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Ask An Eastern Orthodox Christian: What about Joan of Arc?

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What would you like to know about the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith? Submit your question.

By Nicholas Damascus

Why don’t you recognize Joan of Arc as a saint?

From Wikipedia:

Joan of Arc, nicknamed “The Maid of Orléans”  is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years’ War and was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920.  At the age of 18, she led the French army to victory over the English at Orléans.  Captured a year later, Joan was burned at the stake as a heretic by the English and their French collaborators.

The process of an individual becoming a saint in the Roman Catholic Church is referred to as canonization.  This process is a series of qualifications or specific criteria or proof that an individual performed miracles, had a reputation for holiness, must have shown Christian virtues, and other validations as required by the Roman Catholic church.

When the Roman Catholic Church canonized Joan of Arc, it presented her life to her faithful as an example to follow.  This spiritual path, however, often differs from the Eastern Orthodox path and those of Orthodox saints.  Roman Catholic beliefs are not always the same as Orthodox beliefs and may be considered to be in error and detrimental to an Orthodox’s salvation.

The “recognition” of saints in the Orthodox Church does not follow any official procedure.  From the beginning, the church accepted as saints those who had suffered martyrdom for Christ.  Formal ecclesiastical recognition was not the process for individuals to be glorified to sainthood, but rather a ground swelling and consensus of Orthodox Christians (the Body of Christ, the Church).

Sainthood in the Eastern Orthodox Church is achieved by Christians reading about an individual’s righteous life, witnessing their performance of miracles,  and if there were any writings and preaching they must be “fully Orthodox.”  This Orthodox process is referred to glorification rather than canonization.

Finally, the reciprocal situation exists: the Roman Catholic Church does not formally recognize Orthodox saints and could not do so for the same reasons explained above.

Nicholas Damascus
Nicholas Damascus
As an infant, I was baptized as an Eastern Orthodox Christian. However, I would say that becoming a Christian is a work in progress, and I often wonder would there be enough evidence to convict me of becoming a Christian. The Orthodox Church is the ancient Church that Christ and the Apostles established. It is not a religion but rather a way of life. It is not about rules and regulations but rather guide posts to make choices to transition to what we were designed to become. Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. It’s not about being right: it is about “right being.” In John 14:6, Christ says I am the Way (to love and serve one another), the Truth (there is only one reality), and the Life (that life source is love). I invite you to submit any topics or questions to “Ask An Eastern Orthodox Christian” on the website. Join me in finding our way back home to the original teachings of the Church. When you change the way you look at things, things change the way they look.

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