Advertising on the portal

Catholic wedding according to the rules. Wedding in the Catholic Church: rules, how it goes, video

The Orthodox wedding ceremony implies the full consent of the bride and groom to take an oath of fidelity to each other, as well as receiving from the church the blessing of their union, the birth and upbringing of children in accordance with the traditions of a Christian society.

The ceremony consists of two parts: and the wedding itself. Initially, these two processes took place separately from each other, but by the end of the 17th century they were combined. During the engagement process, the priest puts on the bride and groom wedding rings, as a symbol of their endless, eternal and boundless love. The spouses, as a sign of their consent, must exchange rings three times, after which one ring remains with the bride, and the second with the groom.

After the betrothal, the priest uses a crown to signify the bride and groom with a cross. The spouses are presented with a cup of red wine, which symbolizes their common destiny, and the newlyweds alternately drink all the wine in three doses. Next, the priest joins the right hands of the newlyweds and circles them three times around the lectern. This is a symbol of the beginning of a joint journey.

At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom kiss the icons Mother of God and the Savior, they receive from the priest two icons, prepared in advance by the parents of the spouses, and the wedding ceremony ends.

Catholic wedding traditions

A Catholic wedding is a ceremony full of solemnity and beauty, which is performed once in a lifetime. After a wedding, Catholic spouses can only be separated by death.

Unlike the Orthodox, where the main roles are distributed between the priest and those entering into marriage, in the Catholic rite one of the main participants is the father of the bride. As the head of the family, he leads his daughter to the altar and places her in the hands of her future husband. From this day on, it is the husband who will be obliged to care and lovingly love his chosen one.

The main ceremony begins with an opening prayer by a Catholic priest, during which the bride and groom kneel on special chairs, witnesses are nearby, and relatives and invited guests are seated. After prayer and answers to questions from the priest, the bride and groom pronounce vows of fidelity and love, exchange rings and in the church book. This concludes the wedding ceremony catholic church ends.

Bans on weddings

According to the laws of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, marriages between blood relatives and half-brothers and sisters are prohibited. For the Orthodox rite it is necessary that both spouses be baptized; in the Catholic Church, marriage is impossible, whether by a monk or by a monk, or even if one of the spouses was previously married in the Orthodox Church.

Wedding is one of the seven church sacraments, during which newlyweds enter into a marriage union before God, confirming their feelings for each other. The wedding sacrament in an Orthodox church lasts about an hour.

The sacrament itself consists of the following betrothal and directly. Before the start of the solemn service, the serving priest meets the newlyweds to the sound of bells at the entrance to the temple.


Before the engagement begins, the newlyweds are at the end of the temple (at the same time, a special cloth is laid under their feet). Next, the newlyweds are given wedding candles. After this, the priest goes to the center of the temple and gives an exclamation to the beginning of the sacrament. Next, the priest pronounces a litany with special petitions for the newlyweds. Then a prayer is read, after which the priest again approaches the newlyweds and puts rings on their fingers. Rings (so in Orthodox tradition called ) change three times. That is, the wedding ring of the husband and wife is placed on the finger of the spouse. After this, several more prayers are read by the priest in the center of the temple.


After the prayers, the priest approaches the couple and, while singing certain wedding chants, leads the newlyweds to the center of the temple. Then there is a question about the desire for a church marriage. After receiving from both sides, the sacrament of wedding begins directly.


One of the main moments of a wedding is the laying of crowns on the newlyweds. After this, the priest pronounces the secret formula three times: “Lord our God, crown (them) with glory and honor.” At the same time, the priest raises his hands to the sky, and then turns to the newlyweds and blesses them. This happens three times. What follows are readings from excerpts from Holy Scripture New Testament.


Another moment of the wedding service is the newlyweds drinking wine from a single cup as a sign that now the husband and wife have everything in common. After this, the priest takes the newlyweds by the hand and walks with them around the lectern three times while singing certain chants in chorus.


The crowns are removed from the heads of the newlyweds before the wedding is completed. At the end of the sacrament, the newlyweds sing the chant “Many Years,” in which the newlyweds ask God for longevity.


