A Protestant Tours an Amazing Byzantine Catholic Church

[@andrewhanna2636]

Coptic Orthodox here. Loved to see the urgency and desire for unification in both their hearts. Can’t wait for the day when Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholics reunite again as the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church of God! I loved how he said unity in faith without compromise, but diversity in expression. Continued prayer for the Body of Christ to be unified again.

[@lyterman]

I'm interested, as a Coptic, how do you see that happening? Realistically what would a unified Church look like and how could we realistically get there? (I'm Catholic in case that is important)

[@FlmanVince]

Amen 🙏

[@ryananthony4840]

Amen brothers!

[@sophiaphilos6568]

Amen. Brother.

[@snokehusk223]

There is already One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church and it is a Catholic Church.

[@trixie1216]

I began attending a Byzantine church about 3 years ago and felt more welcomed than any other church I've attended in my life and I am from a protestant background. I have been more moved since attending the Byzantine Liturgy than any other church services

[@allisonsteinke7511]

We are recent converts to Catholicism from Protestantism and I LOVE the Byzantine expression of the faith. Prayers for you.

[@emiliawisniewski3947]

YESSSSSSSS!! I'm not even a Byzantine Catholic, I'm of the Latin Rite but I'm so glad you did a video on one of the smallest rites we have. Most people don't even realise Eastern Catholics exist or confuse them with Eastern Orthodoxy. They are such a gem in our Catholic family and I'm super glad to see them being more widely promoted. Thanks Matt!

[@gloriadei3400]

@HolyHammerOfByzantium That's highly strange: Catholic Priests are permitted to Commune even Eastern *Orthodox*, it's just the Orthodox that prohibit their own from receiving Eucharist from a Catholic Priest. I'd show the Priest that this is so, and find it odd that he doesn't know who he's permitted to allow to the Eucharist.

[@eamonob84]

@HolyHammerOfByzantium I have a lot of trouble believing any Catholic priest would not know about the Eastern Churches, especially the local parishes. If there is a priest who will not give communion to Eastern Catholics, then that would be an instance where the bishop would need to be informed.

[@mr.loidoltloidolt4474]

@GloriaDei, I find it astonishing just how many priests ARE so ignorant, but they are... I've experienced it many times, especially in rural areas.

[@lukasrowlinhelcky5731]

@HolyHammerOfByzantium I love your church - AVE MARIA all power to you from a Catholic Brother

[@bijogeojose7209]

@@gloriadei3400 I believe he was talking about communing baptised Byzantine children in the Roman church. Because in the Eastern Catholic churches, the children are baptised, chrismated and communed together at once, and they fully participate in church communion from that day onwards. But priests of the Roman church who have no idea about this tradition wont commune children of the Eastern rite. And I've also seen a few Roman priests who knows about this tradition, communing children of the Eastern Rite at Roman mass.

[@PNWOlygurl66]

My husband and I came into the Byzantine Catholic Church after being Protestant our entire life. Our present parish priest catechised us and our former priest lead us to Jesus and Mary. ☦️

[@dimitriosvlissides5781]

@@PNWOlygurl66 so you became catholic .....By no means you became orthodox you actually became Papist ..

[@lynettemeaker5202]

"Unity of belief, but diversity of expression" That single phrase sums up everything that I have appreciated so much about this channel!

[@paco1008]

Yes very well said.

[@jaggedplanet]

Except Protestants don’t have unity of belief

[@lynettemeaker5202]

@@jaggedplanet I'm seeing more and more through these types of videos that there is more unity than what we tend to presuppose. It's a learning experience, and no we don't agree on everything; but there is much in common at the foundation. We will find what we look for.

[@PNWOlygurl66]

I agree!

[@bdleo300]

This Unity/Union was mostly forced upon Orthodox Christians by Vatican, sometimes by political blackmail and manipulation, sometimes even by brute force. Even the name itself is sad.... Eastern Romans never called themselves "byzantines", the word itself was invented by one German historian in 16th century and was promoted by Montesquieu and other French liberals from 18th century, but almost always as something negative.

[@Apostolikos.Apologetics]

I am a UGCC (Ukrainian-greek catholic which is another byzantine/eastern catholic rite) and I must say everyone should attend a liturgy once in their life they are amazing.

[@CJ-NYR]

Another great video. As a former Protestant and now Latin rite Catholic, I have to say that an eastern catholic parishes are the most warm and welcoming people of all

[@angytolls6106]

This is so beautiful Matt! I love your approach, I am seeking a connection as you are- I feel this us going somewhere too- I have the same burning for more as I an sure many of our fellow Christians also have… stay purpose driving, and continue to give Him the glory!

[@PavlockProducts]

Every time the holy men of these denominations answer some of the really hard questions, I feel like I learn so much more & come away from the conversation with a greater love and respect for the fellow denominations my religion shares. Thanks for making these videos, being respectful, and getting responses from these holy men in their own words. These videos impact me every time and I love seeing em. Bless

[@xvolumesx5146]

We don’t have denominations likes Protestants do. You’re either Orthodox or Catholic. The rest are not in the church.

[@watcherwlc53]

@@xvolumesx5146 in this video the subdivisions are addressed such as the priest describing there being different Eastern Rites as he says pretty much right off the top, and the OP is simply calling them denominations out of familiarity with the term.

[@jdj2022]

@Salvatore O. just going along your lol one of thinking… what if the one church is the Protestant church? 🤔

[@carsonianthegreat4672]

@@jdj2022 which one? There’s a thousand

[@jdj2022]

@@carsonianthegreat4672 well there are thousands of Catholic Churches. And many have different beliefs there are charismatic Catholic Churches and conservative Catholic Churches. If you go downtown his rabbit hole you will not win. Everyone who follows Jesus is a part of the body of Christ. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you must attend a specific church to have salvation. So unless you are going to support your opinion with scripture then it’s just your unbiblical opinion.

