Reformational Catholicism in Unity with Rome

Peter Leithart has issued a stirring call for a “Reformational Catholicism” that is fully Catholic without being Roman. In his essay, Leithart repeatedly refers to all Catholics as “Roman Catholics.” But where and how do all the millions of Catholics in the world who are not Roman Catholic fit into the discussion: the Maronite Catholics, the Byzantine Catholics, the Syro-Malabar Catholics?

These Catholics, who hail from a separate tradition from us Roman Catholics, have priests who marry, a separate hierarchical structure, and a liturgy that has never been said in Latin. Occasionally attending the Maronite liturgy during my courtship with my now-husband, we started to recognize differences: the new translation of the Mass did not apply to their liturgy, because it has always been celebrated in the vernacular; likewise, there were no kneelers in the sanctuary, because there is no kneeling in the liturgy.

Then there are the Anglicans who wanted to become Catholic without the loss of their own tradition and liturgy. They asked if they could enter the Catholic Church while retaining many aspects of their tradition, such as the beautiful Book of Common Prayer and their liturgy. The Catholic Church agreed, setting up guidelines and a structure for them to do so, welcoming the chance at reconciliation with long-separated brethren while accepting the changes that had taken place during the division.

Despite the differences between Eastern and Western Catholics, and even within Western Catholicism, there is unity, there is communion. And this unity is real, visible, concrete. Eucharistic communion is shared among all Catholics. All cardinals of the proper age participate in papal elections, including the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches.

This unity is visible in practical ways as well. The Maronite parish in my archdiocese, by far the smallest of the four Catholic parishes in Norman, Oklahoma, provides for and is provided for by the Roman Catholic parishes. The Roman parishes allowed the Maronite families the space to celebrate their own liturgy before they had a church. After building a church, they gained a pastor, Fr. Sami, who also heard confession, celebrated daily mass, and offered spiritual direction at a Roman Catholic parish. As the Maronites await the arrival of their new pastor, the Roman Catholic priests are providing the sacraments at their church. Our archbishop, at their invitation, has attended their major events such as the annual Lebanese Festival, even though he is not their archbishop.

Within the vast diversity of the Catholic Church, there is unity: this is what makes it universal. It encompasses distinct traditions arising from different cultures and even from periods of separation. Most of the Eastern Catholic Churches fit this description. These Catholics stand no further in relation to the truth than the Pope does. The Catholic faith allows for multiple understandings of the truth, which in their proper degrees and aspects witness to a higher and absolute truth. The Church’s unity is a promise and prefiguration of paradise, where Dante saw the wheeling lamps, “some more and some less swift,” but all of them “in accord with what their inner vision was.”

Let there be no mistake: Catholics do not wish to see the extinction of Protestantism. Rather, as the above-mentioned overtures and accommodations to Anglicans in communion indicate, Catholics hope for a reintegration that acknowledges differences amidst the peace of common worship. It is worth bearing in mind that whatever other difficulties remain, Reformational Catholicism need not become “Roman” to find unity with Rome.

Anamaria Scaperlanda Biddick, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, has written for Our Sunday Visitor , the Sooner Catholic , and the Southwest Kansas Register .

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