The Courage to Be Ourselves is the Christmas 1970 pastoral letter

Pastoral letter

A Pastoral letter, often called simply a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of his diocese, or to both, containing either general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumstances...

 of Melkite Catholic

Melkite Greek Catholic Church

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church. The Melkites, Byzantine Rite Catholics of mixed Eastern Mediterranean and Greek origin, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch, Syria, of...

 Archbishop

Archbishop

An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 Joseph Tawil

Joseph Tawil

Archbishop Joseph Tawil was the Melkite Greek Catholic eparch for the United States, teacher and theologian...

 of the Eparchy of Newton. The address defines the raison d'etre for the existence of diasporate Eastern Catholic Churches and their traditions.

Tawil was assigned archbishop of the Meklite Catholic church in the United States in 1969. Many Eastern Catholic churches had adopted Latin practices, and many Melkite Catholics had abandoned their religion. Tawil authored the pastoral letter to address these concerns.

The Four Arguments

Archbishop Tawil used the letter to lay out four major points on the current state and future direction of the Melkite Church in America.

• The patrimony of the Melkite Church is rich in heritage and should not be neglected. Quoting from Vatican II, the letter says:

• The Eastern Churches have a special mission to the Church of Rome. Tawil mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church
  Roman Catholic Church
  The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
  
  has learned much from the Eastern Churches, stating:

• The Eastern Catholic Churches serve as an ecumenical "bridge" between Catholicism and the Orthodox Church. Tawil argued that Latinizing the Eastern Catholic Churches would ultimately block a much hoped-for reunion of Eastern and Western Christianity by demonstrating that a union with Rome would lead to "ecclesiastical assimilation".

• The Melkite faithful living in the Diaspora must navigate a course between the twin dangers of what Tawil calls "the ghetto mentality" on the one hand and assimillation. Addressing the facilicy of the ghetto, Tawil argued that the church must be opened up to outsiders:

Legacy and influence

The pastoral letter served as a catalyst for profound changes in the Melkite church in the United States and for other Eastern Catholic eparchies located in the West. The most noteworthy influence was the de-Latinization of churches in the United States and a re-establishment of Byzantine traditions. Publication of the letter also facilitated ecumenical movements including conversations with the Orthodox Church of Antioch.

During his retirement, Tawil expanded the pastoral letter into a small book. However, he took ill and died prior to editing and publishing the work.

External links

• "The Courage to be Ourselves" on the Eparchy's Official Site