[@DominusTecum316]

Lately I have been attending the Byzantine Catholic Mass to further understand the, Apostolic succession from Christ to the the Catholic Church. I am learning and comparing how the Byzantine Mass, Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), and the Novus Ordo (New Order) are different yet fulfilling to serve and worship God. Next my goal is to attend a Marinite Catholic Church's Mass. I have attended many different types of Protestant Churches for over ten years before returning to the Catholic Church. I am so thankful for my Protestant pastors for reawakening my desire and learning from them to inspire me to return to Jesus. Thank you for sharing this video, brother in Christ. Edit: Proper spelling, "Maronite."

[@pdahdouh]

Its Maronite Catholic Church

[@TMKK-je4fs]

Die byzantinischen ist am nächsten der Anweisungen Jesu an Petrus. Die lateinische Messe ein Kompromiss aller ehm römischen lateinischen Rituale . Besser wäre die Diskussion über lateinisch und Modernismus zu beenden und den Anweisungen Jesu wieder zu folgen !! Siehe Das arme Leben Jesu. Ko Autor C.Brentano.

[@zdogg8]

The Maronite Church, probably because of the long association of Lebanon with France, possibly other reasons as well, has become quite "Latinized" - to the chagrin of many Maronites who don't want to lose their ancient traditions or see them subsumed or supplanted via an accomodation towards and/or coming under the sway of a Roman sensibility.

[@jameskearney4100]

I see everything turning more protestant and saying they aren't.

[@Watermelon-dj8be]

Well then you studied about demonic doctrine and also study revelation 18:4 which talks about the destruction of Vatican City aka mystery Babylon and it’s demonic doctrine and associated faiths

[@veersvos6841]

I am so fascinated by the Catholic Eastern Rites, they often get forgotten/overlooked when we discuss Catholicism.

[@peekaboojujitsoo525]

Do Byzantine/Eastern Catholics retain their Orthodox theological beliefs such as Ancestral Sin as opposed to the Roman Catholic belief of Original Sin? Do Byzantine Catholics believe in The Immaculate Conception like Roman Catholics?

[@karlbenedictperez8655]

@@peekaboojujitsoo525 Things that are dogmatic like the Immaculate Conception are required

[@peekaboojujitsoo525]

@@karlbenedictperez8655 thanks for the reply

[@karlbenedictperez8655]

@@peekaboojujitsoo525 no prob :)

[@alepine1986]

Whether it's 'required' for Eastern Catholics to believe in the Immaculate Conception is actually a matter of contention. At the very least, we cannot call them heretical, but beyond that, it is not black and white.

[@supercoolbrian]

I just have to say I love Matt's church tour/interviews, and its great to finally have us Greek/Byzantine Catholics represented!

[@serenity2228]

Matt, my brother. You're on to something. God bless you for this video and your other work. We need to unite. End of story. It's been done before, it can happen again God willing. Blessings and love from your newest Catholic follower in Germany.

[@patrickturner91]

Roman Catholic here, I LOVE our Eastern Rite brothers and sisters! I especially appreciate how he makes an emphasis to use all of our senses when going to church to experience God. Sight with the icons, taste with the Eucharist, smell with the incense, touch with the Holy Water etc.

[@ChevySpeedAddict]

I am a Byzantine Catholic and this was an amazing thing to see. So happy that we're getting some attention! ☦️

[@mjramirez6008]

a lot I would say...

[@beautyinnature4852]

Love from a Syro Malabar Catholic

[@brendacarabba2752]

Happy to see byzantine rites being shown and explained ❤

[@jimreilly917]

Roman rite here. I have had the good fortune to visit a few Byzantine and Maronite churches. The buildings are magnificent. I love the older RC churches in my archdiocese. But…our architecture since Vatican II has become plain and in my opinion impoverished by lack of traditional artistry. Our Uniate brothers have not lost sight of this aspect of the faith.

[@MrCoachdunham]

I’m Eastern Orthodox and I love watching your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@williamjameslehy1341]

There are a number of terrible "debate" groups on Facebook, where different sorts of Christians say absolutely horrible things about each other. Watching these bits Matt does is a nice palate cleanser after that.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Glad to hear it.

[@xtreme_survival7879]

William James Lehy All these debate group's are doing is spitting in Our Lord's Face. I hope one day the Churches can all reunite, as they did a thousand years ago, GBY

[@aripadreaptatherightwing6028]

The original message of Jesus was this: love, mercy, peace, forgiveness, comunion. The rest it's just a story created by humans not by God.

[@antoinettegross5074]

Yes❤

[@michelleg7]

It's so common how often the roman church is villified by other christian sects and frankly I get tired of it. We don't really sit there and talk bad about other churches that I have ever come across as a Catholic. I was never taught to think badly of other churches regardless.

[@danadams8857]

Southern Baptist convert to Catholicism at age 58 here. That was 4 years ago. I love your energy and learn so much from your videos like this one. You're one of us, brother. Make that official step into the universal church and help us unite. You're almost there! You'll never regret stepping into God's Catholic Church. And, after watching this video, if there were a Byzantine church near me, I'd be going. I love their high churchness and I loved being able to watch your conversation with this priest. SOOOO good. God bless.

[@Villanoaj]

I'm Byzantine Catholic and when I attend Divine Liturgy I do feel I'm standing at the entrance to heaven. Slava Isusu Christu!