After the sacrament is performed, the priest leads the newlyweds to the open royal doors on the sole. The husband and wife kiss the icons located near the royal doors, and then, as a testament to the love of the newlyweds, the newlyweds kiss themselves.


At the end of the wedding the priest can speak parting words for young people, after which a certificate is necessarily issued.


In some temples, there is a practice for the newlyweds to drive three times around the temple, after which, to the sound of bells, the wedding procession leaves the temple.

Video on the topic

Sources:

  • How does the wedding ceremony itself take place?

Wedding plays vital role in the life of representatives of the Catholic Church. This Christian rite known since the 4th century AD. The concepts of “marriage” and “wedding”, in contrast to the Orthodox tradition, are actually identical to the wedding ceremony, therefore, along with the high responsibility of those who decided to go through betrothal in the church, the preparation for the celebration is also very strict.

From the point of view of the Catholic Church, a sacrament is characterized by:

  • holiness- connecting two people with God;
  • unity- joining spouses into one;
  • indissolubility- the eternity of the marriage union even in afterlife; Divorce is possible in very rare cases.

Interesting! In Christianity, the family, that is, the church union of a man and a woman, is called the “small” or “domestic church.”

Terms and Conditions

To adequately prepare for the wedding ceremony, future spouses must meet several conditions:

  • contact the clergyman of the parish where they intend to conduct the marriage ceremony 3 months before the wedding;
  • be in an officially registered marriage;
  • undergo special premarital preparation.


You need to know the basic prayers and rituals of the Catholic Church:

  • "Our Father";
  • "Symbol of Faith";
  • "To the Virgin Mary";
  • gospel commandments;
  • 6 truths of faith;
  • 5 church commandments;
  • "Angel of the Lord";
  • Holy Rosary;
  • order of baptism;
  • church sacraments;
  • preparing the house for the sacrament of the sick;
  • 5 conditions for the sacrament of reconciliation.

Preparation

At the first meeting with the priest, the newlyweds (they are also called the betrothed) agree on the procedure for taking special pre-marital courses to get acquainted with the Catholic foundations of marriage, family, and the role of spouses in raising children.

Thus, the Catholic Church is categorically against the use of any contraception and considers this a great sin. Only valid physiological method planning the birth of a child.

The need for active participation in the life of the church, observance of Christian commandments, and introducing children to the faith is discussed. Usually there are 10 such conversations.

Interesting! In the Catholic tradition, there is a custom, that is, young people notifying their family and friends about their intention to marry.

The bride and groom must prepare and undergo the sacraments of confession and Eucharist (communion), which are preceded by fasting.

Betrothal of young people of different faiths

The most common situation is when both spouses belong to the Catholic Church. In this case, there are no canonical obstacles to marriage. But it happens that one of them is a representative of another religion. In this case, there are a number of peculiarities during a wedding.

Catholic and Orthodox or Protestant

If one of the betrothed belongs to another Christian denomination (Orthodoxy, Protestantism), then permission for such a marriage is given by the bishop of the corresponding diocese.

Important! Catholicism also recognizes as legal marriages performed in the Orthodox Church.

The newlyweds make a promise to raise their future children in the Catholic faith. Information about the married couple and the signatures of the spouses under such a promise are entered in a special form.

Wedding with an unbaptized person

If one of the spouses is unbaptized (atheist, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist), that is, does not belong to Christianity, then obtaining permission from the bishop becomes much more difficult.

There is no canonical ban on such marriage, but each case is considered individually. The clergyman talks with the newlyweds about the difference in cultures and the possible difficulties of such a union. The final decision rests with the bishop.

The right time

The sacrament of wedding according to the Catholic rite is performed almost all year round. The spouses themselves usually prefer to get married outside of fasting days, but there is no direct prohibition on this.

When getting married during Lent, you should not arrange a loud celebration after the ceremony with many and noisy feasts.

