forbid meats on the ground that they are evil or unclean,
but as an easier way to keep God's commandments; therefore
the opposite arguments fail. If they would preach the cross
and bodily discipline and fasts, that in this way the body be
reduced to subjection, their doctrine would be commendable;
but their desire that these be free is condemned and rejected
as alien to the faith and discipline of the Church. Nor does
the diversity of rites support them, for this is properly
allowed in regard to particular matters, in order that each
individual province may have its own taste satisfied, as
Jerome says; but individual ecclesiastical rites should be
universally observed, and special rites should be observed
each in their own province. Also, they make no mention of
Easter for the Roman pontiffs reduced the Asiatics to a
uniform observance of Easter with the universal Church. In
this way Irenaeus must be understood, for without the loss of
faith some vigils of the apostles were not celebrated with
fasting throughout Gaul, which Germany nevertheless observes
in fasts. The princes and cities must also be admonished to
follow the decision of Pope Gregory, for he enjoins that the
custom of each province be observed if it employs nothing
contrary to the Catholic faith, Canon Quoniam, Distinct xii.
Hence we are not ignorant that there is a various observance
of dissimilar rites in unity of faith, which should be
observed in every province as it has been delivered and
received from the ancients, without injury, however, to the
universal rites of the entire Catholic Church.


VI. Of Monastic Vows.