[@cactoidjim1477]

Slava vo viki!

[@silvio1894]

Slava Isusu Kristu, Sinu Božjem.

[@gipsybulldog3286]

SLAVA KRISTU ❤

[@007leet]

SLAVA NA VEKY!

[@matheussalim5652]

Slava Isusu brate

[@knightofredemption3116]

I was a protestant for all my life i grew up in Church and I got the invitation to go to a local catholic church. I was rocked man! i met God in such a way I felt like i never ever knew who my God was until I met him at that catholic church. its has been a good 6 years now as a catholic and I can say I never regret it. I love history and those that really made strong contributions in the positive sense to the Church. so I took a few minutes and looked around and learned the stories of the saints. Hey it helped me grow in my walk with God i hope it may help you. maybe it does maybe it doesn't but I know that these men these women were amazing heros that didn't want mention only acknowledgement from God, only cared what He thought. One Guy that is kind of heavy like this guy writings are from the 1300s his name is Thomas Aquinas, The guy is a utter rock star!! like OMG all the basic questions we are asking today was address in his lifetime! and yet we some how forgot it as time has gone on! He is called St. Thomas Aquinas but you gotta love the man the way he talks about God, I think he was given the grace to be able to relate the glory of our Lord the way he answers and addresses many of the hurts like why do bad things happen to good people? what is divine grace? what is faith? who are we in God what is evil got to do with us? and is knowing God evil? i must stay all this was answered in his writings. Hes such a great writer very deep very strong and one that gives answers. Also there was one other his name is G.K. Chesterton he came from Victorian england. PLEASE read him, the way he makes sense of the world around us the way that the atheist and the heretic and the spiritualist just get addressed really make a huge impact. He was a apologist and the guy was just a strong heavy writer he was a journalist who was trying to disprove the catholic Church and wound up being one of the centuries greatest defenders of it! His works on the common man or the book orthodoxy made a huge realization on may folk. these two writers just make a strong case of Christ at work in the chaos of the times they lived in and we face today. surprisingly who knew a man from the dark ages making sense and holding answers for the modern world as well as a victorian journalist who made the case for Christ. truly hope these two writers help you in your walk. get the translated version into modern english dont do like i did and try to understand victorian english or middle english not a easy feat i tell ya. but any way God bless and keep growing in your walk with God. ok God bless .OH OH OH and look up Bishop Fulton Sheen his videos are in youtube He died in the 80s i believe but the guy just makes you think and hear with your heart his preaching's are still hitting souls 50 years after his death. Hope it helps ok God bless sorry the message was soo long.

[@PaulDo22]

What Catholic Church did you attend where you had that experience?

[@allwillberevealed777]

Good. I hope all of Edom return to their mother church of *Rome.*

[@erravi]

Aquinas and Chesterton are my favorites too 🤩

[@foulmercy8095]

I love the passion you have my friend. I pray you are in good times. God bless.

[@blankblank8292]

🤣 You’re like a child discovering cotton candy for the first time and getting all excited over it. Your enthusiasm made me smile. How old are you btw?

[@AnnaThompson-x4h]

i’m an greek orthodox christian and I think one major problem is that nobody ever talks ab the formation of denominations and the history of religion. i feel like there is a lot of history that has not been taught to the modern world and it’s so dangerous bc nobody knows to look back for answers.

[@kmrbsc]

I am a lifelong Roman Catholic. A Christian! I have recently subscribed, seen your last bunch of videos and this one truly fired me up! I love how you seem to concentrate on those things that we all agree about rather than those things that we disagree about! Thanks for this - I cannot wait to see where this takes us!

[@davesmietanski5988]

Yes, we Catholics are Christians. Praise Christ in the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 2,000 years and unchanged in truth.

[@cc3775]

Harlot church of Revelation

[@reverendcoffinsotherson5807]

​@@cc3775 *eye roll*

[@justin36004]

@@cc3775 I see that you are a Unitarian, so that means you reject the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to deny Christ is to deny the basic fundamental of Christianity

[@cc3775]

@@justin36004 might want to prove that with scripture

[@OrthodoxJourney359]

I’m an Eastern Orthodox and I love your thoughts expressed in this video brother! Trinitarian‘s need and must become one and not for ourselves only but for Jesus the Son of the Living God, Lord Have Mercy.

[@xtreme_survival7879]

Amen. ( Your Catholic Brother )

[@isaacmartin2046]

Amen(Anglican)

[@andys3035]

Amen (Greek Orthodox)

[@tom8979]

Amen (another Catholic)

[@HillSummitHomestead]

Amen, One Holy and Apostolic Church. "Tenete Traditiones" is the order that makes us turn to the first centuries and when The Apostles walked this earth. Satan shall NEVER prevail against us. God bless you and thank you for your open expression of faith and unity, every time we double down on The Truth, we twist that heel God uses to crush the serpents head. Blessings and prayers to you and all our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

[@sahmofboys]

You are so thoughtful, kind, and open-minded. This channel is, without a doubt, an amazing unitive force in the world. Thank you, Jesus, for this channel. -A Byzantine Catholic Christian

[@grantlauinger8663]

Fr. Loya does beautiful art work, doesn't he? He may not have mentioned that he painted or what they call in the east "wrote" all those icons and images in that Church. He has been blessed by God with many gifts. He does a lot of public speaking on Theology of the Body and has a radio show called, "Light of the East" for anyone who is interested in hearing more from him. He has also done TV programs for Shalom TV which are searchable. I've been blessed to be at a number of his talks and missions. He is a beautiful man with a beautiful heart for God and others.

[@colinbarnard3921]

He painted all that! I felt that I could just sit in that sanctuary and drink it in.