Prohibitions on weddings in churches

The performance of the sacrament of wedding is prohibited in the following cases:

  1. those intending to enter into a church marriage are relatives (father and daughter, brother and sister) or stepbrother and sister;
  2. one of the possible spouses is already in a church marriage;
  3. the physical impossibility of one of the spouses to perform marital duties, but infertility is not an obstacle to participation in the wedding;
  4. the murder of a husband or wife by one of the spouses for the sake of entering into a new marriage;
  5. the betrothed are cousin and a sister (theoretically, such a union is possible with the permission of the bishop, but in practice it is issued in exceptional cases);
  6. one of those wishing to marry is a clergyman or monk (nun).

Even if the wedding sacrament was performed, and the circumstances listed above later became clear, the ceremony is considered invalid.


From the point of view of the Catholic Church, marriage is indissoluble. A marital union can only be terminated by the death of one of the spouses. In the Catholic Church, unlike the Orthodox Church, there is no possibility of debunking. After a divorce (without a previous wedding), you must provide a certificate of divorce.

Documents

At the first meeting with the clergyman before preparing for the ceremony, future spouses must bring the following documents:

  • passport;
  • baptismal certificate;
  • marriage certificate.

The last document that is issued after completion of preparation is a certificate of completion of special courses for newlyweds.

Ceremony in the church

There is no strictly regulated ritual order that is uniform for all dioceses. It may vary depending on the area and the priest who performs the wedding. However, a number of characteristic details still exist.

The ceremony is performed by a clergyman. In special cases, he can be replaced by a pious layman.

Start

Usually the wedding ceremony is held in a church. As a rule, the bride is led to the altar by her father or another man who has taken upon himself the responsibility of caring for her(uncle, older brother). They are followed by little girls who scatter flower petals from a basket. At this time, the groom with witnesses and other guests is waiting for his future wife in the temple.

Less often, newlyweds enter the church together, holding hands. The bride is not required to wear wedding dress, and the groom - a suit. All that is required is the observance of neatness corresponding to the solemnity of the sacrament. At the altar, the betrothed stand or sit on special chairs with cushions.

Catholic tradition suggests mandatory participation witnesses (up to three people on each side). Witnesses may belong to any Christian denomination. Bridesmaids often wear matching dresses. A special role is given to a little girl from among the guests, who is dressed in a wedding dress. It symbolizes the purity, purity and spirituality of the future marriage union.

Liturgy


The wedding ceremony is preceded by a liturgy, after which the priest reads small fragments from the Bible and delivers a sermon on the importance of church marriage, the role of each spouse in the family, and the need for careful upbringing of children.

Then the couple getting married has a conversation with the clergyman, during which he asks the future spouses questions about the presence of any obstacles to getting married:

  • Did you come to the temple voluntarily, and is your desire to enter into a legal marriage sincere and free?
  • Are you ready to remain faithful to each other in sickness and in health, in happiness and in misfortune, until the end of your life?
  • Do you intend to lovingly and gratefully accept the children God sends you and raise them according to the teachings of the church?

These questions make it possible to verify the sincere and free desire of the young people, their Christian view of the sacrament of wedding and family ties.

Vows and engagement


If the couple answered affirmatively to all questions, the priest asks the Holy Spirit to descend on the spouses. They offer each other their hands, which the priest ties together with a ribbon. Then the newlyweds, standing face to face, read their marital vows and take a vow of fidelity. The groom does this first, followed by the bride. They often complement them with their own words of love and gratitude to family and friends.

Interesting! Previously, in the Catholic Church there was a custom to decorate the temple gates with metal ringing objects to attract good luck to the future family.

After the oath, the groom's main witness hands him the wedding rings, the groom puts the ring on the bride's ring finger, and she puts the ring on the groom's. The priest says the Lord's Prayer, the Intercessory Prayer and blesses the newlyweds. Newly-made spouses sign in the church register.


Wedding rings are not a mandatory attribute of a wedding in Catholicism. If they are available, the clergyman conducts the consecration ceremony. Rings are an addition to the ceremony itself, which symbolize the fidelity of the newlyweds and their receipt of grace.

In most Catholic countries: France, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, the ring is traditionally worn on ring finger left hand. On right hand wedding rings are worn in Poland, Austria, Spain, Argentina.

