But as I understand the Catholic position, this does not apply to every practice or even every common belief within the Catholic Church. You and CMatt25 are both assuming that the points dividing Catholics and Protestants are entirely or largely questions of dogma covered by the Catholic concept of infallibility. But many of them are not.
One obvious example of something that is historically important to Protestants but not so much to Catholics is communion in both kinds vs. one kind. The Catholic Church has “moved” on this, because doing it one way or another is not a matter of dogma (though the *validity *of communion in one kind is, due to the doctrine of concomitance). For many Protestants communion in both kinds is essential. Union between Protestants and Catholics is a lot more feasible now than it was before communion in both kinds became allowable in your Church. Of course Protestants would have to accept that communion in one kind was valid, but most would not have a problem with that as long as they were not forced to do it themselves. Vernacular liturgy is another example of something that once divided Protestants from Catholics but no longer does.
Practices such as the ordination of married men (perhaps even clerical marriage, though that’s much more dubious given the antiquity and universality of the prohibition of such marriages) or the election of bishops are, again, very important to many Protestants, while Catholics necessarily acknowledge that they are legitimate.
Catholics typically dismiss these things as mere “disciplines.” I think many of you fail to understand how important these matters are to many Protestants. Protestants see them as embodying theological principles.
Edwin
