I’ve never heard of the Emasculators, and I associate the Flagellants mostly with Italy. But surely such weirdoes differ from you and me in their practices rather than in their doctrines. Only doctrines can be heretical in the strict sense. Practices are either permitted or not (and emasculation is certainly forbidden and flagellation is at best regarded with suspicion in both East and West).

But rites (different again from both doctrines and practices) can vary. Even under the Tridentine tyranny, the Mozarabic Rite is permitted in Toledo, and a regrettably modernised version of the Ambrosian Rite is tolerated in Milan.

It’s a pity that Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom have lost the Rites of Sarum, Hereford, York and Bangor. But they’ve almost entirely lost the ancient Rite of Rome too, and that’s much worse.

Filioque accounts for an unbridgeable fissure. At issue here is the nature of the Holy Trinity, one so fundamental that it’s not surprising that no compromise has been found in the intervening millennium. This is a situation Kierkegaard called “Either… or”, not “both… and”. Still, both Western and Eastern branches of Christianity have a claim to being apostolic — and I don’t regard Protestantism as a legitimate part of Western Christianity, in the same sense in which I don’t regard, say, the Emasculators or the Flagellants as legitimate parts of the Eastern rite.

But you and I have at least St Bede in common, and there are hundreds of other Anglo-Saxon saints of the undivided Church for us to venerate. There’s a chasm (not originally of our making) between us, but there are places where the fissure is narrow enough for us to shake hands across it.

I cannot accept the extreme (and false) ecumenism of some Church leaders, including Pope Francis. There are fundamental differences in the various Protestant sects. Were the saints who died for their Catholic faith wrong? I do not think so. Jesus did not teach by halves and neither did his disciples. When speaking of the Eucharist, Jesus was met with responses of, “This saying is hard, and who can hear it?” He responded with “Doth this scandalize (offend) you?” He continued with, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that believe not.” He did not continue, “Then throw away this one teaching, pick up your smaller and lighter cross, and follow Me.”

As Saint Augustine said, “If you believe what you like in the gospel and reject what you do not like, it is not the gospel you believe but yourself.” We follow sacred Scripture and sacred tradition. It is obvious folly for someone living centuries after Jesus to pretend to know what He meant better than those who lived with Him.

“Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect” seems to put paid to the modern idea that lived experience outweighs (and invalidates) the Christian ideal.

Belief in Jesus Christ is a starting point, but true Catholics should pray for and work toward the conversion of all such believers (and non-believers).

Have a happy Triduum, my favorite part of the liturgical year!