(Redirected from Old Catholic)The 'Old Catholic Church' is a community of Christian churches. Many of these were German-speaking churches of laymen and clergymen who split from the
Roman Catholic Church in the
1870s because of the promulgation of the
dogma of
Papal Infallibility as promoted by the
First Vatican Council of
1869–
1870. There are now English speaking Old Catholic Churches in the United Kingdom and North America not "in-communion" with the Union of Utrecht. The term "Old Catholic" was first used in
1853 to describe the members of the
See of Utrecht, who were not under Papal authority. The Continental European Old Catholic Churches are usually a part of the
Union of Utrecht. The Old Catholic Church of Slovakia is an example of a Continental European Old Catholic Church that removed itself from the Union of Utrecht.
History
Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands
:: ''Main articles:
Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands and
Ultrajectine''
Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht Gerardus Gul (1892-1920).
was consecrated to the Episcopacy by
Pope Sergius I in
696 at
Rome. Upon his return to the
Netherlands, he established his See at
Utrecht. In addition, he established the dioceses at
Deventer and
Haarlem. The Church of
Utrecht also provided a worthy occupant for the
Papal See in
1552 in the person of
Pope Hadrian VI, while two of the most able exponents of the spiritual life,
Geert Groote, who founded the
Brethren of the Common Life, and
Thomas a Kempis, who is credited with writing the
Imitation of Christ, were both from the Dutch Church.
Granting the petition made by the
Holy Roman Emperor,
Conrad II and Bishop Heribert of Utrecht,
Blessed Pope Eugene III, in the year
1145, granted the See of Utrecht the right to elect successors to the See in times of vacancy. This privilege was affirmed by the
Fourth Lateran Council in
1215. The autonomous nature of this See was further demonstrated when a second papal grant by
Pope Leo X,
Debitum Pastoralis, conceded to Philip of Burgundy, the 57th
Bishop of Utrecht, that neither he nor any of his successors, or any of their clergy or laity, should ever be tried by a tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church and that, if any such tribunals were called against them, these would be, ipso facto, null and void. This papal concession, in
1520, was of the greatest importance in the later defense of the rights of the
Church of Utrecht. During the
Reformation the
Roman Catholic Church in the
Netherlands remained under attack and the
dioceses north of the
Rhine and
Waal eventually were dissolved and suspended by the
Holy See. Protestants had occupied most church buildings, and those left were confiscated by the government of the
Dutch Republic of Seven Provinces which favored Calvinist Protestantism.
However about one third of the population north of the Rhine in the Netherlands remained staunchly Catholic. The 17th century
Popes appointed one bishop at a time to be
Apostolic Vicar for those territories of the
Dutch Republic of Seven Provinces which lay north of the
Rhine and
Maas rivers, who, governing from the city of
Utrecht, sacramentally served the needs of the Dutch Roman Catholics. The laity were assisted by secret priests secretly celebrating Holy
Masses in private homes, farm houses, or small chapels which resembled ordinary sheds rather than parish churches. The
Apostolic Vicar of Utrecht thus had to serve from many hundreds of thousands to up to a million Catholics. German and Belgian missionaries secretly helped out. The
Apostolic Vicar was at the same time named ''Archbishop of Utrecht in partibus infidelium'' (i.e. in the land of unbelievers), not the archbishop of a restored fully operative archdiocese of Utrecht.
In
1691, the Jesuits took the step of accusing the
Apostolic Vicar of
Utrecht,
Petrus Codde, of favoring the so-called
Jansenist heresy. The Holy Father,
Pope Innocent XII appointed a Commission of
Cardinals to investigate the accusations against
Apostolic Vicar Codde, violating the previous
Debitum Pastoralis. The result of this inquiry was a complete and unconditional exoneration of the
Apostolic Vicar.
Undaunted by the decision of the Commission, the new
Pope,
Clement XI, summoned Codde to Rome in
1700 to participate in the Jubilee Year whereupon a second Commission was appointed to try Codde. The result of this second proceeding was again a complete and unconditional acquittal.
Pope Clement XI decided to issue an order which suspended the
Apostolic Vicar in
1701 and appointed a successor to the
Apostolic Vicariate of Utrecht, despite the ruling of the Commission.
Bishop Peter Codde resented the attempts by the
Papacy and the
Jesuits to interfere with the affairs of his
Apostolic Vicariate. The Dutch refused to accept the replacement the
Pope had appointed, and Codde continued in his office until he resigned in
1703.
