Some Eastern Orthodox liturgies are valid

Some Eastern Orthodox liturgies are valid
Question from Dan on 4/29/2008:

Madam Arnold,

In a previous answer to a comment made on the validity of fulfilling one's Sunday obligation at an FSSPX chapel if done out of devotion to the Mass of All Time, you told the questioner that it is not permissible to assist at an Eastern Orthodox liturgy to fulfill one's Sunday obligation.

You must remember that there are a number of Eastern Orthodox Catholic churches in union with the Holy See. For instance: Byzantine Catholic, Ukranian Catholic, Melkite, Chaldean Catholic, and others.

Some of them use the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is completely accepted by the Church and is infinitely more efficacious and beautiful than the typical Novus Ordo Mass.

Also the FSSPX are 100% Catholic and I have never assisted at an FSSPX Mass where there have been any liturgical aberrations, this is more than I can say for many Novus Ordo Masses I have assisted at where I have actually heard the priest invalidate the consecration by using invalid form. (The priest said, "For this means my body, this means my blood.") As well as using invalid matter (leavened sweet bread with raisins in it).

I have never seen abominations like this at a valid Eastern Orthodox divine liturgy or a valid FSSPX Mass. God bless you.
Answer by Catholic Answers on 4/29/2008:

Dan--

You are confusing Eastern Catholic churches with Eastern Orthodox churches. The Eastern churches that are in union with the Holy See should not be called Eastern Orthodox, precisely to avoid conflating those churches in union with the Catholic Church with those that are not. A Catholic may indeed attend any Eastern Catholic liturgy and that liturgy will satisfy the Sunday/holy day obligation. An Eastern Orthodox liturgy, though its eucharistic consecration is valid, will not.

I could be mistaken but your use of the term FSSPX makes me wonder if you are also conflating the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). If so, this is also incorrect. The SSPX is the group founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre whose bishops were excommunicated and whose priests are canonically irregular. The FSSP was founded when priests of the SSPX left that group rather than follow bishops who had been excommunicated. They formed the FSSP, which is in good standing with the Church, and the liturgies offered by them valid and licit.

All orthodox Catholics sympathize with the outrage felt about liturgical abuses, especially those abuses that invalidate the eucharistic consecration, but such abuses do not justify rebellion against the Church. In fact, those Catholics who attend SSPX liturgies because they prefer the beauty and solemnity of Masses offered by those priests whose status in the Church is objectively irregular may want to consider that they are just as much accepting the same temptation to put a desire for spectacle over and above obedience to the Church as the progressive liturgists they condemn.

Michelle Arnold
Catholic Answers