I have been experiencing a recurring fantasy. In it a non-Catholic Christian group appears at the Vatican and demands to hold a religious service which of course would not include the celebration of the Mass or the communion sacraments of the Catholic Church.
They are refused. Says the Vatican priest: “This space is dedicated by and for Catholics for classical Catholic worship.”
They cry out “But what about religious pluralism?”
“Pluralism ” answers the priest “simply means that within society diverse faith systems can live together peacefully side by side. It does not mean that all religions are parallel versions of one another and are equally valid. Please understand: We respect you as individuals but in all honesty we do not believe that your way without the Mass and its attendant rituals is equal to our way. Furthermore if you as religious pluralists believe that non-Catholics and Catholics are equally valid then logically you should have no objection to worshiping together with us today in our traditional Catholic way. Why must you have separate non-Catholic service in this Catholic place? Besides which is it reasonable to hold your worship on these sacred precincts when centuries ago you rejected what these precincts stand for? No one prevents you from praying in your own churches. That would be true religious pluralism.”