The entire sacrament of wedding takes about half an hour.

Useful video

- one of the most beautiful, important and tender sacraments. To visualize the beauty of the Catholic rite, watch this short video:

Conclusion

The wedding ceremony occupies a special place in the life of Catholic believers, because it is held only once in a lifetime. Knowledge of all accepted traditions allows you to conduct this sacrament in accordance with the church canon and make it special. In Catholicism, it is also customary to solemnly celebrate the first anniversary of marriage. The spouses take part in the liturgy, celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist and re-pronounce their vows.

Search string: Catholic

Records found: 5

Hello! I am Orthodox, my boyfriend is Greek Catholic. Can we get married in an Orthodox Church without converting to Orthodoxy? He periodically comes with me to our church (UOC-MP), but, in turn, asks me to sometimes come to them (UGCC), without prayer, just for his support (I think, for show, for his family). I refuse. Would it be a sin if I agreed to come in?

Vivea

Hello. Out of condescension towards human weakness, such marriages have been allowed for the last two or three centuries, provided that the children are raised in Orthodox faith. This issue needs to be resolved with your priest (not to mention confessor), with whom you will negotiate the wedding. The blessing of the ruling bishop may be required. You can go “just for show,” but it’s better not to do this unless you are one hundred percent sure of your “religious inflexibility.”

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello, father! I have a question. I am Orthodox, baptized, I go to church, I participate in the sacraments. But it just so happened that my future husband is a Catholic, and he insists on getting married in a church. I read a lot and learned that the wedding of a Catholic with an Orthodox is possible both in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy. At first I agreed to Catholic wedding, but the more often I visit the church, the stronger my doubts become. I don’t feel comfortable there, and I can’t accept this sacrament with my soul. I’m ready to do this only because someone has to give in... Please tell me, after the wedding in the church, can we get married in the Orthodox Church? The future husband is not against it, but only after the wedding in the church, and then my soul would be calm. It seems to me that I am renouncing God by going to a wedding in someone else’s church. Thank you.

Xenia

Hello, Ksenia! According to Orthodox canons, you can marry a Catholic only if the wedding takes place in an Orthodox church and your children will be raised in the Orthodox faith. It is possible that such a wedding will require permission from the ruling bishop, depending on what order is established in the diocese.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Hello, Yana! Orthodox Church allows marriages with Catholics, provided that the wedding takes place in an Orthodox church and your children are raised in the Orthodox faith.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Hello! I would like to get an answer to this question: if he is Catholic and she is Orthodox - how, in which church is the wedding held? Or both? Or does the church generally not marry Catholics with Orthodox, or Orthodox with Catholics? Thank you

Dear Yulia, a wedding in such a situation is possible only in an Orthodox church, provided that the children from such a marriage are raised in Orthodox traditions.

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Hello, father. Please help me with advice. My daughter is going to work and live in Italy. A potential groom is waiting for her there. He is a Catholic. The groom dreams of a classic wedding with a wedding in a Catholic church. For an Orthodox daughter, a change of faith is categorically unacceptable. Is it generally necessary to obtain permission from the Orthodox Church to marry a person of a different faith in the municipality? Is there any practice in resolving these issues?

Olga

Olga, of course, you don’t need to take any kind of documentary permission for marriage - it doesn’t exist, but you should ask for the blessing of the priest to whom your daughter most often confesses. I don't think, however, that he with a light heart bless: Your daughter, quite possibly, is waiting for quite difficult situation, in which either she herself will move away from Orthodoxy, or she and her husband will have constant friction based on faith. Some kind of general practice There is no solution to such life conflicts, but one cannot help but admit that such a situation from the point of view of spiritual life is harmful to the soul.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

A wedding is an event that radically changes the lives of not only the newlyweds, but also, often, their families, which are now united into one family. Having become engaged in marriage, even if not for life, the newlyweds not only create a union of two hearts, but also officially receive new status in the face of the state, they create a so-called unit of society called the family.

shutr.bz

And if you and yours future husband If you decide to legalize your marriage according to church laws, then it is worth thoroughly studying many more aspects.