A replacement Archbishop, Cornelius van Steenoven, was elected by dissatisfied priests in
1723. Van Steenoven was consecrated by missionary bishop
Dominique Marie Varlet, who had been made the
Coadjutor Bishop of
Babylon by the Pope, but never went to the Middle East. Varlet had instead chosen to support the Dutch Jansenists. The episcopal ordination was done without permission of the Pope, but supposedly according to the right previously granted to the See of Utrecht. Van Steenoven and his successors were not recognised by Rome, and
Apostolic Vicars (bishops in lands where the Church is not sufficiently strong to organise dioceses) were appointed to the northern Dutch Republic's territories. All those who participated in the ordination of Van Steenoven to the episcopate were excommunicated. This was the beginning of the ''Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands'', also known as the ''Ancient Catholic Church'' or the ''Roman Catholic Church of the Old Episcopal Order''.
Van Steenoven appointed and ordained bishops to the sees of
Deventer,
Haarlem and
Groningen, which had all been vacant since the dissolution of the Roman Catholic diocesan structure in the Northern
Netherlands. These appointments were again made without the consent of the
Roman Pontiff, who still considered those sees vacant.
Most Dutch Catholics did not follow the Old Catholic bishops of the Utrecht chapter but remained in
full communion with
Rome and with the
Apostolic Vicars appointed by the pope. Due to prevailing
anti-papism among the powerful Dutch
Calvinist Protestants, the non-Roman hierarchy of Utrecht was tolerated and even congratulated by the government of the
Dutch Republic.
Pope Pius IX, in
1853, received guarantees of religious freedom from the Dutch King
Willem II, and established a ''Roman'' Catholic hierarchy in the
Netherlands, which existed alongside that of the Old Catholic See of Utrecht. Thereafter in the Netherlands the Utrecht hierarchy was referred to as the 'Old Catholic Church' to distinguish it from that of Roman Catholicism. According to Roman Catholic theology, the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht has maintained apostolic succession, and its clergy thus celebrate true sacraments.
Impact of the First Vatican Council
After the
First Vatican Council in
1870, considerable groups of
Austrian,
German and
Swiss Catholics rejected the teaching on papal infallibility, and left to form their own churches. These were supported by the `Old Catholic´
Archbishop of Utrecht, who ordained their priests and bishops; later the Dutch were united more formally with many of these groups under the name "
Utrecht Union of Churches".
In the spring of
1871 a convention in
Munich attracted several hundred participants, including
Church of England and Protestant observers. The most notable leader of the movement, though maintaining a certain distance from the Old Catholic Church as an institution, was the important church historian and priest
Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger (
1799–
1890), who had already been excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church over the affair. Despite never formally becoming a member of the Old Catholic Church, Döllinger requested and took last rites from an Old Catholic priest.
The convention decided to form the "Old Catholic Church" in order to distinguish themselves from what they saw as a novelty (the doctrine of papal infallibility) in the
Roman Catholic Church. At their second convention, they elected the first Old Catholic bishop, who was ordained by the
Archbishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In
1874 they abandoned the requirement of
priestly celibacy. From the middle of the 18th century onward the Dutch Old Catholic See of Utrecht had increasingly
vernacularized its originally
Roman Rite Latin liturgy and even Gregorian chant. The vernacular was slowly adapted in the liturgy by the 1870 Old Catholic churches, until finally introduced in
1877. The Old Catholic Church in Germany received some support from the government of the new German Empire of
Otto von Bismarck, whose policy was increasingly hostile towards the Roman Catholic Church and the
Holy See in the 1870s and 1880s. In
Austrian territories, Pan-Germanic nationalist groups, like the
Away from Rome! Movement of
Georg Ritter von Schönerer, supported the conversion of Roman Catholics to Old Catholicism (or Lutheranism).
Liberal politicians and philosophers also sympathised with the Old Catholic movement.
The Old Catholic Church shares much doctrine and liturgy with the
Roman Catholic Church. However it tends to have a more liberal stance on most issues, including the eligibility of women for ordination, acceptance of homosexuality, artificial contraception (birth control) and, less frequently, liturgical reforms/innovations and
open communion.
From the Old Catholic Church website:
[1]
''The "Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany" (Katholisches Bistum der Alt-Katholiken in Deutschland) is an''
★ ''autonomous,''
★ ''episcopally, synodally structured,''
★ ''catholic''
★ ''church, which acknowledges the diversity and the essential teaching and institutions of the early, undivided church during the first millennium. Its origins lie in various Catholic reform movements.''
