Does the Eastern Catholic Church believe that it is wrong to use statues in Church and that flat icons are to be used in religious services?
Eastern Catholics would not go so far as to say it is “wrong” to have statues in a parish. We respect the traditions of our Latin brothers and sisters. But traditionally, Eastern Catholics only use flat images during religious services for a multitude of reasons.
First, icons are written according to specific canons. Every color, shape, and object in an icon means something. They speak a theological language, and hence convery doctrine.
Second, icons are always “unrealistic,” and do not depict earthly realities. They try to depict heavenly realities, which we cannot fully comprehend.
Third, icons in and of themselves are not objects of devotion. Rather, we understand them to be windows into heaven.