to dwell, and in the case of some of them this will include so distant a land as America. There is no reason why there should not be a portion of the Maronite Church, with a Maronite bishop under the Maronite Patriarch, in London. It would be so if a sufficient number of Maronite merchants found it convenient to settle there.
- 4. Prejudices against the Uniates.
It is now time to say something about that unjust prejudice against the Uniate Churches which one finds, not only among Protestants, but, most strangely, among Western Catholics, who owe them rather the greatest honour and love.
This prejudice seems ingrained in many people who ought to know better. Protestants of all sects constantly make the most absurd statements about them, even otherwise educated Protestants.
The grossest form of error is not even to know that there are any Uniate Churches in the East. One sometimes still hears even this. One reads books in which the writer shows that he really thinks that the only people in union with Rome, the only people who obey the Pope, are those who use the Roman rite in the West.[1] One finds the "East" quoted solidly as a witness against the Roman claims. To such people as those who think this, we can only point out that in no part of the world are there so loyal subjects of the Pope, nowhere are his claims so eagerly defended, as among the most intelligent, the most advanced and civilized portions of Eastern Christendom.
Then, when the Protestant has at last found out that there are such things as Uniate Churches in the East, he often changes his tactics, and now represents them as a contemptible little handful of people who, not very willingly, more or less accept the Papal claims.
They are by no means a handful. There are over 6½ million Uniates. This is a small number compared with the total number of Catholics (over 292 millions),[2] but the Uniates alone
- ↑ So in Mr. Dearmer's little book. See p. 11, n. 1.
- ↑ H. A. Krose, "Kirchliches Handbuch," vol. iii (Freiburg i. B. 1911), p. 204, arrives at the total 292,787,085 for all Catholics in the world. His authorities may be seen there. But it should be remembered that the great difficulty against all such figures is that it is almost impossible to define exactly who are members of the Catholic Church or of any religious body. Where exactly can we draw the line between a bad Catholic who neglects all his religious duties, never goes to church, and cares little or nothing about the