[@loganpatriquin9443]

REALLY!? That is crazy. A priest having played a pivotal role in the building of a Church is a amazingly commendable thing.

[@DrChaunceyBlevins]

His podcast is really great!

[@cabellero1120]

an incredibly inspirational video. As a Catholic, I've always admired the eastern rite Catholic Churches. So beautiful, so much tradition and rich heritage! It's great that this guy goes to visit many churches and talks with the pastors and clerics about their churches. I enjoy watching his videos. God bless him. There is much we can learn from each other.

[@saraanic9436]

I wish this video was longer! Dear Matt, you have influenced the way I look at church buildings. Just yesterday I visited the St. Anthony of Padua shrine in my hometown for the first time and noticed so many details. When I watch you videos, I'm sometimes suprised with the little things you notice in churches and how you ask about their meaning. But it's good to notice all those details. Everything that brings us closer to God is good. Thank you, Matt, for all your hard work!

[@unam9931]

Hrvatica from italy??😁👏

[@saraanic9436]

@@unam9931 nope, I'm from Croatia.

[@unam9931]

@@saraanic9436 from where exactly?

[@saraanic9436]

@@unam9931 Zagreb ❤ And you, Latin-named person on KZbin?

[@unam9931]

@@saraanic9436 haha bravo dubrava? Long story but switzerland since 2013

[@PyroThunder4979]

You are not the only one sir that wants in! I'm Byzantine Catholic and really appreciate what you are doing and the work you are doing. The more we just sit down and talk to each other and learn from each other the more we can restore the torn nature of the Christan church. It starts with us.

[@rjzah]

Matt, I cannot even begin to tell you how much your time and effort mean to me. You have allowed me to see parts of pieces of my brothers and sisters from all sorts of expressions. This one hit me hard. I hear this in my own denomination, I hear the call for unity, I hear the call for coming together. I'm in! I'm excited! I see God moving!

[@joelchamp9169]

I just reached out and spoke via online back and forth with Fr Loya last night. It was really interesting to see this show up today! Annunciation is only 30min from my house and I reached out to see if I could experience a service at his church. He was very responsive and kind. His response was direct and simple, to experience the Byzantine liturgical life is the best way to start to see how we worship. Thank you for almost breaking the ice for me Matt, I was feeling really intimidated. God bless

[@kc3249]

You won't regret it. It's an experience like nothing else.

[@adamturner8732]

Im 5 miles from this church. Absolutely beautiful place. I will have to go see it.

[@reverendcoffinsotherson5807]

How blessed of you. I am over two hours from this gem of a parish ....

[@frankbilotto]

I'm Greek Orthodox and I love this guy's attitude. No matter how you come to Christ, we're on the same team. One thing I love about what it truly means to be Orthodox is that most of us live in the world and go to church. But our goal should be to live in the church and go into the world.

[@FacingTheGates]

Matt, I’m not gonna lie - I’ve also been thinking about how the Church can be reunified. And I don’t know exactly how that might work in practice, it’s certainly a daunting task. Perhaps you could create an ecumenical podcast or KZbin show with a faithful Catholic and Orthodox who both care about this as much as you do, and perhaps you guys could model how this could work out. Of course, it would be purely hypothetical, but these types of discussions are incredibly important and we need to address what the really separates us so we can work it out. Thanks for your hard work, and keep it up!

[@DarkAngel-cj6sx]

I think it is all politics. I am catholic and was in protestant church for the last 10 years then this pandemic, I did read the fathers church, watched dr Brant Pitre, Steve Ray etc and went back to catholic church. I do think that we are one body of Christ. We don't need to be the same, but definitely tearing each other is a sin. I was watching Christian Prince the other day ( he explains the Koran to Muslims so they can join Christianity)and I was so sad that most of them get confused about which Christian church is right . And Christians calling each other names,

[@MNskins11]

Unfortunately, I have a gut feeling that our reunification will come through persecution and martyrdom. Hope I’m wrong, but we’ve entered into a post Christian world, and the trajectory isn’t pretty. Keep your heads up though. We all know the ending is glorious.

[@joshuas1834]

Check out Dr Gavin ortland on his channel Truth unites. He did a recent video discussing some of the things you mentioned in your comment and he has lots of discussions with Catholic and Orthodox Christians while he himself is a Protestant.

[@ninjason57]

The true church is unified in spirit. There will always be tares with the wheat in the Kingdom of God. God's sovereignty is reliable and He will bring the kingdom to it's final culmination in His time.

[@CertainlyOneDay]

Watch Gideon Lazar and Matt Frad interview. Gideon is a Jewish-Orthodox-Catholic convert and talks about the divisive issues and why he ended up converting to Catholicism.

[@tfane190]

I LOVE THESE VIDEOS!!! Matt I appreciate the respectful treatment and dialog with this patients and spiritual leaders and the virtual tours of the awesome and beautiful churches. I was raised Protestant and became Catholic 12 years ago and have experienced the different expressions within Catholic Christianity having gone to the Novus Ordo English mass, the Traditional Latin Mass, and now as a Byzantine Catholic. I encourage ANYONE to attend a Byzantine Divine Liturgy. It is a beautiful form of expression and prayer and, like Fr. Moya says, very welcoming!

[@richlopez5896]

I go to St. Thomas the apostle Byzantine Catholic Church in Gilbert, AZ. Where do you go?

