often outnumber the whole religious body of the man who speaks of them as a handful.
As for their loyalty to Rome, it is, of course, true that in the past there have been disputes and regrettable incidents among some of them.
Such things have happened in the West too. A man is no more guaranteed against temptation to personal ambition, quarrelling, discontent with the authorities and uncatholic spirit by being a Uniate, than if he were a Latin. We shall, unfortunately, see several examples of such things in our story. But it is absurd to quote one or two regrettable cases, and then to assume that all Uniates groan under the yoke of Rome. Once more, such things happen everywhere. The other Uniates are no more responsible for disloyal conduct on the part of some one bishop than we Latins are all responsible for the shocking behaviour of that Latin bishop who went wrong, Thomas Cranmer.
Let each man bear the responsibility of his own deeds, and do not blame the whole body of Melkite Uniates if an Armenian Uniate bishop is insubordinate. It is true that many Uniates have shown great anxiety about their special organization, their rites, their corporate existence. In view of the inevitable predominance of the Latin part of the Catholic Church, of the fact that the common chief of all, the Pope, is a Latin, in view also of the excessively strong attraction of all Easterns to their particular group or nation, this is not surprising. Nor can we wonder that sometimes the local patriotism of the Easterns, together with the want of appreciation of their point of view among Italian Cardinals, has sometimes produced discussions, protests, and friction. All things considered, it is rather wonderful that there has not been more friction. We must remember that in some points the way in which the West treats the East is galling to the East. We send out missionaries to educate them, we regulate their affairs, tell them what they may do and what they may not do, often teach them their own business,[1] and in general, assume a patronizing attitude towards them. And they are a proud people.
- ↑ As when the Latin missionary teaches students of Eastern rites how to celebrate their own liturgies.
faith, and a man who has ceased to be a Catholic at all? At any rate, friend and foe admit that the Catholic Church is the largest religious body in the world. That does not prevent the fact that it is still only a small minority of the whole human race.
