You’ve missed the point, as have the others on this thread.
The issue is that Rome has accepted a disobedient hierarch from an Oriental Orthodox Church into one of its Eastern Rite Churches at a time when the hierarchs of the Assyrian Church were exercising their appropriate jurisdiction to discipline the man. The fact that the Assyrian Church is “monophysite” and has been out of communion for 1600 years is neither here nor there. In fact, by economia, Oriental Orthodox have been allowed to receive the sacraments in Orthodox Churches and vice versa for some years now so the schism between the Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox is not as you suppose.
Rome’s actions speak about the intrusive power claimed and asserted by the Vatican in the affairs of another particular church. This isn’t a priest or two or a few parishioners leaving one particular church for another. This is a hierarch under discipline. That’s the difference and that’s what makes this a matter of concern.
Finally, the sentiments were not expressed to me by a lay person or a member of the lower clergy.
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I see.
So the Bishop presents a paper about the Primacy of Rome and the hope for Full Communion with Rome, and Five days later he is disciplined. One wonders what the “politics behind the scenes” were really about? I think the Assyrians and the Chaldeans in One “sui juris” Church is a “good thing” for the Iraqi Christians. It seems to me at least, some Orthodox are not happy that an Eastern Bishop, and one who I repeat, has not been in “Full Communion” with either Rome or Constantinopile for 1,600 years, presented an argument to his fellow Assyrian Bishops that supported communion with Rome, rather than communion with an Orthodox Patriarch. Thus, IMO, this is more about politics, than doctrine.
As for the sharing of the sacraments between the Assyrians and the Eastern Orthdox, that is a good thing, but the Catholic Church has no doctrinal statement preventing Assyrians receiving the Eucharist and other sacraments in the Catholic Church. In fact, the General Instructions of the Roman Missal (GIRM) clearly state that Assyrians and the other Oriental Churches that are not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox are welcome to participate in the Eucharist in the Catholic Church. So, on that point, the Catholic Church’ relation with the Assyrians is no different than the Eastern Orthodox relationship with the Assyrians.
So when we get down to it, is the real problem here that this Bishop has long been an advocate for Full Communion with Rome and thus his actions might result in other Eastern Churches that have not been in Full Communion with either Rome or Constantinopile to seek full Communion wiht Rome rather than Constantinopile?
You wrote:
“This isn’t a priest or two or a few parishioners leaving one particular church for another. This is a hierarch under discipline. That’s the difference and that’s what makes this a matter of concern.”
Except that he seems to be doing this out of principle - he seems to really believe in unity with the pope. How can he be turned away?