Pope Benedict: U.S. Catholics have struggled to tolerate Eastern rite Catholics

Pope Benedict XVI met with the final group of bishops from the United States coming to Rome on their ad limina visits on May 15. The 15 bishops were from the various
Eastern Churches present in the United States. In his remarks, the Pope pointed out the Eastern Churches, “embody in a unique way the ethnic, cultural and spiritual richness of the American Catholic community, past and present.”

He added that historically “the Church in America has struggled to recognize and incorporate this diversity, and has succeeded, not without difficulty, in forging a communion in Christ and in the apostolic faith which mirrors the catholicity which is an indefectible mark of the Church.”

Pope Benedict also said “the Church in America is called to embrace, incorporate and cultivate the rich patrimony of faith and culture present in America’s many immigrant groups, including not only those of your own rites, but also the swelling numbers of Hispanic, Asian and African Catholics.”