Episode 2733: The Dangers of Ethnic Pandering in the Catholic Church

The Dangers of Ethnic Pandering in the Church: A Traditional Catholic Perspective
The Catholic Church, by its very nature, is universal transcending race, language, and culture to unite all people under the Kingship of Christ. The term Catholic itself means "universal," reflecting the Church’s mission to bring all souls to salvation, regardless of their earthly identity. In recent decades, however, a troubling trend has emerged, particularly in large, ethnically diverse dioceses such as Chicago: the tendency to cater excessively to ethnic groups within parishes. This pandering undermines the Church's universality, fosters division, and shifts the focus away from Christ, who alone unites all nations and peoples in His Body, the Church.

The movement away from the Traditional Latin Mass to the vernacular liturgy has exacerbated these issues, further weakening the Church’s unity and sense of the sacred. Let us explore how these factors intersect, the challenges they present, and why a return to the Church's universal principles is necessary to restore harmony within the Body of Christ.

The Catholic Church’s Universal Mission
From its foundation, the Church has emphasized unity in faith and worship. This mission is rooted in Christ’s command to His apostles:
"Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)
The universality of the Church is manifested in its liturgy, teachings, and governance. The Traditional Latin Mass exemplified this universality by uniting Catholics worldwide through a single sacred language and unchanging rubrics. In contrast, the emphasis on ethnic languages and cultural customs in parishes today risks diluting this universality, replacing it with localized identities that can overshadow the faith.
The Harm of Ethnic Pandering
1. Division Within Parishes
When parishes offer Masses in multiple languages or organize ethnic-specific activities, they risk fragmenting the faithful into isolated communities. Each group may attend its own language Mass, celebrate its own cultural traditions, and interact minimally with others in the parish. This leads to the formation of parallel communities rather than a unified Body of Christ.
2. Competition and Resentment
Ethnic pandering often results in unequal resource allocation. For example, a parish might prioritize funding for one ethnic group's choir or festivities, while neglecting the needs of others. Such decisions can foster resentment and competition among parishioners, weakening the sense of communal worship and mission.
3. Cultural Identity Over Catholic Identity
When ethnic customs are given precedence, they can overshadow the universal Catholic identity. The faithful may begin to see their cultural practices as central to their faith, rather than as subordinate to the teachings of Christ and the Church. This shift risks reducing the faith to a cultural expression rather than the transcendent truth that unites all people.
4. Deviations From Liturgical Norms
Ethnic-specific practices often lead to deviations from the Church's rubrics, especially in the liturgy. Cultural dances, music, and rituals introduced into the Mass can undermine its solemnity and universality, turning the focus from God to the people. This weakens the liturgical integrity of the Roman Rite and alienates those seeking the timeless beauty of the Church's worship.
The Role of the Vernacular Liturgy
The shift from the Traditional Latin Mass to the vernacular liturgy has compounded these challenges. The Latin Mass, celebrated in an unchanging sacred language, naturally united the faithful across cultures. Latin, as a "dead" language, is free from the cultural biases and fluctuations of modern languages, making it uniquely suited for divine worship.
The vernacular Mass, while intended to make the liturgy more accessible, has localized the liturgical experience. Instead of uniting the faithful under a universal form of worship, the vernacular has emphasized cultural differences. This fragmentation undermines the Church's unity and encourages the prioritization of ethnic identity over the universal call to worship Christ.

The Mystical Body of Christ: A Call to Unity
St. Paul reminds us:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
The Church's mission is to transcend earthly distinctions and unite all people in the Mystical Body of Christ. When parishes focus excessively on ethnic language and culture, they risk creating divisions that pit one group against another. This undermines the unity of the Church and contradicts its universal mission.
The Need for a Return to Universality
To address these challenges, the Church must reaffirm its universal principles:
Prioritize Christ-Centered Worship
The focus of every parish should be on Christ, not on cultural identity. This means emphasizing the sacredness of the liturgy and the universal teachings of the Church, rather than tailoring Masses and activities to specific ethnic groups.

Foster a Shared Catholic Identity
Parishes should encourage all parishioners to participate in common devotions, Eucharistic Adoration, and other universal Catholic practices. These shared experiences strengthen the unity of the faithful and remind them of their identity as members of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Recover the Richness of the Traditional Latin Mass
The Traditional Latin Mass offers a timeless model of unity and reverence. By celebrating the Mass in Latin, parishes can transcend linguistic and cultural differences, uniting all worshippers in a single act of divine worship.
The Role of Secular Influence in Furthering Confusion
Songs like "Revolutionary" by Josh Wilson contribute to this confusion when applied to the Church’s acceptance of ethnic pandering. While the song promotes the notion of "love as a revolution," it frames love in subjective, emotional terms rather than in the sacrificial, Christ-centered love that the Church teaches. When this ideology is applied to parish dynamics, it often translates into the prioritization of cultural accommodation under the guise of inclusivity, rather than fostering unity through Christ. This approach reinforces division by encouraging the Church to bend to cultural and emotional appeals rather than adhering to her universal mission. In doing so, the focus shifts further away from the sacred and toward secular ideals that undermine the unity and transcendence of the Catholic faith.
Conclusion
The Catholic Church is called to be a sign of unity in a divided world. Ethnic pandering, while often well-intentioned, undermines this mission by emphasizing cultural differences over the universal call to worship Christ. The shift to vernacular liturgy has magnified these divisions, fragmenting the faithful into isolated communities rather than uniting them in the universal faith.
To restore the Church’s unity, parishes must refocus on Christ, recover the universal principles of Catholic worship, and prioritize the shared identity of the faithful as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. In doing so, the Church will once again reflect its true nature as the universal sacrament of salvation, transcending all earthly boundaries to bring all souls to Christ the King.