Catholic priest in U.S. converts to Orthodoxy

Sebastian Carnazzo. Photo: open sources

The Constantinople Patriarchate in the United States has officially received into its clergy a former Catholic priest, Sebastian Carnazzo, UOJ in America reports.

Sebastian Carnazzo, a father of seven and the former rector of the Melkite (Eastern Catholic) Church of St. Elijah in San Jose, California, was received into the clergy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The decision was approved by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. The new priest was assigned to serve in San Francisco on a part-time basis under the local metropolis. The official announcement emphasizes that the move is the result of a conscious theological journey and a desire for full unity with the Orthodox Church.

As the UOJ previously reported, the United States has recorded historically low trust in clergy. In recent years, Orthodox Church communities in America have been growing both through new converts and through clergy coming from other confessions. The Constantinopolitan jurisdiction in the United States continues to pay special attention to the pastoral integration of all ministers arriving from non-Orthodox traditions.

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