/lit/ - Literature

>>20246252

I'll address one of his point here, since it will be sufficient.

>At the Council of Florence (1438–39), for instance, both sides spoke of the division between East and West as a wall of separation erected within the one Catholic Church.

His example is completely and utterly refuted by the canonization and testimony of St. Mark of Ephesus, commemorated yearly on the Liturgical Calendar. Canonized in 1734.

The Orthodox Church and Catholic Church were not in communion at the time of his attending the Council of Ferrara-Florence of 1438-1439. Part of the rhetoric used by the pro-union parties were the same as when two people break up, and try to get back together by saying "We never really broke up.". The purpose of this council was to talk about a formal, outward union. St Mark of Ephesus attended this, hoping that this union would

However, during the council, it was made abundantly clear that the union would not be made on the premise of the Roman Catholics repenting of their errors, and accepting Orthodox dogma, but of the Orthodox accepting Roman Catholic dogma, including purgatory and the papacy. This was an attempt at unity for the sake of unity, not for the sake of truth.

St Mark of Ephesus was canonized precisely confessing the truth of Orthodoxy in defiance of his heretical patriarch, rejecting Papism, and union with Papists. Here is an excerpt from a letter he wrote prior to his death:

"I hereby state and testify before the many worthy men here present that I do not desire, in any manner and absolutely, and do not accept communion with him or with those who are with him, not in this life nor after my death, just as (I accept) neither the Union nor Latin dogmas, which he and his adherents have accepted, and for the enforcement of which he has occupies this presiding place, with the aim of overturning the true dogmas of the Church. ! I am absolutely convinced that the farther I stand from him and those like him, the nearer I am to God and all the saints; and to the degree that I separate myself from them am I in union with the Truth and with the Holy Fathers, the Theologians of the Church; and I am likewise convinced that those who count themselves with them stand far away from the Truth and from the blessed Teachers of the Church."

Full letter here: https://www.stjohnthebaptist.org.au/en/articles/mark.html

Uniates and Byzantine Catholics use the Orthodox liturgical calendar, and every year they commemorate St Mark of Ephesus, who is venerated for rejecting the Papist Church that they are part of - and countless other Saints who are venerated precisely for rejecting union with Papism, and converting others from Papism to Orthodoxy. That's patently absurd, and the clearest demonstration that these Jesuit don't care about the truth - they only care about you bending knee to the Pope.

Attached is an icon of St Mark of Ephesus, traditionally depicted with the defeated Pope at his feet.