Some argue, for example, that it offers the best pathway for procuring and preserving unity in the church. Only with a central authority that can speak infallibly, it is argued, do we have a decisive mechanism for resolving differences. And to be sure, there is real efficiency and power in having an office with such unparalleled authority. But for the rest of the Christendom, including not only Protestants but also the Old Catholics and various non-Catholic Eastern traditions, the papacy is arguably the single greatest barrier to unity.
