3. Attempts of the Episcopal Church to Draw Near the Orthodox East. The Memorandum of the “Association of the Eastern Church” and the Attitude of the General Conventions of 1868–1874 Toward the Question of Church Unity. The “Greek-Russian Committee” and its Activities. The External and Internal Aspects of These Attempts. The Attitude of Roman Catholic Literature Toward Them and Alarm in the Roman Catholic Camp. The Possible Significance of the Fact of Church Unity for the Mission of Orthodoxy in America. Foundations for Unity. Conclusion. (Cont.) (2)

In the religious life of the American people, three forces are now at work, having different significance. The chief of them is a potential force, which, expressing itself in the seeking of the American religious spirit for the immutable truth of the Church, makes itself known in dissatisfaction with the present forms of church-religious life and in an unclear, but nonetheless strong striving toward “canonicity,” as the general expression of the church-religious ideal. This force acts throughout the American religious world, without distinction of churches, sects, and confessions. Another force is the force of Episcopalism, as a church more or less closely approaching the ideal of Catholicity. This force struggles for its own distinctiveness as an independent church, and even asserts claims to realize in itself the church truth that the American spirit seeks, and thus to give real being to the potential striving of this spirit. But at the first attempt, the inner inadequacy of this force to fulfill the great task becomes apparent; therefore it itself seeks external support and, as a church that has more than others preserved the wholeness of Catholic tradition, this church more clearly than others knows where to seek the stable Catholic principles in their immutable historical wholeness, and hence its inclination toward the Orthodox East and its seeking of unity with it. In this respect the Episcopal Church serves as a guide to the wandering American spirit toward the Catholic Church that it dimly seeks and in which it can find final rest. From such a position of Episcopalism, it is fully clear what enormous significance the actual realization of its striving for unity with the Orthodox Eastern Church could have for directing the religious consciousness of the American people. Finally, the third force is Roman Catholicism, which presents itself as an independent and steadily active claimant to the title of the sole Catholic Church, which alone can satisfy the demands of the American religious spirit. Relying on its profound historical antiquity and with the help of its mighty church organization, it not only serves as a brake on the striving of the American religious spirit toward the Orthodox East, but also makes great conquests for itself, directing this spirit into the bosom of its church as the sole representative of true Catholicity. In the past century it has achieved extraordinary success in this regard and has made not only vast factual acquisitions, but has also acquired great public significance, representing a pledge of future success.

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