Does the Catholic Church recognize all Orthodox dogmas and sacraments as correct, even though they do not reciprocate?
A viewer heard from an Orthodox Christian that the Catholic Church recognizes all Orthodox dogma and sacraments as correct even though the Orthodox do not do the same in reverse, and asks whether this is true.
Answer
No. They do not believe in purgatory, and we do; we do not accept their unbelief in purgatory. They do not believe in papal infallibility, they do not accept a lot of the Marian dogmas, and they differ on other issues. The Catholic Church has never officially condoned any doctrine in the Orthodox Church except the line of succession, and that is because a bishop can make another bishop even while disobeying the pope, like Archbishop Lefebvre did with the Society of St. Pius X when he consecrated four bishops. The sacerdotal system says the power lies in the hands of the one who has the sacerdotal power, the bishop, so a renegade bishop can go off and make other bishops. The Church might give dispensations to attend an Orthodox Mass, because at least the Eucharist is confected under the sacerdotal system, but she has not made a blanket acceptance of all Orthodox doctrine. Only what she has more or less had to relinquish to them, like the sacerdotal system, is what she has allowed.