[@padraicbrown6718]

Hey Matt! I'm excited for you to be on this journey! I've seen a number of your visits to other denominations over the last couple years. I have noticed that you (yourself) seem to be more engaged, more focused with the Catholic churches you've visited. I can remember maybe a few years ago you visited a Latin Rite church and that priest said that the church is like a time machine in the way the architecture and liturgy combine to transport us to where the divine and the human converge. And this Byzantine priest said almost the same exact thing (I was really 100% certain he would actually say the words "time machine") where we are taken up to the upper room and to Calvary during the liturgy. I don't know, man. Whether you become a Catholic or not, you're definitely on the road! All I can say is, take that priest up on the invitation to attend the liturgy! Just open your mind and your heart and let God do the hard work! Take a couple Sundays, maybe and sit in the back of three or four different parishes and just absorb! And since you are a Protestant, one Catholic group you might want to find is a parish within the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter. This was created relatively recently (by Pope Benedict xvi) to allow Anglicans to rejoin the Church while retaining their English / Anglican patrimony. You might gain an interesting perspective from the priest there as he and most of his parish would very likely have converted within the last decade or so. As for unity, yeah, we sorely need it! The Orthodox and the Catholics, man, we're like twin brothers sitting on the same couch, watching the same football game (rooting for different teams), eating the same brand of nachos (hint of lime vs Old Bay!), drinking the same company's soda (Schwepps vs Sprite) and we haven't really talked to each other in 40 years. Why can't "they" (popes and patriarchs and bishops) just up and admit that they've all had enough of this division nonsense! There are, I believe, a lot of Protestants who are very close to the Church, too. Jesus wanted us to be united; St. Paul described what Christian unity actually looks like within the church that Jesus founded, and it's as this priest said: it's one faith, one belief, one church, one Lord, but numerous ways to express the underlying unity.

[@PaulDo22]

Yes, great idea for Matt to find the Anglican Ordinariate!

[@erravi]

Yesss, I love the Ordinariate!!!

[@lizledbitter6711]

I have learned so much about my faith as a "cradle catholic" from you as well as Gospel Simplicity.

[@sethhorton49]

I love Father Thomas Loya!! Great interview and God bless you for going to visit such a beautiful part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church!

[@andys3035]

I'm Eastern Orthodox and this feels very familiar and close to home. Beautiful church. God bless.

[@adamturner8732]

Yes everything about this screams eastern orthodox but of course it's bezeyntine

[@OrthodoxChristianBeliever]

the only big problem is there's a man at the top of the food chain in the Catholic Church who thinks he's infallible.

[@Laura-ef3mm]

​@@OrthodoxChristianBeliever you need to do some research about that. It doesn't mean that the pope is correct about everything that he says, but in particular cases when he talks about matters of the faith. In fact, there were only two occasions in history that the pope have talked like that, "ex cathedra".

[@OrthodoxChristianBeliever]

@@Laura-ef3mm , really, so why was Paul De Ballister killed for exposing papal infallibility?

[@OrthodoxChristianBeliever]

@@Laura-ef3mm , really, so why do you believe in papal infallibility? How about when Pope Francis bowed to Mecca? Saint John Of Damascus was alive when he saw what Mohamed did. Pope Francis validating a rather, violent, false religion, doesn';t sound infallible to me. Your pope worships a false god who's a monster!!

[@axelrodriguez5425]

Hey Matt. You’re doing a great job of showing others the diversity of Christianity and especially apostolic Christianity. I do wanna note, as a Byzantine Catholic, it isn’t accurate to call us a hybrid. At our heart, we are Orthodox in communion with the Catholic Church. We aren’t a mix of East and West, but we are a part of the East United with the west. In Catholicism we are authentically our traditional selves while communing with those different from us.

[@hectarea1226]

The church that needs to breathe with both its eastern and western lung

[@rosedcosta5745]

@@hectarea1226 thank you for quoting Pope John Paul II

[@christopherpape4823]

As a Catholic who's trying to understand how the Byzantine Church fits into the whole east/west schism thing,... thank you. So you're basically one of the Orthodox Churches, who has managed to reunite with the Catholic Church, while still keeping your own heritage and traditions?

[@F2222m]

@@christopherpape4823 yup exactly we discuss Byzantine Catholicism at length in Reason &Theology if you want to check out that YT channel.

[@christopherpape4823]

@@F2222m will do thanks for the recommendation!

[@user-vj9qz3br6l]

There a only a handful of Byzantine Catholic Churches in the USA. So glad you were able to experience such a unique place. I’ve attended a Byzantine Church a few times and your experience is so reminiscent of my experience. It felt like a window into the heavens with all the art not to mention the worship.

[@RevJacobDavis]

This conversation was one of the most beautiful meditations on and expressions of Christian unity that I've witnessed. It awakens the hope within me. - an Anglican transitional deacon and former Baptist

[@everstormseve]

This is beautiful. I am so impressed with your openness and your desire for unity in Christendom.

[@KJBITSME]

So Beautiful Sir! You’re right on point. As a Latin Rite Catholic I often think of how we are not “whole” as a Church. You’ve done a beautiful job with an open heart. Indeed, put on the full armor of God.

[@goliteyourworld6]

This video ended up being so much more than I was expecting when I decided to watch it this morning. And that’s a good thing. I was challenged and it has gotten me thinking.

[@charleslewis9038]

Thank you Matt. I am a devout Roman Catholic. Been watching you for some time. This was awesome.

[@shannonmaria22]

Lovely church and priest! 🙏 I think it's so beautiful that the Catholic church has different rites. It allows people to maintain their culture while still being a part of "one church." ❤

[@MWroses]

I'm so happy for you. It's awesome to be a witness to the Holy Spirit moving you. I do think the answer to our Catholic and Orthodox split could lie in the Byzantine Catholic Church. I think tribulation will unite us.

