The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-10-04
CUSTOMS OF EAST AND WEST
DOCTRINE AND DISCIPLINE
COMPARDED IN THEIR EFFECTS
-WHY CATHOLIC CHURCH AL
LOWS VARIETY OF DISCIPLINE
BUT DEMANDS ONE FAlTH-RE-
UNION OF CHURCHES.

Very Reverend Canon Barry, the
brilliant author, thus writes of doc.
trine' and discipline in the Catholic
Church:
There has been much talk lately of
the reunion of the Churches" This
never was the language held by Catho-
lies, who believe that the Church is
and cannot fail to be one, as Our Lord
made it. Moreover, the Apostolic See
of Rome is it's Interchangeable center.
We do not look for a league or con-
federation of religious bodies, as it
were by treaty. But our prayer goes
up always that those who call them
selves Christians, yet are separated
from Rome, may return to the fold
whence their ancestors wandered,
bringing on the East slavery under
Moslems, and on the West a horrible
confusion of beliefs and no-beliefs un-
til, as we know too sadly, "chaos has
come again" The creed, we say, ad-
mits of explanations but not of any
real change. The faith ought to be
applied to life; it cannot be whitfield
down or added to by human ingenu-
ity. The Papal prerogative, episcopal
orders and succession, powers of the
priesthood, belong to the Church's Di-
vine constitution; SO they must re-
main. Rome never withdraws a dog
ma once defined; it cannot be done.
But from the very fact that st. Peters
successor holds the power of the keys
it lies within his jurisdiction to bind
and loose whatever is not in this way
reserved by the Church's Founder to
Himself; and we call this department,
| in general terms, discipline. So far
as any points are unalterable they in
volve some dogmatic truth or Divine
ordinance; beyond these bounds hui
man elements enter in, and the
| Church deals with them in her wisdom
| with consideration for the variety of
ages, nations, degrees of civilization,
and public or private good. To do so
| is Christian charity and common
sense.
Latin Tradition-Greek Custom.
For example, we distinguish be-
tween East and West, Latins and
Greeks, Slavs and Armenians. In the
West all that we understand by Chris
tianity pure and undefiled came from
Rome Hence we are still not only
Catholics but Latins; the Pope is our
Patriarch; we use the Latin liturgy;
and by very ancient discipline our
clergy in major orders are celibate.
The use of Latin as a common tongue
and bond of union carries with it un-
| told advantages, far beyond any that
modern languages can claim. And
historians recognize, as do philoso-
pliers, that the unmarried clergy of
| the West give to Roman discipline and
Papal power strength which, great
as it was in the early and Middle
Ages, will probably increase while the
sects decay and dwindle. No thought
Iful observer doubts that such a sep
aration from the worlds cares and
anxieties is the ideal form of the Cath
olic priesthood. On a subject of in
tense conviction to us, each and all,
need not linger. But neither the use
of Latin as the language of ritual noI
/ the celibacy of the clergy is a dogma
Both fall under the rule of discipline;
they are not immutable Divine ordi
nances. The Pope could undoubtedly
sanction an English or German lit
urgy. And by his absolute power he
could abrogate the law of celibacy
That no Pope will do so We may fee
confident. 1t is quite another ques
j tion whether, T. the so-called Ortho
dcx Easterns, numbering one hundred