Firstly, you will not be married if at least one of the spouses is not baptized. And secondly, you need to take into account your religion. If you are Orthodox, and this is the official religion in our country, and your chosen one is a representative of another religious branch, then you will not be able to seal the union in the church. But marriage between representatives of Orthodoxy and Catholicism is possible, and you can get married in a Catholic church or Orthodox church. But you need to know several rules and differences between a wedding in a Catholic and an Orthodox church, because in general, a Catholic wedding differs from an Orthodox wedding, just like all other religious rites of the Western branch of Christianity from the Eastern.

1. An Orthodox couple must cross the threshold of the temple together, while for Catholics the groom waits for the bride at the altar, where her father must lead her. This symbolizes that the head of the family transfers the care of his daughter to her husband. If the father for some reason cannot accompany his daughter, then the older brother does so. godfather or uncle.

2. Catholic newlyweds can say vows that they write themselves, while Orthodox newlyweds repeat a special vow after the priest.

3. A Catholic marriage is a contract between each spouse and the church, and an Orthodox marriage is a spiritual union, by entering into which the husband and wife create their own home church.

4. For Catholics, a wedding begins with the priest giving instructions, and during the ceremony the husband and wife are on their knees, with witnesses next to them. All other guests are seated. In the Orthodox rite, none of those present at the sacrament, like the newlyweds themselves, kneels.

5. You can get married in a Catholic church on any day of the week, with the exception of four weeks before Christmas and forty days before Catholic Easter; in the Orthodox Church they do not get married during all four fasts, on cheese week, Easter week, during the period from the Nativity of Christ (January 7) to Epiphany (January 19), on Tuesday and Thursday (on the eve of fasting days - Wednesday and Friday) and Saturday. On the eve and on the days of the Beheading of John the Baptist (September 11) and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord (September 27).

6. In the Catholic rite, wedding rings are not required, unlike the Orthodox.

7. The Orthodox Church accepts divorce, but no more than three times, and Catholics get married once in a lifetime.

In addition, there are prohibitions on marriage: for atheists; consanguineous to the fourth degree; those who are spiritually related (godfathers and godparents with godchildren); non-Christians; monks or those who have taken monastic vows.

Family life should begin with the fact that the couple is obliged to confess and take communion

We've cleared up the prohibitions, and now let's figure out how to prepare for the sacrament of wedding. “Family life should begin with the fact that the couple is obliged to confess and receive communion,” explains Mikhail Omelyan, deacon of the Academic Church of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. – Don’t forget about the stage preliminary preparation: fasting and repentance." According to the clergyman, today there is a certain fashion for weddings, and for the sake of a beautiful shot, newlyweds choose restored churches with a beautiful interior, without thinking that the main thing is not visible part ritual, but what it symbolizes, because the couple swears before God of marital fidelity and that they will lead a Christian lifestyle. Therefore, those who understand the true spiritual value of a wedding prepare responsibly for it, and some families need years to mature for a church marriage.

Having settled all the spiritual aspects, you need to take care in advance of what you need to take with you.


shutr.bz

Without this official document, your church marriage is not possible.

2. Icon of the Savior and the Virgin Mary. Typically, icons are kept in the parents' house and passed down from generation to generation as a spiritual symbol of the family. But if they are not in your parents’ house, then buy icons from the church and keep them in your home, and then bless your children with them.

3. Pectoral crosses. As with every church sacrament or ritual, there must be pectoral cross. It doesn't have to be expensive jewelry, the cross can be the cheapest in price, but this will not lose its symbolism. Although it is better to wear the cross that was presented at baptism.

4. Wedding rings. The ring is a sign of the eternity and continuity of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

5. Wedding candles. Special wedding candles should only be purchased in a church, because there they are consecrated and have greater power than ordinary decorated candles purchased in a wedding salon.