[@snehajoem9339]

A beautiful video . I am also an eastern catholic and I belong to the Syro Malabar rite based in Kerala,India 🇮🇳✝️

[@VictorOrlandoNieto]

Thanks Matt for this and other tour videos. You are helping us be more united.Also, I didn't know much about Eastern Catholics; so cool to learn something new.

[@NDeGeorge1]

Matt, beautiful video as always. I had this same exact conversation with my Catholic neighbor when she saw me come home from liturgy today. She asked about Orthodoxy and after we got to talking we both were openly lamenting about the schism and how much of a joy reunification of the body of Christ would be. I feel this comin up a lot when I talk to Christians of other denominations recently and it’s made me so encouraged. I really appreciate your channel and I agree it’s time for all of us to work towards this. It should be one of the most important things in all of our lives. God bless you and your work

[@CherubimCreations]

Thank you for doing this video - great decision! Most Catholics do not even know about the Eastern Catholic Churches (23 of them!), but thanks to this video, the truth will spread. Catholic means universal!

[@3ggshe11s]

For most of my adult life, I've been in and out of the Catholic church I was born into. When I discovered Eastern Catholicism about five or six years ago, I found what I'd always been looking for. Eastern Catholics like to call themselves "Orthodox in communion with Rome," and that pretty well sums it up. The Eastern/Orthodox mindset is very different from how the church evolved in the West, and that has made all the difference for me. Eastern Catholics are a glimpse of what the church could look like if the Catholic and Orthodox churches ever reunited. Related to that, Matt: You desire greater Christian unity, and that's commendable. That was one of the goals of Vatican II, as Fr. Loya alluded to. The way things are going in this world, I think it's imperative for all of us to lift up the things that unite us rather than bicker over doctrinal differences.

[@DominusTecum316]

I have recently been attending the Byzantine Catholic Mass and it feels so Orthodox yet Catholic and I love it also.

[@3ggshe11s]

It's a beautiful meeting place of two ancient traditions! I very nearly left for Orthodoxy, for a number of reasons, but Catholicism is part of who I am. For me, the Eastern Catholic church is like having the best of both worlds.

[@ByzAsian45]

More likely "eastern churches in communion with rome" actually. Orthodox will never put filioque on their creed, but eastern catholic fully accept catholic rome's doctrine

[@3ggshe11s]

Most EC churches were historically once Orthodox churches. Accordingly, while they're required to accept Roman doctrine, they actually don't have to say the filioque. Most don't, mine included.

[@Bellg]

You mean a glimpse of what it would look like if the orthodox sacrificed their beliefs on the altar of papal supremacy whilst the catholics pretend that the remaining important differences aren't still there regardless...

[@matthewvanmatre5137]

Thank you for this episode; your fervor and response, it reminds me of my own experience. The ongoing aha moments in rapid fire. I grew up and have been evangelical for 40 years. Delved deep into Greek Orthodox for a decade. Yet, I recently worked with a Byzantine Catholic professor / author this past year. Through our conversations, l began attending an Eastern Catholic church this past year. I have never felt so at home in my faith. Currently, I’m a catechumen with the Byzantine Catholic Church. I’m reading “Christ, Our Pascha”. Christ calls us to unity, not uniformity, one faith but expressed differently. Who knew the Catholic Church was a union of 24 churches? I see Eastern Catholics as the template for ecumenism. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

[@gregcallas3995]

I'm Greek Orthodox. This church is one of the most amazing churches I've seen. The Priest was very gracious to you and welcoming. I watched the whole video, and It seemed like a flash or only a second went by and I didn't want the video to end. I'd love for you to go back there and record a service with this priest and this church on a Sunday. I bet it's amazing. We have a choir in a church that does Liturgy, but there are chanters that sing the matins service before the liturgy. I wonder if they have the same kind of traditions in this church.

[@steliosalekopoulos9448]

Pope needs to repent and to turn to Orthodoxy. That's the only way.

[@lionheart5078]

yes they definitely have the same traditions. As a greek Orthodox you understand the Byzantine Catholic traditions better than any Latin rite Catholic would whos never been part of a Byzantine church.

[@ggarza]

Fantastic conversation with Fr. Thomas! So amazing! Many people don’t realize that the Catholic Church is a communion of 24 Churches under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome, who is also the head of the Roman Church with the Roman Rite. There are 23 Eastern Churches each with their own leadership (that includes Patriarchs and Major Archbishops), worship (6 Ritual Families called Rites including Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean & Byzantine) and spiritual traditions. The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches have their own Canon Law, Rites and structures unique from the Roman Church. Fr. Thomas’s parish is a beautiful example of the Byzantine Catholic Church in the Eastern European (Ruthenian) tradition! Fantastic witness!

[@TyroneBeiron]

And actually, more recently of course, the Anglican Ordinariate, which preserves and also enlarged the charism and heritage of the Rite in English. 🍻

[@daveunbelievable6313]

@@TyroneBeiron they are roman rite too

[@voievod9260]

The Pope is not the head of the church, Jesus is. The Pope is not in any way superior to other patriarchs or bishops.

[@bhekithembakhumalo7253]

Maybe you dnt understand English.@@voievod9260

[@ohmightywez]

Thank you so much, Matt. Many years ago in high school, we had a deacon, Doug Lorig, who was an episcopal convert with a wife and 5 children. Pipe John Paul II opened a path for him and for many converts like him. By my junior year of high school he was ordained Fr. Doug Lorig in the Byzantine rite. I was very privileged to experience the beautiful Mass in Old Slavonic and to be surrounded by beautiful icon images. Years later I went to the mass of the first Sunday of advent at Westminster Cathedral which is completely made in the glorious eastern tradition, and the young man behind the register in the gift store recognized me. He was Fr. Doug Lorig’s older son. He knew me right away. It was the best of everything: me, a Novus Ordo Catholic attending a Tridentine Mass in an Orthodox themed cathedral and meeting the son of a Byzantine Rite priest again. It was amazing.

