Why Reuniting the Eastern Orthodox Church to the Roman Church Is Nearly Impossible

The speaker, Father Thomas Hopko (1939-2015), was one of the greatest English-speaking academic scholars in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was also, one of the more liberal (on the subject of unifying the Christian faith) spokesmen for the Eastern Orthodox Church. Father Tom is Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary and the author of numerous books and articles. He is very optimistic compared to most other well-informed Orthodox leaders.

Can the Roman Catholics, reject the filoque, purgatory, papal authority as we know it, the Immaculate Conception, the normative use of unleavened bread for Communion, and more? If not, one of Orthodoxy's most easy going and most willing to recommend compromise paints an ugly picture for those Roman Christians who feel this centuries-old schism can some how be set aside.

Remember, in the Orthodox Church, no single person, no committee and not even a popular vote can change anything concerning the faith. Jude 3. So, it is simply impossible for the Orthodox Church to adopt the Roman position on these issues.

Father Thomas Hopko fell asleep in the Lord on March 18, 2015