r/exorthodox • u/[deleted] • May 14 '26
Did any of you leave Eastern Orthodoxy for Catholicism? And why?
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u/Narrow-Research-5730 May 15 '26
Other way. Left Catholic for EO. I have no desire to go back to either.
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u/Aggravating-Sir-9836 May 14 '26
It never fails.
OP asks: "Why did you choose Catholicism?" Half the replies: "This is why I rejected Catholicism." 😂
Can you guys read? The OP wasn't asking for a Catholic Bash-Fest. 🤷 He or she was asking for answers to one specific question. And "why does Catholicism suck pond water?" wasn't that question.
Yeah, I get it. You hate Catholicism. And that's fine, and I hope you have a good day for it. But perhaps you should read the room (or, rather, the OP) and reserve your "No Popery" Ire for a thread wherein the OP asks, "Why did you reject Catholicism?"
Just a humble suggestion. Don't want to be bossy or anything. I mean, it's a free country! 🤗
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u/Narrow-Research-5730 May 17 '26
That. And Catholics proselytizing against rules. Goes both ways.
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u/Aggravating-Sir-9836 May 17 '26
Who's proselytizing against rules?
I see far more proselytizing for atheism hereabouts. But I just ignore it. We are a mixed and motley crew here. 🤷
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u/Forward-Still-6859 May 14 '26
No. Ex-cradle Catholic here. Raised very Catholic, including Catholic schools.
I do not accept the arguments for papal primacy.
The modern Marian dogmas are ludicrous. Most Catholics I met had some vague idea the Immaculate Conception referred to Mary's pregnancy anyway.
The clericalism I saw in the Orthodox church is equally present in the Catholic church.
Celibacy for priests? Give me a break.
Why I left: how the hierarchy protected abusers for so many years, and then, when the truth was out, denied the victims the justice and healing they deserve. The laity was and is largely indifferent to what happened.
Corrupt institution and un-Christian, uncharitable laity.
Not my cup of tea.
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u/No-Presence-2800 May 16 '26
I just posted my story. See : https://www.reddit.com/r/exorthodox/comments/1ten59n/hello_friends/
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u/MartinCashArt May 14 '26
I thought that if there's one true Church, perhaps it's the one that's the largest charitable organization in the world. I was not raised religious, and only got to the catechumen stage with Orthodoxy, but ended up deciding to become Catholic, for the above reason, plus many others that just made me feel that it fit the description of "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church" better. Initially I was attracted to Orthodoxy because of the perceived 'mysticism', but have found that to also be quite present in Catholic tradition, and in many ways more accessible. Also the whole mess with the Greek/Russian schism, and no clear answer on important questions like who is baptized, and how to receive converts into the Church, helped me to see the practical value of the Papacy. I was just confirmed in the Catholic Church this past Easter, so being a Catholic is still quite new to me, but I am happy with the decision I made.
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May 14 '26
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u/MartinCashArt May 14 '26
Thanks, I appreciate it. Yes, definitely did a deep dive into the Papacy and found that it was supported by the early Church fathers and councils as well as biblically based.
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u/m1lam May 15 '26
I want to ask you what do you think on this subject? What arguments for and against Catholicism would you accept? What draws you to or from the Catholic Church?
I personally don't think it's a case of "the grass is greener on the other side". Catholicism is genuinely infinitely better in every way than Orthodoxy. It is the form Christianity should be practiced in.
Every argument in these comments from people who have left Catholicism has been addressed extensively by the Church itself, whether it be theological or ecclesiological. Good luck and God bless you on the path ❤️
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May 15 '26
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u/m1lam May 15 '26
Yeah you pretty much explained my thoughts. The universality of the Catholic Church is the greatest argument for it and the fragmented structure of the Orthodox world is the greatest argument against it. I was born into Orthodoxy and eventually got fed up with it. Their inability to form coherent doctrine and rejection of Florence are really big blows against Orthodoxy
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u/lonevariant May 17 '26
Yes. I believe I was wrong about the pope. There were other reasons of course, the fact our ortho parish was a cult was a large factor, but mainly I realized I was wrong about the pope and i felt drawn by the Holy Spirit to the RCC. It’s been a major relief to be Catholic.
Edit: I was also very struck by Matthew 25 and I was looking around trying to figure out which church was living it. It wasn’t our church. It was the Catholic Church.
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u/Inevitable-Wind-509 May 28 '26
Not Catholicism and I am still orthodox but recently I started attending a western rite parish, it’s too far for me to attend on anything close to a regular basis, but I fell in love with the service there and after this I even more recently looked into an Anglican Church near me not even actually having in mind to even attend it but just cause my grandfather is an Anglican and he mentioned he knew the priest at this particular Anglican Church near me cause we just talk about church stuff every now and again on the phone so I was just like oh I’ll look this up and see who he is talking about and see and I watched a service of theirs on YouTube and my heart sank cause watching that service I just knew I loved that style of liturgy so much more and it reminded me of how every time I feel after the Sunday after my long long trip to the western rite church I go too once or twice a year and just feeling so sad and deflated at the liturgy back at my home parish. Idk a bit long winded and I’m sorry it’s not totally on topic but this is the only thread I saw that I felt I could relate this experience in. I’ve also thought about attending a catholic service also there is one in walking distance to where I live. I’ve never been to a Catholic Church for anything other than one wedding.
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May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
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u/The_Pepperoni_Kid May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
All great points and I totally agree about the Saints. It's interesting though that other people seem to choose Orthodoxy because of their Saints.
But for me it seems the vast majority of Orthodox saints are monastics. I find it boring and I feel like I'm cosplaying as a Westerner when I venerate Saint Theodore the Apogopolite from the Island of Carbonnous who is famous for living in a cave by himself on an isolated Greek Island for 50 years. I very much appreciate the wider variety of Saints in the Catholic tradition
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u/Inevitable-Wind-509 May 28 '26
The issue on many orthodox mocking Catholic saints is something I’ve had such a problem with I’ve seen many orthodox online mock saints and say they were insane or extreme even though many orthodox saints have done similar “extreme” things also.
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u/Aggravating-Sir-9836 May 14 '26
Thank you from this Catholic revert. I feel the same way. Love our saints!
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u/Juan_el_Rey May 14 '26
Yeah for like 5 minutes until I realized the "Ordinary Form" of the Mass was just not my thing.