Sorry, I should have worded it differently -- I meant that for many Protestants they've been broguth up to believe that the Catholic church is like this and like that. That is difficult for them to overcome. Instead, I say to them, join the Orthodox then, since you follow the Word. That way, they follow the true word of Christ AND do not have to labor against what they have been brought up to associate the Catholic church with. A Win-win
I know what you meant. I just wanted to clarify that we hold the Pope to be the first among other patriarchs in the way he was before the unfortunate schism. No need to apologize. I just wanted to clarify to those Protestant readers that this is not the issue. The issue is theological and doctrinal, and we are working on them, but the point you make is that both expression of the Church, east or West, gat their authority from Apostolic Succession, valid priesthood and sacraments. And I think the Catholics have been moving back to orthodoxy of late.