[@eatingchaos]

As an Ordinariate (Anglican Use) Roman Catholic, I love the language used here: this is the way forward toward unity. Ut unum sint.

[@King-uj1lh]

Based ordinariate Catholic check

[@imahick5723]

Very impressive tour and knowledgeable priest. Father Loya s father carved the iconostas for St Ann Byzantine Church in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. His dad constructed the whole thing over 3 years in his basement! Father occasionally stops by to visit his" Dad"!

[@wetken]

I love that you are online to educate, not to debate. Thank you! ❤️

[@nyakanyasko]

Father Loya articulated so well the scandal of the division of the Body of Christ. I was also inspired by his idea that our divisions could fall like a house of cards, and his reference to how quickly the iron curtain fell. I'm excited by your excitement Matt! I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. It's a noble mission and you are in my prayers!

[@jeanlanz2344]

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9 , RSVCE). Thank you, Matt, for being a peacemaker. God is blessing and guiding you on your journey, and thru your work, he is blessing and guiding others.

[@cabellero1120]

Wonderful! what unites us is greater than what divides us! The Church is absolutely beautiful! As a Catholic, I appreciate this A preview of the heavenly kingdom on earth! God bless ✝️☦️❤️

[@nicoleyoshihara4011]

I'm Catholic and so happy to see Catholicism being represented 💯❤💕 I started attending Traditional Latin mass and it is truly beautiful ❤ God Bless!^_^❤💕

[@stacywhaley2263]

I absolutely love and appreciate this. I took notes... I'm so here. I want to DO something. I was telling my husband this last weekend...I need to do something

[@addtothebeauty]

Fr. Loya is a great priest. He has been incredibly gracious and inclusive to the many Roman Catholics who have come to him for spiritual help. If I could pick one priest I wanted near me in the apocalypse, I would choose him. I’m so glad you could visit Annunciation and I hope you come back. And what great timing for you to release this video, as the Catholic Church observes our annual week of prayer for Christian unity coinciding with the feast of the conversion of St. Paul (January 25)! Come, Holy Spirit! ✝️🤍☦️

[@HopeOrDoom]

Wow, this series has been such a blessing to me. As a lifelong Christian who is not doubting his faith, but doubting the interpretation of said faith, this series has been super uplifting. Yes, especially these latest videos have help me think through certain ideas that I have been wrestling with for a long time. Thank you so much for making these videos, and know that people are being blessed by them!

[@velezrodzt]

This is probably my favorite out of all the videos about the different churches you have made so far. The unity of the Church is a cause very dear to my heart and I love how you were able to talk about it without trying to deny the difficulties it brings, but also keeping in view that Christ is bigger than all our differences, and that He is the answer to true unity. Also, that church is incredibly beautiful :o

[@edkaminski4115]

I love your church visits, Matt, and the openness, honesty and respect you bring to each encounter. It is born of your hunger to learn and understand which benefits all of us. This was one of your finest hours, both with the interior and exterior visit to this church. It was beautiful, powerful and transformative. It changed you, Matt, and through your social media ministry that can only benefit the unity of the diverse Christian community. May God who has begun this work bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus! That day is today!

[@donmigueldecuenca]

Great video! You are this Catholic's favorite Protestant.

[@guygibson4]

Perhaps one of the BEST endings of your videos ever. The last question is often asked in your videos: someone wants to become a Christian, what’s the elevator pitch answer? Fr. Loya’s answer, followed by your impassioned epilogue was absolutely amazing and soul piercing for me. Thank you.

[@noelpeterson8766]

It was funny to me that I found this video now because I learned a few weeks ago that one of my friends from high school recently converted to Byzantine Catholicism and started attending this very church! Hopefully I can visit sometime this summer.

[@mjramirez6008]

Great sense of humour this father 😃. God bless him and you Matt. Thank you.

[@margarettoth9271]

IM proud to be an eastern Catholic, I grew up in Europe and missing to go to Sunday mass. Thank God to the Internet , and I could watch a mess every Sunday, that I am so happy.🙏❤️🙏

[@summaveritate5446]

I can't believe I watched this video to the last second! I enjoyed watching a protestant learn about catholicism in a new perspective. I'm a catholic of the roman rite and learned how a protestant would react in such a scenario. It's funny to think (no offense) a protestant now has become more knowledgeable about Byzantine Catholicism than I am. Greetings from Philippines!

[@rosepurdy6301]

Yes! I have searched for a denomination and a church 5 years since coming to christ. It would be wonderful to find a church- in all of the churches! Also love you lack of judgment (which although supposedly inherent to our faith, doesn't present itself often.) I am onboard with you (especially the last part) ps have you heard of pastor Jeff @ hello saints? He mostly focus on lds church. You all should collaborate on an episode! He is also trying to teach love and understanding (even and especially when there is disagreement).

[@chakra4735]

Matt, If you could go back to some of the first different churches you visited, what new questions would you ask based on what you have learned since then?

[@mntr_carlos]

We need this.

[@sf8681]

Wow! I've watched a number of your visits to churches outside your comfort zone and faith tradition. I appreciate the effort to find ecumenical unity and understanding. I too have been deeply moved by the Father's words and understanding. Humans are, in my opinion, prone to seeking differences among themselves for competitive reasons, for the need to be right, power, control, etc. And I believe we fall into that with nothing but harm and destruction. We have got to relearn how to speak and listen to each other, find our human compassion for our fellow humans, and seek God.

