I live in an area with a fairly large number of eastern schismatic churches (Greek, Russian, Coptic). As it has ever been the teaching of the Church that these schismatics have valid Sacraments, it follows that Our Lord really is present in such places in the Blessed Sacrament. For that reason, I make the Sign of the Cross and utter the traditional prayer "O Sacrament most holy, o Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine" when I pass these churches.

But I wonder if there was ever any proscription against making this public reverence due to the confusion and scandal it could cause (i.e. leading others to infer a legitimizing of schismatics where none was intended). Does anyone know what the Church traditionally taught about this one way or the other?

I suppose an extension of this would be the proper conduct of a Catholic if introduced to a schismatic bishop - how would one simultaneously acknowledge the validity of his episcopacy but the illegitimacy of his claim to authority? Kissing his ring is presumably not to be done, but what about addressing him as "Your Excellency?"

I thank you in advance for your responses.

Anyone other than Poche care to contribute? I'm running out of grains of salt with which to take anything he says.

What do you do when you walk past a Novus Ordo Church?

I only cross myself when I pass by Catholic churches. Even the novus ordo parishes. For the separated people in Protestant sects, I pray they come to the Church. I will never cross myself when I pass by those.

I only cross myself when I pass by Catholic churches. Even the novus ordo parishes. For the separated people in Protestant sects, I pray they come to the Church. I will never cross myself when I pass by those.

Well, that goes without saying. Our Lord is not present at all in Protestant dens. He is, however, fully present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the churches of the eastern schismatics.

This recalls to me the story of the modernist priest who died and was not permitted a Christian burial. St. Pius X made it very clear that he would not receive a Christian burial. Then at the funeral one priest made the sign of the cross as they were lowering his casket into the grave and was subsequently excommunicated.

With the obvious and crucial difference being that the OP is not talking about making the sign of the cross as an act of defiance, as an act of Adoration of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity really and substantially present, despite - and not because of - that Presence being in a schismatic church.

And the story sounds like its missing more than a few details - a knee jerk excommunication of a priest who makes a single sign of the cross does not sound like an act of the wise and judicious St. Pius X, it sounds like a stupid outburst of vindictiveness by a petty tyrant... Thus, I don't believe it happened as described. Can you cite a reputable source?