6. A towel or a white towel. A towel or towel must be white, but you can decorate it with embroidery. It’s good if the towel is embroidered by the bride herself, her mother or grandmother. You know about the old Ukrainian tradition embroider towels for a wedding. So, if you can handle this task yourself, it’s time to get to work.


shutr.bz

Particular attention should be paid to the bride's outfit. Of course, a chic wedding dress with a neckline, an open back or a slit will make you even more sexy, but such a style is inappropriate for going to church, and especially for such an occasion.

Deacon Omelyan says that there are no special requirements for the clothing of newlyweds, the main rule is that it should be modest and suitable for visiting the house of the Lord. By the way, the dress may not be a wedding dress, but any other. The bride must remember to cover her head with a veil, and if there is none, with a scarf.

There are no special requirements for the newlyweds’ clothing, the main rule is: it should be modest and suitable for visiting the house of the Lord

Do not think that your fast ends after confession and communion. You need to fast until the wedding ceremony itself, and on the day of the ceremony it is generally not recommended to eat food or even drink water. The same requirements are put forward for your witnesses, who will have to hold crowns over your heads.

During the wedding itself, several rituals are performed. The priest betroths the newlyweds with rings, which he carries out from the altar. After this, he trusts the witnesses to hold the crowns over the heads of the newlyweds, and then the bride and groom, following the priest, walk around the lectern three times. After this, they drink wine from one cup. And only then is the marriage considered church.

Creating a family is a very responsible decision, so before you take such a responsible step, think three more times whether you are ready to spend your whole life with your chosen one and be united with him not only in earthly life, but also after death.

I was baptized in the Orthodox Church, my parents are Orthodox, but on my mother’s side they were Poles (my grandfather) - Catholics. Unfortunately, my grandfather died early, and it so happened that as a child, my grandmothers took me to both church and church, and even when I was still a child, some things irritated me, for example, the fact that people came to church more like they were going to a club. .. to talk, to gossip... And also the overly chic decoration is very distracting - I still go into a museum, - I stand, looking at the gold modeling and painting, forgetting why I came... But, - realizing that I should say so, Probably, it’s impossible - for this reason, since childhood, for some reason the church has become closer to me, or something like home... I feel calm there, nothing distracts me. After 15 years, I again found myself in the church that I was taken to as a child... It was already dilapidated, built in 1810. But there is such an atmosphere there, as if I had never left (the church is located in another city 500 km away). Forgive me for writing so much, but I have a question: can I constantly attend church, go to confession and receive communion, and also marry an Orthodox young man in catholic church and take an oath precisely according to the Catholic rite - turning to each other? (The young man was baptized Orthodox rite, but practically does not attend church.) It was always unclear to me. what prohibitions could there be... God is one for everyone... How can people be divided into one and the other...

Dear Olga, indeed, some people feel good in an Orthodox church, others prefer organ music and benches in a Catholic church, still others will go to listen to music at the conservatory, and still others will go to football. However, when choosing our ideological priorities, when determining such important things: how we want to believe and what Church we want to belong to, that is, which one we recognize as the true Church of Christ, we probably need to be guided not only and not so much by emotional and aesthetic preferences or meeting people who belong to a particular Church or organization. Somehow this would be very shallow in relation to Christ and His Church. Wouldn’t it be awkward before Christ for such petty motives in determining your religious worldview? Agree: among representatives of totalitarian sects, and even among representatives of clearly non-Christian worldviews - say, communists - there are people of high moral life and very, very worthy in appearance. And at sectarian meetings, the atmosphere may seem very “prayerful” to some. And it will be “as calm as home” there. But this will not prompt us to join sectarians or communists on this basis. In the same way, from the presence of worthy heterodox people who do not disrupt the order of worship with conversations, from the beauty of the Catholic church familiar from childhood, it does not follow that we must share all the errors that exist in heterodox confessions.

The cliché you repeated that God is one for everyone and it doesn’t matter what the faith is called can only be uttered on the basis of, forgive me for being harsh, noticeable religious ignorance. Christ did not come to Earth to give an ethical doctrine, a sublime collection moral standards, which His disciples would follow, not in order to explain the mysteries of the world and create the most magnificent of all philosophies that ever existed. He came to found the Church - a mysterious spiritual organism in which we would all be united with Him as the head. And we must clearly understand that there are not many different churches in heaven. There is no Muslim, Buddhist, Shinto or Jehovah's church there. There is only one Church in heaven - that of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. This is that Church, that spiritual organism, that Body of Christ, of which we become members through the sacrament of Baptism and in which we live through the acceptance of its (the Church’s) other sacraments, and through responsible encouragement of ourselves to strive to fulfill the truth of God in our lives. The true Church of Christ is one. It cannot be divided into itself.

