The Historical Growth and the Co-Existence Of Latin Rite and the Oriental Rites in India
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Date
1996-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The bringing together of Eastern and Western Christian
tradition was one of the most urgent tasks of the time in which we
were living before Vatican It, and yet even now in the aftermath of.
Vatican It the co-existence of both is not as rosy as it looks.
There seems to be a need for mutual understanding which has to be
much deeper in order to enrich one another. An element of the very
first importance in this task is a genuine meeting and
reconciliation between these great Christian traditions. Through
the process of history they have lived for so long in ignorance and
misunderstanding of one another and they seem unfortunately so far
to be continuing to live one apart from the other.
It is in the Church's liturgy of worship, the official
expression of her public prayer, that there is to be found the
wealth of her tradition, stamped with the particular spirit of this
or that civilization and history. In fact, Vatican II speaks of
the Eastern churches, that, though separated from the West(Rome),
they have the true Sacraments, above all because of the apostolic
succession, the priesthood, and the Eucharist, which unite both in
close ties, so that the relation between Eucharistic communion and
ecclesial communion is somewhat obscured The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the
principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Christ the Lord
founded one Church and one Church only. However, many Christian
communities present themselves to everybody as true inheritors of
Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but
they differ in their mentality and go their different ways, as if
Christ himself was divided(ICor. 1:13)2
For nine centuries the Churches of the East and the West went
their own ways, though a brotherly communion of faith and
sacramental life bound them together. When disagreements in faith
and discipline arose among them, the Roman See acted by common
consent as moderator) From their very origins the Churches of the
East have had a treasury from which the Church of the West has
drawn largely for its liturgy, spiritual tradition and
jurisprudence.
The heritage handed down by the apostles was received
differently and in different forms, so that from the very beginning
of the Church, its development varied from region to region and
also because of the varying cultures, differing mentalities and
ways of life, and the lack of central Church Government. Adapting
the liturgy to the culture of the celebrating community was what happened in the earliest days of Christianity. And liturgy was
celebrated according to the culture of the people. The various
liturgical rites bear witness to this. These reasons and other
plus external causes as well as the lack of charity and mutual
understanding, gradually led in later centuries to divisions rather
than communion.
But the Second Vatican Council finally and for the first time
thanks God that many Eastern children of the Catholic Church
preserve this heritage and wish to express it more faithfully and
completely in communion with their brethren who follow the
tradition of the West. The aim of this small presentation is to
be a first introduction to this little-know world as it exists
mainly in South India and other parts of India, and it endeavors to
give its right place to each of the liturgical traditions of the
Christian East and learn from each other and enrich by one another.
We all know that Christ's humanity is the instrument of
salvation for every human being. The saving actions of Jesus reach
us today in the visibility of the many particular Churches,
especially by their liturgical celebrations. If we are receptive
to God's action in the various liturgies, we can experience God and
live an authentic life as disciples of Jesus in any of them. In
this perspective we see that Christianity in India, particularly in
South India, is entangled with the ways and means of salvation
rather than the goal itself. In this paper I am first trying to present the arrival of Christianity in India which is a good thing
following the command of our Master and Lord, to preach the good
news of Salvation to all nations. But once this is done, the unity
of all Christians is not found due to some of the external factors
like rites, territory, power plays etc, which bring division.
After having exposed them sufficiently, some suggestions are
proposed in the light of the Second Vatican Council.
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Keywords
Co-existence, Latin rite, oriental Rite, India, Historical Growth, Syro-Malabar Church, Celebration Of Eucharist, Beginnings Of Christianity In India, Syrian Church, Characteristics Of Oriental Rites, Various Rites Of The Oriental Catholic Church, Eastern And Western Rites, Canonical Rite and Its Specificity, Rite and Rites in the Catholic Church