The Church and Pressure groups

[dominikus28]

Why the hell does the Church take the opinions of non-catholics into account when it is something to do with the liturgy or teachings? For example, I read that the Church excluded a prayer for the conversion of Jews to Catholicism from a traditional mass because some Jews thought it was offencive. Who the hell cares what they think, its not their religion. Why does the church need to satisfy these people?

 

[Teflon93]

Why the hell does the Church take the opinions of non-catholics into account when it is something to do with the liturgy or teachings? For example, I read that the Church excluded a prayer for the conversion of Jews to Catholicism from a traditional mass because some Jews thought it was offencive. Who the hell cares what they think, its not their religion. Why does the church need to satisfy these people?

Because they are our brothers and sisters, and we are all God’s children.

We are called to faith, hope, and charity. We are the true Church of Christ, and are called upon to be so for all men.

Practices do change slowly over time. They do so because the Catholic Church is not hermetically sealed off from the world, but a part of it. Christ’s ministry was not sealed off from the world either, nor was it confined to the peculiar mores of 1st century Palestine.

Like any large and enduring family, we find ways to accommodate one another. Better slight changes to ensure comity than a paralyzing stasis to ensure schism and ultimately irrelevance.