Now think about this obvious question: have the deepest thinkers, theologians, writers and cultural figures of Orthodoxy and Catholicism been in some kind of blindness and seduction for a thousand years, not noticing that what separates them is actually ephemeral, that it is simply some kind of national -a cultural tradition that we need to give up on and unite? On the contrary, we see that on both sides people of the deepest mental abilities and mystical gifts testified to the non-identity of the religious experience of Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Whatever choice you ultimately make, for you are free in your choice, but accepting this non-identity as something very serious will be the only responsible and honest approach.

In this sense, your desire to resort to the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, while calling yourself Orthodox, again testifies to a certain lack of thought and immaturity of your religious worldview. If we perceive the Church as a divine-human organism, the Body of Christ, and its Sacraments as sources of grace given to us by God Himself, if we take seriously the words of the Creed “I believe in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church“, then we will not even have the thought of performing any Sacrament outside the fence of this true Church. If you want to get married in a church simply because you like the way weddings are shown in Western films, then such an impulse cannot be recognized as valid by either Orthodox or Catholics.

Therefore, when determining your Christian worldview, try to do this on the basis of an honest, unbiased comparison of the doctrines of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, based on serious authoritative sources, think about which of them conveys to us the apostolic tradition more fully, more clearly, more deeply, more uncloudedly. In particular, the book Orthodoxy and Western Christianity and many other materials can help you with this. Look at the following similar questions on our website.

And then try to give yourself an account of whether you have come to the conviction that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, the successor of the Prince of the Apostles, the Supreme Pontiff and the absolute head Universal Church, that he is the guarantor of church truth, and his doctrinal and moral judgments, expressed in a special way - ex cathedra (from the pulpit) - are infallible, and he alone is authorized by God to proclaim the ultimate truth? That the Catholic teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son is truer than the original patristic teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit only from the Father? Through careful analysis, have you come to the view that purgatory and indulgences are a necessary part of the Christian doctrine of salvation? Is cornerstone Is your worldview a belief in the supererogatory merits of saints? And much more. If so, then your place is in the Catholic Church and then, although I do not share this choice, I cannot help but respect it. And if you share the dogmas and creeds of Catholicism, then there is no reason to call yourself Orthodox. But if this is not the case, if you simply aesthetically like the sound of an organ, are attracted by the aesthetics of Catholic worship, a clean-shaven priest is larger than a bearded Russian priest, the benches are larger than standing for 2-3 hours in an Orthodox church, the company of a circle of knowledgeable Catholic intellectuals is more complete , sometimes pushing Orthodox brothers and sisters under the side, then be aware - is this a solid reason and a solid foundation for making a judgment about the True Church?

After all, we go to Church to God, and not to a smiling priest. Toward God, not to a pleasant human community. To the true Church of Christ, and not to a place where everyone will praise us and where everyone will like us. And if through reading church literature, through familiarity with theology, church history, a person has come to the conviction that the true Church of Christ is the Holy Orthodox Church, then can he be stopped from entering its fence by the infirmities of some of its parishioners, who do not behave completely reverently during worship, or by the decorative decoration of several churches?

In itself, the fact of attending a non-Orthodox worship service is not something fundamentally unacceptable if we do it for cultural and educational purposes, in order to familiarize ourselves with the non-Orthodox religious tradition, in one or another context of diplomatic or human relations with our colleagues, relatives or non-Orthodox people. friends. The canons of our Church do not in any way prohibit Roman Catholics from visiting Orthodox churches or kissing Orthodox icons. To be present at a heterodox service in order to prayerfully make up for what we allegedly do not receive at the service of the One True Church- this is to show disbelief in its truth and the fullness of the presence of the grace-filled gifts of God in it. And this, of course, would be a sin against the Church.

