The documentation above brings to our attention a number of facts.

There are a variety of Church documents, which deal with issues of particular Churches, Rites and, of the pastoral care of the faithful of different rites in the same territory. All the documents produced above converge on these important issues. The main reason for this convergence is the fact that the basic documents which bring out these issues in the second half of this century are the council documents of Vatican II and that the spirit of Vatican II is prevailing in the subsequent teachings of the Church. What we require today is the collaboration of the various particular Churches in implementing these teachings of the Church.

The teachings of the Church make it very clear that all particular Churches and Rites have equal status and dignity in the Church. The Church wants to preserve and foster the numerous Eastern Churches, which together form only a small portion of the Church, as compared to the large Latin Church. They are however distinguished by their venerable antiquity and apostolic tradition and they form part of the undivided heritage of the universal Church. The Church also wants that every Catholic retains one’s own rite and follow it to the best of one’s ability. The concept of unity in diversity, is stressed in all these documents; the Catholicity of the undivided Church is kept intact in spite of the multiplicity of local Churches. The Vatican decree on the Pastoral Office of the Bishops in the Church, “Christus Dominus”, Canon 383/2 of the Latin Church, Canon 193 of the Eastern Churches specify the provisions to be made by the bishop in whose territory there are believers of different rites. Canon 193 of the Eastern Churches goes as far as to say that the bishop is bound by serious obligation to make these provisions. The variety of documents converging on important issues mentioned above, has created a greater awareness in the Church, of the place of different rites in the Church and of the need for mutual respect and collaboration among the members of the particular Churches. This will ensure a more effective pastoral care and fruitful evangelisation.