Catholicism and Greek Rite
Scott, W. L.
152 THE COMMONWEAL June 16, 1926 CATHOLICISM AND GREEK...
...Yet they are even when not expressed in the Greek language...
...Simi- Catholic Serbian, Catholic Rumanian, Catholic Ruslarly, were "Roman Catholic" to be employed with sian, and Ruthenian...
...Included among them are Arabs, Syriceasing to be Catholics...
...But Greek is so well established are on exactly the same level...
...We are far too ill-informed regarding Bulgarian, Serbians Rumanian, and Russian, !I ;am our fellow Catholics of other rites...
...Orthodox, whereas the word "Catholic" can refer only I tell them of fair Endymion to us...
...So long ago as April 15, 1925, Mr...
...All of these people call And the grocery store...
...It merely conveys or "Greek" rite, namely, Pure Greek, Italo-Greek, the information that besides, or apart from, his being Catholic Georgian, Melchite, Catholic Bulgarian, a Catholic, he is by nationality an Englishman...
...The vast majority of But, as in the case of nationality, so in that of rite, them are Greek neither in nationality, nor in spoken the difference imports no qualification of their Catho- language, nor in the language of the liturgy...
...In mentioning, for instance, the Georgian, of that rite...
...Very recently a tion has been made...
...ent answer to it...
...In some of these may therefore, perhaps, be pardoned a few words of countries there are, moreover, considerable numbers explanation...
...They more appropriate...
...The misuse in the United States and Canada of the And little Hubert, the tinsmith's lad, term "Greek Catholic," when referring to the Ortho- Begins to dream...
...It is with these nine Byzantine reference to a Catholic who was a citizen of the City rites that I am at present concerned...
...Every Eastener rect, the use of the name "Greek Catholic" in a sense who calls himself a "Catholic" or a "Greek...
...and in Canada nearly a quarter of a million of them Who'll mend the kettles and pots and pans with one bishop...
...of Catholics of the Latin rite...
...Catholic" which is at present entirely erroneous...
...conservative and the professor's campaign may fail of In the East the name "Greek Catholic" is univer- effect...
...tical superiority, arising from its vastly greater num- Let me not be misunderstood regarding these variber of followers and from the fact that the Pope is ous rites...
...archbishops and bishops are directly responsible, but Conde B. Pallen, in The Commonweal of that date, subject always to the general law of the Church, to emphasized the apparent inconsistency of its reassump- the Roman congregations and to the supreme authortion after so many years of disuse, and protested, with ity of the Pope...
...Their liturgy is are inclined to look on our fellow Catholics of eastern that of Constantinople, universally known as Greek rites as at most only half Catholic...
...But while, according to nocent, I fancy) the Orthodox have not so far, I bethis theory, the last named body is a "branch" of the lieve, adopted it either here or in the East...
...Let us not, however, lend aid to it by toleratsally and upon all occasions conceded to those of our ing, or by failing to do what is in our power to corfaith and is assumed by no one else...
...The overwhelming mainflux of immigrants from eastern Europe and western jority of the people of Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Asia, the subject has of recent years become one of Rumania, and Russia belong, of course, to the schisvital importance to the Catholics of this continent...
...It is also important that the name which they Catholic, and the Roman Catholic Church, and en- invariably apply to themselves, should be preserved deavors to substitute for Catholic Church these divers to them and not forced on others who do not at presappellations...
...Yet they licity...
...To say, for instance, that a man lic Abyssinian, Pure Syriac, Catholic Armenian, Maris an English Catholic does not imply any limitation onite, and nine variants or branches of the Byzantine or qualification of his Catholicity...
...themselves "Greek Catholics" and, moreover, usually LEONARD FEENEY...
...The three "branches" of the "Catholic Church," enjoy, namely, the exclusive right to the use of the presumed by Anglican advocates of reunion, are the name "Catholic...
...I matic Orthodox Eastern Church...
...Greek every bit as much Catholics as ourselves...
...Three are western-the Latin, the Mozarabic, nations as "Roman Catholic" and "English Catholic" and the Ambrosian...
...dox Eastern Church, is supported by no authority whatever, and it seems to me very important that And the tale of the winds and the Aulian maid Who died on the golden sands Catholics should do everything possible to prevent the Makes David, the baker's son look up .misuse of the term "Greek Catholic," lest perchance And wring his hands...
...is, in fact, a misnomer: Byzantine would have been Their rites are in no way inferior to ours...
...It is not to either the Orthodox or the described as a group of persons within the Catholic Latins that I am referring here, but to small bodies Church, having their own liturgy and liturgical lan- of Uniat or Eastern Catholics, who-constitute the guage, their own local canon law and local customs, rites that I have mentioned...
...It is Established Church of England and Protestant Epis- obviously of great importance that the religious status copal Church in America assumes that there are three of these people, our coreligionists, should be underCatholic Churches, the Anglo-Catholic, the Greek stood...
