Unity and Diversity

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified

Diverse Traditions (1200-1201)

Until Christ's Second Coming the one mystery of Christ's death and rising is celebrated in many liturgical forms.

These various traditions show the unfathomable richness of the mystery of Christ. They complement each other and enrich one another.

Diverse Geographical Areas (1202-1203)

Diverse traditions arise from the Church's mission. Churches give liturgical expression to the mystery of Christ according to their culture. They have their own theological understandings and forms of holiness. The Church is catholic, able to integrate and purify all authentic cultural riches.

Liturgical rites (currently in use) are the Latin, Byzantine, Alexandrian and Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite, and Chaldean. All these recognized rites are of equal dignity and should be preserved.

Redeeming the Culture (1204)

Liturgy must correspond to the culture and redeem the culture, so that the mystery of Christ be "made known to all the nations" (Rom 16:26). In this way, God's children have access to the Father through their own culture and are transfigured by Christ.

Diversity Not to Damage Unity (1205-1206)

All liturgy has an immutable part which is divinely instituted (such as the sacraments) and a changeable part which the Church can adapt to various cultures.

Liturgical diversity can be a source of enrichment or of tensions (or even a cause of schism). Diversity should not damage unity but must express fidelity to the common faith, and to hierarchical communion. Sometimes, a true conversion demands a breaking away from ancestral customs which are incompatible with Catholic faith (Pope John Paul II).

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