Touche, my friend, touche!
"Which makes me again wonder why certain Orthodox view the eastern Catholics with disdain (current company clearly excepted)."
I suspect it has "pluriform" origins. In part some Orthodox view Eastern Rite Christians in communion with Rome as some species of apostate. From an Orthodox view point, the Papacy has a, shall we say, unhappy history, both theologically and ecclesiologically and Eastern Rite Catholics have bound themselves to that Papacy in derogation of what Orthodoxy views as proper theology and eccelsiology, while retaining the outward forms of Orthodoxy. In some other instances, that communion with Rome has meant an almost complete abandonment of their ancient Faith and liturgical forms and the utter destruction of their phronema, even to the point of accepting the destruction of their books of Holy Tradition and devotions and the imposition of Western forms and the Latin language. Orthodoxy is horrified by this.
Some Orthodox view some Eastern Rite Catholics as a sort of Fifth Column of the Papacy and certainly in some areas, in pursuit of, or at least in conjunction with, the temporal political ends of monarchs and the Eastern Church, that's exactly what they, or at least their hierarchs, were.
Let me add, on a personal note, that while I share the foregoing sentiments at least to a point, I must say that the recent opportunity presented here on FR to read the comments of the Eastern Rite bishops at the Synod in Rome, has been a real eye opener for me. Some might argue that the comments are designed to lull Orthodoxy into a false sense of security about Eastern Rite Catholicism, indeed that comment has been made elsewhere, but in all honesty I think that's complete egomania, what we sometimes call in Greek "Egwhtron". Those comments clearly are not about us, and just as clearly, and loudly and forcefully about exactly what we Orthodox often see as deficiencies in Latin ecclesiology and praxis. What is quite clear, at least to me, is that it is not only the Orthodox Church which rejects Uniatism as a model for a reunion of the Churches, but also the Eastern Rite Catholics themselves!
Now let me make a little "prediction". Unless the Latin Church hears, understands, accepts and institutes what the Eastern Rite hierarchs are saying, there will be a reunion alright, the Eastern Rite Catholics with Orthodoxy.
Outstanding commentary and I thank you.
"In some other instances, that communion with Rome has meant an almost complete abandonment of their ancient Faith and liturgical forms and the utter destruction of their phronema, even to the point of accepting the destruction of their books of Holy Tradition and devotions and the imposition of Western forms and the Latin language. Orthodoxy is horrified by this."
As are eastern Catholics. The turnaround started with Vatican II, and has had some success. But that's only a generation ago and change happens slowly and depends on the church. My own parish is headed by a very conservative priest and the latinizations are pretty much excluded. But it's a constant battle. Conservative Roman Catholics tend to migrate to the eastern churches in reaction to the heterodoxy seen in so many RCC parishes, but then those same people have a tendency to want to convert the eastern parishes into traditional RCC parishes.
The tragedies experienced by the Maronites are well known and have been discussed on FR repeatedly.
"Some Orthodox view some Eastern Rite Catholics as a sort of Fifth Column of the Papacy..."
I saw your revised comment. I've seen this belief expressed before. To me, it's laughable. If the eastern Catholics are a fifth column, then we've proven to be an inept one. Simply take a look at the history of the Byzantine Catholic church in the U.S. as an example. A schism in the early part of the 20th century provided the OCA with many of it's priests and parishes.
This is part of the reason why I find some of the more disdainful comments so puzzling. The Orthodox seem to view the eastern Catholics as "siphoning off" Orthodox into the Catholic church. I think that the opposite is probably more true in reality.
"Those comments clearly are not about us, and just as clearly, and loudly and forcefully about exactly what we Orthodox often see as deficiencies in Latin ecclesiology and praxis. What is quite clear, at least to me, is that it is not only the Orthodox Church which rejects Uniatism as a model for a reunion of the Churches, but also the Eastern Rite Catholics themselves!"
Yup. I think that most of the eastern Catholics have made it clear that were there Catholic communion with the Orthodox churches, the eastern Catholics would join the Orthodox.
Eastern Catholics are quite disturbed at what they see happening in the western church. As we are Catholic as well as eastern, it would be foolhardy to deny that we catch a cold when the western church contracts pneumonia.
"Now let me make a little "prediction". Unless the Latin Church hears, understands, accepts and institutes what the Eastern Rite hierarchs are saying, there will be a reunion alright, the Eastern Rite Catholics with Orthodoxy."
Your prediction is not too far off in my view, although I don't think it would play out that way so much in the U.S. churches. But you never know.
I shudder at the thought of a heterodox Papacy; someone in the Jadot or Mahony model. Or even someone who is a traditionalist, but who would try to reimpose latinizations on the eastern churches.