The Roman Catholic Church is currently in the midst of some very serious scandals. Voices from within that communion are calling it a crisis. Voices from outside that communion are also weighing in on what’s going on, but outsiders’ voices should always be more cautious. And we, as Orthodox Christians, are outsiders. The following advice, like many things that “ought to go without saying,” is something that probably needs to be stated clearly, for the record.
The child abuse, cover-ups, and other issues in the Roman Catholic Church which are being forced into the scrutinizing light of day are objectively horrible. The attending emotions that should come with this revelation are sorrow (for the victims and for the perpetrators) and humility (for the realization that we also are full of sin). If, as Orthodox, we entertain any notion of triumphalism or boasting, then a) we aren’t sufficiently sympathetic to the suffering being experienced because of all this, and b) we’re standing with the Pharisee when we ought to be prostrating with the publican, and presuming there’s no log in our own eye as we point out the specks in other eyes. Yes, we have scandals enough of our own.
Also, we Orthodox—especially we Western Riters—ought to reject the temptation to insensitive opportunism that would turn us into sharks swarming at the scent of blood in the water. It’s not wrong to wish for our Roman Catholic (or Anglican or Lutheran, etc.) brothers and sisters to join us in the Orthodox Church. That can be a very pure desire, born of brotherly affection (φιλία). It’s also not wrong to genuinely want to offer them a safe harbor in these admittedly turbulent waters. But broad scale, active proselytizing (especially on the internet) will certainly be poorly received, and will probably be interpreted as boasting and tasteless opportunism, no matter what the motives are.
That’s not to say that the Western Rite shouldn’t be advertised and made more visible. That’s part of the mission of The Orthodox West. But beyond simply putting Western Rite Orthodoxy on people’s radar (and providing more information if asked and gently correcting any misconceptions), being kind, showing solidarity, and otherwise quietly living out a faithful Orthodox life is the way to lay a strong foundation for the reasonableness and attractiveness of the Western Rite.
It’s likely that many of us in the Western Rite have friends or family in the Roman Catholic Church. If any of them, of their own accord, undertakes to explore or embrace the Orthodox Church, we should help them on their journey. If not, then we should help them through simple charity where they are. And we should pray for them regardless.