Separated brethren
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Separated brethren is a term sometimes used by the Roman Catholic Church to refer to baptized members of other Christian traditions. Though also applied to Christians of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, the term is more often used about Protestants and Anglicans.[1] The phrase is a translation of the Latin phrase fratres seiuncti.[2]
History of term
Though coined prior to the Second Vatican Council,[3] the Roman Catholic Church as an institution first regarded Protestant and Orthodox Christians as "separated brethren" as indicated by the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) issued during the Second Vatican Council.[4] Before the Second Vatican Council, per the pronouncements of the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church officially referred to Protestants and other non-Roman Catholic Christians as "heretics" not having hope of salvation outside of the "Church of Rome".[5] After the Second Vatican Council, however, "that habit of unthinkingly hurling accusations of heresy at Protestants pretty much died out".[5]
Since at least the mid-1990s, the term has often been replaced by Roman Catholic officials with phrases such as "other Christians".[6]
Consideration of certain groups
The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism stated that "all who have been baptized and justified by faith 'are members of Christ’s body, and have a right to be called Christian' and 'brothers' by the Catholic Church." [4] Thus, traditional Protestant groups are included within the Roman Catholic Church's definition of separated brethren.[4] Likewise, the Roman Catholic Church considers members of Eastern Orthodox churches to be "separated brethren".[4] The Decree on Ecumenism went even further in indicating that the Roman catholic Church considers the Eastern Orthodox churches to be "sister churches".[4]
The Roman Catholic Church does not consider Mormons and members of some other religious groups to be separated brethren.[7] Among the groups not considered to be separated brethren are "Jews, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Muslims, Buddhists, and other groups."[7]
See also
References
- ^ Hardon, John (1980). "Separated Brethren". Modern Catholic Dictionary (CatholicCulture.org ed.). Doubleday. ISBN 9780385121620. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ Wells, Christopher (2009). "The Singular Grace of Division's Wound". Ecclesiology. 5 (1). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill: 10. doi:10.1163/174553108X378468. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ Whalen, William Joseph (1958). Separated Brethren: A Survey of Non-Catholic Christian Denominations in the United States. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing. OCLC 302295.
- ^ a b c d e Kroll, Paul (2007). "Church History Corner: Vatican II and the Future of Church Unity". Christian Odyssey. 3 (5). Glendora, CA: Worldwide Church of God: 18-19. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Oakes, Edward T. (December 19, 2007). "On the Square: Are Protestants Heretics?". First Things Online. New York: Institute on Religion and Public Life. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ Wells, Christopher (2009). "The Singular Grace of Division's Wound". Ecclesiology. 5 (1). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill: 10–11. doi:10.1163/174553108X378468. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b Whalen, William Joseph (2002). Revised: Separated Brethren: A Review of Protestant, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox & Other Religions in the United States. Huntington, Ind.: Our Sunday Visitor. p. 9. ISBN 9781931709057. Retrieved 2010-06-16.