THE FILIOQUE
(Friday) While the Anglicans seem to be stealing the lime light with all of their homosexual bishop shenanigans, the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches in the US have been diligently discussing what to do with the "filioque" clause in the Nicene Creed. The filioque is the phrase that was added in the Western churches starting in the 8th century. It says the "Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son" as well as the Father. This kind of innovation was unacceptable to the Eastern churches and was one of many factors in the 1054 schism.

The consultation of Eastern and Latin theologians is recommending, among others things, that "the Catholic Church, as a consequence of the normative and irrevocable dogmatic value of the Creed of 381, use the original Greek text alone in making translations of that Creed for catechetical and liturgical use." (That is, that they remove the filioque clause).

This is a radical step on the part of the Roman Catholics involved. Read the press release, which has a fine summary of the controversy. Two priests, one Roman Catholic and the other Eastern Orthodox, have a brief discussion about the breakthrough on the Mere Comments blog.