...about twenty-five thousand Melchites and a large And what will become of the baker's shop, body of Catholic Rumanians...
...guages differ...
...It signifies a Catholic who belongs to any the East, while "Catholic" is still our exclusive propone of the nine Byzantine Catholic rites of which men- erty, there are signs of a change...
...There are also in the United States Forever and ever more...
...In Russia, in particuWhile the word "rite" has other meanings, a Catho- lar, the Latin Catholics are far more numerous than lic rite may, for our present purpose, be conveniently the Uniats...
...Each has its own of Rome, just as one might say a "New York Catho- separate ecclesiastical organization and while their lic" when referring to a Catholic residing in the City liturgies are very largely identical, their liturgical lanof New York, the use would be unobjectionable...
...It does not mean a member of Rumanian university professor launched a campaign to the Orthodox Eastern Church...
...Yet, owing to the speaking of Catholic rites...
...This is not a contro- endeavor to induce the Orthodox Eastern Church to versial statement...
...There And one that is ne'er forgot ! are in the United States about half a million Ruthenian But what will become of the dreaming lads Greek Catholics, with two bishops of their own rite, That I begot...
...No doubt in theory the Orthodox Eastern Church claims to be Catholic (though quite con- The Teacher trary to the obvious geographic fact) just as we claim that our faith is orthodox, but in practice they con- I drudge and toil-but I have my hour cede the former name to us, as we do the latter to As I sit in my high-backed chair, them...
...Certainly Catholic Church, its adherents do not call themselves in Canada there are as yet no "Greek Catholics" who "Greek Catholics," nor are they called so by anyone are not of us and if there are any such in the United familiar with church terminology in the East...
...Pallen, in the article already referred to, said add that they are not "Roman Catholics," by which "The branch theory of a section of Anglicans in the latter term they mean Catholics of the Latin rite...
...152 THE COMMONWEAL June 16, 1926 CATHOLICISM AND GREEK RITE By W. L. SCOTT THE recent movements toward reunion on the and having in particular their own local ecclesiastical part of the Anglican church and certain sections government, consisting always of their own priests, of the Eastern churches, is lending new impor- almost always of their own bishops and archbishops, tance to the use of the term "Anglo-Catholic" affected and sometimes of their own patriarch, to whom their by the former...
...Greek States, they are no doubt persons who have left the Catholic" has a very definite and well-understood Church, taking with them their Catholic name...
...is one of us...
...Despite the popular misuse of Church of England, the Church of Rome, and the the name "Greek Catholic" (not always entirely inOrthodox Eastern Church...
...In meaning...
...The Latin rite has no and widely adopted that to change it would now be superior position in principle, though it has a prac- impossible...
...We Latins lics in religion and Greek in rite...
...This, of course, correctly summarizes the theory re- It is equally important that we should not lose, in ferred to, save for the use of the term "Greek Catho- the East and among eastern peoples, what we now lic...
...at present in the Catholic Church no less than nineteen There is, nevertheless, a sense in which such desig- rites...
...a great deal of reason, against the appellation "Roman Taking "rite" in the sense thus indicated, there are Catholic" which non-Catholics seek to force on us...
...June 16, 1926 THE COMMONWEAL 153 Mr...
...The others are eastern and com(though scarcely, perhaps, "Anglo-Catholic") may be prise the Chaldean, Malabar, Catholic Coptic, Catholegitimately used...
...A Coptic Catholic is just as much a Catholic as all call themselves "Greek Catholics," a name, moreone who belongs to the Latin rite and the designation over, universally conceded to them by their neigh"Coptic" no more implies a limitation of his Catho- bors...
...The East is very no informed person would attempt to gainsay...
...It is a curious fact that the Turkish official With the wide adoring eyes of youth Upon me there...
...it should be permitted to acquire a meaning which it does not now possess and which would work injury to Oh, there is a dream that is lightly passed, the Catholic cause, both here and in the East...
...ians, Greeks, ' and Georgians...
...name for the Orthodox Eastern Church is the Roman Nation, a strange legacy from the empire, dead so I tell them the tale of the mighty horse many centuries ago l When used in the East, there- That straddled the gates of Troy, fore, or in an eastern context, the word "Roman" is And it puts the wonder on Timothy, ambiguous, since it may refer either to us or to the The grocer's boy...
...They also differ, for instance, ans, representatives of the various Slav nations, Italaccording to the Catholic rite to which they belong...
...It is a statement of a fact which appropriate the name "Catholic...
...Who slept by the mountain stream...
...Their members, also, differ widely in Nor are nationality and citizenship the only respects nationality, in spoken language, and in geographical in which Catholics differ one from another without distribution...
...What the name implies is that they are Catholicity than does "English" or "American...
Vol. 4 • June 1926 • No. 6
