The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

CEREMONIES, ETC. 377would not be complimentary now toholy than the Apostle.one even lessThis is but one instance, outof many which I might adduce, to show the mutations which our language has undergone. But theLa tin }being a dead language,is not liable to thesechanges.2. The Catholic Church isspread over the wholeworld, embracing in its fold children of all climeaand nations, and peoples and tongues under the sun.How, I ask, could the Bishops of these variouscountries communicate with each other in council, ifthey had not one language to serve as a commonmedium of communication? It would be simplyimpossible. A church that is universal must havea universal tongue; whilst a national church, or achurch whose members speak one and the same language, and whose doctrines conveniently change tosuit the times, can safely adopt the vernaculartongue in its liturgy.A few years ago, a Convocation was held inEngland composed of British and American Episcopalbishops. They had no difficulty in communicatingwith one another, because they all spoke theirmother tongue.But suppose they had representatives from Spain, France, and Germany. The lipaof those Continental bishops would be sealed, becauc e they could not speak to their English brothers;their ears would be also sealed, because they couldnot comprehend what was said to them.In 1869, at the Ecumenical Council of the Vatican,32*