[@DavidMacauley]

Matt - I've watched this entire series of visits and conversation, and I've loved every minute of it. It has felt from the beginning that it is building toward something - and this feels like the tipping point toward something incredible. God bless you, God bless your loving heart, and God bless the mending of this torn Body of Christ.

[@t2bzofree4798]

I want in! They aren’t really saying something different, they are just saying it in a different way, a different expression. Beautifully said!

[@kyleahoff]

Thanks as always, for presenting these videos. I love getting a sense of how much bigger Christianity is than my own tiny tribe. And learning how much we actually all have in common with what we believe about Christ.

[@nahidbethehonoredone]

I'm a Traditional Roman Catholic who attends the Tridentine Rite/Latin Mass in the SSPX and I wish to attend an Eastern Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Catholic Church someday.

[@Snejtag]

Great series. I hope you're right about now being the time to start looking at unity, imperfect that it has to be, but still worth striving for. I do my best to reach out and find commonalities with people I disagree with, and the potential as well. It warms my heart to see you so excited about the possibilities.

[@dustinpaulson1123]

That artwork is so vibrant! Love it!

[@mcvalko]

I am a Ukrainian Greek Catholic and I have truly enjoyed this video! What a truly engaging and informative conversation! The Church is beautiful! And the incense is heavenly .

[@ttaibe]

Idk what to say. I am not even halfway the video. There is so much to think about. I believe that this world is way to divided. We are all humans. The Christians are all Christians. Children of God. I'm grateful for these videos. I wish I knew if church near me that had the same message. Ty!

[@duals-growthofculture2085]

This father is so on point! Thank you for this beautiful discussion. God bless you both brothers

[@nicksterwixter]

As a Roman Catholic this is like a whole different world to me, but there's so, so much that is familiar at the same time! It just goes to show how central the liturgy was for the first 1,000 years that even when we split for the next 1,000 years so much still remains familiar between the two traditions! I definitely need to attend a Byzantine liturgy one of these days.

[@richlopez5896]

I've been attending Byzantine Divine Liturgy for 18 years now.ALL Catholics are free and welcome to participate

[@becfranc708]

Thank you for that Matt! Raised Protestant Baptist and attending a Byzantine Catholic Church this weekend so I wanted to get an idea of it beforehand. This was very special and I loved your closing statements. I’m in, too! God bless you, mate, from this Aussie Christian.

[@joejackson6205]

Wow, another fantastic TMBH video. You are blessed Matt. In the vein of this video, and your style and grace is why I wish you would to a video on Eucharistic Miracles. There is a web site created by a young man who is being Cannonized for his efforts to start at. A great place to go after your video.

[@carolinekelly3415]

Fabulous bridges over troubled waters. Gorgeous gorgeous church! Like a palace. Happy to observe the unity between you too. Thank you for the history lesson.

[@JonathanAllen0379]

What an excellent priest; I love this guy! 🙏🏼❤️

[@enjoyingthecrisis5931]

I can understand feeling intimidated walking into that church the first time. My first Orthodox Liturgy was me awkwardly sitting with my Catholic wife in the very back. We followed to coffee hour, the priest noticed we were new and ran to us to welcome us to his parish. God greets us with open arms as we enter or return to his family, and always will. I have gone faithfully (2-3 times a week) thanks to the openness of my priest.

[@heatherjohnson5869]

You are longing for what I have longed for for many many years. Asking God to show me what way is right and true and what will bring the fullness of our faith to my life and others lives. That’s when he lead my husband and all 3 of our children to the Catholic Church out of Protestantism. We are all being confirmed this coming Easter. ❤️ God bless you Matt and keep asking those hard questions with an open heart and yearn for unity and fullness. He will never lead you astray but instead bring you home!

[@17ThomasMakhlouf]

I am loving your content and passion. I am from the east myself and personally interacted with peoppe from almost all the denominations you have explored in your videos and even attended services at these churches, yet to have it all presented in the way you do has taught me so much.

[@bouseuxlatache4140]

I was looking forward for the second episode. Thanks Matt

[@jessicabrooks6746]

I love this, Matt. I do pray for the unity of the Church too. Whatever you find in this regard, please continue to share! It’s great to know that others are thinking and praying for this as well.

[@JoshJimenez_]

Shout Out to all the Byzantine Catholics out there!

[@AthanGreen337495]

Really enjoyed this video; and as an Orthodox, I have Byzantine Rite Catholic friends I love dearly. But there were plenty of legitimate rebutles throughout Fr. Loya's answers that were not present... but I love this line of Jounalistic Theological inquiry is wonderful and tons of fun to watch. Keep up the good work

[@AthanGreen337495]

i.e. the Byzantine Catholics were given the right to pretty much be Eastern Orthodox in Theology and practice as long as they acknowledge they have put themselves under the authority of Pope in Rome.... nice... good start.... but how can one operate that way when the Leader of your church in Rome teaches as dogmas that are not Orthodox such as Pergatory, Imaculate conception, etc. In my view, yes they are under the Pope, but are still two very different churches with different beliefs. It's a bandaid and an inauthentic unity

[@PaulDo22]

@@AthanGreen337495 No they acknowledge all doctrine comes from Christ and through the Holy Spirit Who leads through the Vicar. No band aid, just the Truth.

[@SevenStarsandSevenStones]

Looking forward to the Whitman 2023 conference where church leaders from around the world hash out what it's going to take to reunite! In seriousness, your enthusiasm for this is contagious, Matt. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us.