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To: x5452

No. Because we all consider ourselves one Church. As an Irish-German American, I don't go into an ethnically Italian or Polish or whatever parish with the idea of "converting" anyone. We all have the same faith. Ethnicity in Catholic churches, to the extent that it still really exists, is mostly a matter of immigrants banding together for benefit of common language and customs, not differences in belief. Until 1965, the Mass was the *same* in every way, no matter *what* church one attended. The language was Latin. The parts of the Mass and readings were the same everywhere, for everyone, every day.

Even now, where the vernacular is used, the translations are *supposed* to derive from the same Latin original (though, I'd be the first to admit, the English translation is pretty shaky sometimes). So, again, there is nothing to "convert" to or from.

We don't dispute deeds among ourselves based on ancestry. We're Catholics first, Germans, Italians, Irish, French, etc. a distant second when it comes to matters of religion. Can you say the same? Indeed, the way you pose the question makes it sound like you take as a given, from personal experience, the assumption that such things are expected to take place.

Anticipating your lack of careful reading here, I will acknowledge that there are, doubtless, a few examples of Catholics who do not embody the proper mindset. Fair enough. But these few exceptions are not representative of our Faith, as they clearly don't know it.


114 posted on 11/22/2005 12:46:06 PM PST by magisterium
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To: magisterium

That is precisley what the problem is.

The uniate church is converting from Orthodox churches, ceasing Orthodox properties, enticing Orthodox clergy to convert by telling them they can join up no questions asked, building churches adcaent Orthodox ones deliberatly to entice folks away by seeming Orthodox but answering to Rome.

That is precisely why it is a monumental problem and not a simple issue of 'territory'; the Catholics cannot begin to speak of union if they are not ready to accept that the Orthodox are already in the apostolic church and don't need converting, and stop ceasing orthodox churches and trying to convert the orthodox parishioners, clergy, and bishops.

The uniate church is not a 'little issue of territory'.


116 posted on 11/22/2005 12:57:29 PM PST by x5452
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