow the common manualist opinion that absolutions given in the Orthodox Churches are valid, although they do not devote an extensive discussion to defending the point.

5. Marriage

Marriage among baptized Orthodox Christians is regarded as valid.

The priest acts according to Eastern canonical discipline, and the marriage itself is considered a true sacramental marriage.

6. Baptism

Orthodox baptism is unquestionably treated as valid because it uses:

water,
the Trinitarian formula,
proper intention.

7. Anointing of the Sick

Because Orthodox priests possess valid Holy Orders, the sacrament is regarded as valid.

Where the discussion occurs

The subject is not gathered into one chapter entitled "Orthodox Sacraments."

Instead, references are scattered through chapters dealing with:

schism,
communicatio in sacris,
validity versus liceity,
jurisdiction,
Holy Orders,
Penance,
marriage.

The work assumes the accepted theological consensus of early twentieth-century Catholic manual theology rather than arguing for it in detail.

Comparison with other manualists

Compared with contemporaries, McHugh and Callan are relatively concise.

Authors who provide much fuller treatments include:

Dominic Prümmer (Manuale Theologiae Moralis)
Heribert Jone (Moral Theology)
Adolphe Tanquerey
Felix Cappello (especially on jurisdiction and penance)
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (ecclesiology and sacramental theology)

These authors devote substantially more attention to explaining why Orthodox sacraments are considered valid despite the state of schism.

Conclusion

The published editions of McHugh and Callan do affirm—following the standard pre–Vatican II Catholic theological consensus—that the Eastern Orthodox Churches possess valid Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Marriage, because they have preserved valid apostolic succession and sacramental forms. However, the discussion is dispersed throughout the manual and is not a dedicated study of Orthodox sacramental theology.

If your interest is specifically the pre–Vatican II Thomistic and manualist arguments for the validity of Orthodox sacraments—especially the more difficult questions of jurisdiction for confession and episcopal succession—authors such as Cappello, Prümmer, and Tanquerey provide much more detailed analyses than McHugh and Callan.

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory

+ JMJ I have sometimes been criticized for including 'St' as a title for Pope John Paul II et al. I've given my reasons here in a discussion with Alex Long. The question is one of prudence in discussions with ntCatholics and in some cases with tCatholics. In discussions with: ntCatholics, I will use the title in order to continue the discussion and help them arrive at a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. tCatholics, I will use the title in order to broaden their perspective on the doctrine of dogmatic facts. This broader perspective is, in my opinion, essential maintaining a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. So from a doctrinal position, I have written the article Dogmatic Fact of Fancy and includes a reference on canonizations. Now, I know the position of the SSPX is that the canonizations are doubtful (see references below) and I also know of at least one non-SSPX theologian who agrees with the level of doubt du...

Tradicat

Search This Blog

News Roundup: July 13, 2026 + Schisms and Not Full Communion

Commentary on Articles of Note

News Roundup - Upto July 13, 2026

1 Popes Past Present and Future

2 The Church, The Crisis and the Persecution

3 SSPX

4 World, Wars and Conflict

5 Future Articles and Links

ChatGPT Summary of the Validity of Orthodox Sacraments

1. Holy Orders

2. Eucharist

3. Confirmation (Chrismation)

4. Penance

5. Marriage

6. Baptism

7. Anointing of the Sick

Where the discussion occurs

Comparison with other manualists

Conclusion

Labels

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Theology of the Body" explained - a Traditional Catholic view - Rorate Caeli

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

Can Catholics Pray with Protestants??? Part 2

SSPX Confessions and Marriages

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory