The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-04-06
Catholic Chronicles

cations he visits. He has the indorse-
ment of Bishop Mcdonnell
Russian Revolution.
Upon being asked what results
would come to the Church from the
Russian revolution, Father Calvassy
grew optimistic. He said:
Zone of the principal results of the
Russian revolution, so it appears to
me, is that it will break down, and
perhaps entirely destroy the political
element that has been so prominent
in the Greek schismatic churches, es-
| pecially in the Russian Church.
ut will have it's effect on religious
affairs on far wider area than the
territory of the Russian Empire. 1t
is too soon for me to speak definitely
of it's results, but 1 think that the
wane of the political influence of the
State Church of Russia will make it.
self felt in the Balkans, for instance.
and this, think, will do much to
open the way for the return of large
numbers of schismatics to the Catho-
lie Church.
No Comparison.
There is no comparison between
Catholic of the Greek Rite and Schis-
matte Greeks such as there is, for eX-
ample, between Catholics of the Latin
Rite and Anglicans. Both the Greek
Catholic and the so-called Orthodox
use the same language-or nearly all
of them do in their services-their
ritual, ceremonies, customs, ETC., are
similar. Their fundamental disagree
ment is the question of being in COM
munion with the Apostolic See.
"The great injustice that many
Greek Catholics suffered under the
late Russian Government lay in the
fact that their Rite was in all respects
similar to that of the Orthodox
Church. And because the authorities
of the Orthodox Church were we'll
aware of the great influence Greek
Catholic (and Catholic in the east al
ways means in communion with
Rome, without distinction of Rite)
communities using the Greek Rite
would have in bringing about CONVEX
sions among the orthodox. they did
their best to have the Greek Catholic
Rite prohibited.
"For example, in 1905, the Car,
forced by the menace of revolutions,
issued an ukase granting religious
of this act the little Russians or
: Ukranians in hundreds of thousands
began to repudiate the Orthodox
Church and declare themselves Cath
Ollie in communion with the See OF
Rome. But both the Government and
the Holy Synod were so fearful Of
: their forming themselves into Cath
Ollie community of the Greek Rite il
Russia, that strict orders were giver
to stop at any cost this movement
towards the Catholic Church. Man,
J of the Ukrainians, to preserve the in
tegrity of their faith and to retai1
their Catholicity abandoned the Greel
Rite and adopted the Latin Rite: thus
r sacrificing their dearest religious priv
ilege to preserve Catholic unity.
3 cathoIicity Will Spread
fl "And here would like to emphasize
i, one result that may reasonably be ex
5 pected to be the outcome of the Rus
J. sian revolution. Before the revolu
8 ton a victory for the Allies was feared
1 by the Greek Catholics because O
$ the hostile attitude of the Russian
t Church, and it's influence in withdraw
3 ing Greek Catholics from their spir
. itual allegiance. But now that State
: privilege has been withdrawn, and al
: religious bodies are on an equalit,
l the progress of Catholicism is NOR.
likely to be helped than retarded
: "But it is not only in Russia tina
, we may look for the further spread O
3 Catholicism. In the Balkan States il
t particular the way will be made clea
for many schismatics to be reconcilet
} to the Church. Many of the small
3 autonomous, autocephalous Churches
: relied to very large extent on thu
3 support of the Russian Government
/ In these States the Catholic Church
r was tolerated so long as it followed
), the Latin Rite, and Catholics of tn,
l Greek Rite were prosecuted on &C
r count of the similarity of their Rit,
9 to that of the Orthodox Churches Blu
. now that State support has ceased
Y and schism is no longer a cloak under
3 which political activities can b.
/ masked, the Greek Rite of the Catholic
: Church will enjoy equal freedom will
5 other religious bodies, and we may ex
pect to receive large numbers of per
, sons into communion with the Apos
Y tolic See."
Y The Way Is Open.
: 'The way is now open for thu
spread Of the Catholic religion il
those countries where formerly it wa!
debarred. Our present difficulty is IL
} getting clergy of the Greek Rite, ant
my visit to the United States is tt
: obtain sufficient funds for the educa
ton and training of priests who will
bring the people back to communion
with the See of Rome, from which
f they were unhappily separated by tn,