Therefore, mutual communication in the Sacraments between Orthodox and Catholics is the only thing that is certainly unacceptable. Mutual communication in the Sacraments is only the result of unity in faith. Agree that we can approach the Chalice only in case of our complete religious doctrinal unanimity, common faith. No matter how close the doctrines of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches may be in many respects, there are also quite fundamental doctrinal points that separate us. Therefore, being honest in relation to your faith and in relation to the Catholic faith, of course, it would be wrong to confess, take communion, and begin other Sacraments in a Catholic church, realizing yourself as Orthodox.

Regarding your embarrassment at the overly luxurious decoration of the Orthodox church you know, let’s say the following. Orthodox churches, especially in big cities, quite a lot now. And not all of them are built in the same architectural and artistic style. There are also more strict, ascetic ones, and there are also more elegant and well-decorated ones. Available in Orthodox world and such temples that the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir, having visited Sophia of Constantinople, said: it was as if we were not on earth, but in heaven.

Is it because you did not have the experience of calm and peace of mind when visiting Orthodox churches that you rarely entered them or did not try to look for a church where nothing would distract you from worship? IN different temples The decoration and communities and clergy and traditions of church reading and singing will be different. To choose a temple to which you will constantly go, you can first go to one several times, then to another and listen to yourself - where your soul will feel at home. Try, having set a specific time frame for yourself, to visit different churches, of course, the Moscow one http://www.taday.ru/vopros/20162/308001.html, and not the Kyiv one http://www.taday.ru/vopros/20355 /24664.html patriarchy, pray there at services, listen to the sermons of the priests, go to confession - and stay where you feel at home, where the least external things will distract you and hinder you in achieving main goal our earthly church life - finding the path to life in Christ. The church that you internally like, where neither the manner of service, nor the pace of it, nor the sermon, nor the approach of the priests to confession causes rejection, most often becomes a person’s church home.

I will point out only one thing here. The main thing is everything Orthodox parishes are the same. These are communities of believers, Orthodox Christians, united around the Sacraments of the Church, around worship, under the leadership of the clergy of a given parish, striving to learn to love God and love each other through church parish life. This is general and most important. We have the same rules of worship. Of course, in some places they shorten it more, in others they shorten it less, they sing differently, they read differently, but fundamentally one Divine Liturgy is served. The sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated in every parish the same way. The One Lord comes to us in His Most Pure Body and Blood.

As for the Wedding with the pronouncing of vows according to the Catholic rite, it seems that this moment in the Western wedding rite does not in any way contradict Orthodoxy. This is not at all the main thing that divides us. Yes, unfortunately, from our rite of the Sacrament of Marriage in its current form, in fact, the very promises of fidelity, love, care, care for each other are excluded, and this question, perhaps, should be proposed to the appropriate Synodal Liturgical Commission in order to supplement honor with these promises.

The main thing to remember when trying to sanctify your union with a wedding is that a wedding can be performed in the correct way only on two people who are believers and churchgoers, who strive to create their family as a small Church, as a cell of a spiritual organism called the Church of Christ. This is a Sacrament that should not be some kind of annex to registration at the registry office: beautiful tradition or a formal ceremony. It should be preceded by a confession, a meeting and a conversation with a priest, who would talk about what the Sacrament of Marriage is, what responsibility people take upon themselves who seek to sanctify their union with a church blessing. After all, the desire for a wedding means that two people, namely two, and not just one, are ready to perceive their family as a small Church and will consciously strive for the center of their family life put God, His truth, the fulfillment of His commandments. Therefore, what should not be done is to encourage an unchurched young man to get married in a church. Even if he is ready to get married on a concession, for your sake, you should not do this. A wedding can only bless a marriage entered into by a family striving to become small Church. Otherwise it will be a profanation of the Sacrament. If people are not ready for churching, then it is better for them not to rush into getting married. After all, we don't call civil marriage, registered in the registry office, fornication. In this case, it would be much more honest before God and conscience to limit ourselves to civil law.