''Based on critical examination of the historical witnesses of early Christianity, the leaders of the Old Catholic movement developed an episcopal, synodal church structure, which incorporates the historic episcopal and priestly offices into democratic structures at all levels.''
Old Catholics in the United States and Canada
Soon after Old Catholicism's momentous events at the end of the 19th century, Old Catholic
missionaries came to the
United States.
Many Independent Old Catholic bishops in the United States claim to trace their Apostolic Succession to
Arnold Harris Mathew and the (later independent) Old Catholic Church of England, which is presently widely known as the
Old Roman Catholic Church. Father Mathew was consecrated bishop on
28 April,
1908, by Utrecht Archbishop Gerhardus Gul, assisted by the Old Catholic Bishops of Deventer and Berne, in St. Gertrude's Old Catholic Cathedral in the city of Utrecht. Only two years later, in 1910, Mathew declared his autonomy from the Union of Utrecht, with which he had experienced tension from the beginning. Bishop Mathew sent missionaries to the United States including the theosophist Bishop
James Ingall Wedgwood (
1892 -
1950) and Prince (Bishop)
Rudolph de Landas Berghes et de Rache (
1873-
1920).
Bishop de Landas arrived in the
United States on
7 November,
1914. He hoped to bring the various independent Old Catholic jurisdictions into one church under Archbishop Mathew. Bishop de Landas contributed greatly to the growth and development of the independent Old Catholic Church, ordaining and consecrating others including
William Francis Brothers and
Carmel Henry Cafora.
In the area of
Green Bay,
Wisconsin,
Joseph Rene Vilatte began working with Roman Catholics of Belgian ancestry, who tended to separate from Roman influence due to their isolated geographical position at the time. Vilatte was ordained a deacon on
6 June 1885 and priest on
7 June,
1885 by the Most Rev.
Eduard Herzog, Bishop of the Old Catholic Church of Switzerland. After his ordination, Fr. Vilatte worked diligently on behalf of his congregations in
Wisconsin, providing the only Catholic presence in his very rural part of the state.
In time, he petitioned the Old Catholic
Archbishop of Utrecht to be ordained a bishop so that he might confirm children and perform other ministrations for his people. His petition was not granted. Determined to meet the spiritual needs of his people, Father Vilatte sought opportunities in the
Eastern Orthodox and
Oriental Orthodox Churches.
He was ordained a bishop in India on the
28 May,
1892 under the jurisdiction of the
Syriac Patriarch of
Antioch. A number of western orthodox churches such as the
African Orthodox Church and the
Orthodox Catholic Church of America claim Vilatte as a kind of founder by virtue of his ordinations and consecrations.
Since the passing of the original organizers from the ecclesiastical scene, the Old Catholic Church in the United States has evolved from a centralized administration with structured oversight of ministry to a local and regional model of administration with self-governing dioceses and provinces. According to some, this local model more closely follows the ancient tradition of the early
Christian Churches as a communion of communities each laboring together to proclaim the message of the Gospel.
Today, the largest by far of these Old Catholic communities in the
United States is the
Polish National Catholic Church. There are many other U.S. groups which claim Old Catholic lineage, but few have any real membership. Unlike the Polish National Catholic Church, these have never been affiliated with or recognised by the Old Catholic
Union of Utrecht whose churches have been in communion with the
Church of England since 1931. Since late 2003, however, the PNCC has no no longer been part of the Union of Utrecht. Among the reasons for disaffiliation are Utrecht's acceptance of the ordination of women, and a more liberal attitude towards the practice of homosexuality, both of which the PNCC rejects.
The Old Catholic Church in the United States
Old Catholics in the United States interpret and understand Catholicism and the Gospel in different ways. Some are more conservative, not acknowledging female ordination, excluding persons of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender identity from full participation in the life and ministry of the Church, and some even hold to some version of the Tridentine liturgy.
Others have established communities that are fully inclusive, embracing people from all social, economic, sexual, gender, national, ideological and ethnic backgrounds, and have participated in the Liturgical Renewal movement started in the 1940s.
Many Old Catholics in the United States tend toward a revisited version of Roman Catholicism, one that either matches their memory, or how they would have liked the Roman Catholic Church to be.
Some follow closely the foundational documents of the European Old Catholics, namely the Munich Declaration, the 14 Theses and the Declaration of Utrecht, while others find these foundational statements dated, or not in conformity with their views of catholicity.
The Old Catholic Church in the United Kingdom
The English Catholic Church, formally itself an implant of orthodox Old Catholicism from the USA (originally a missionary province of the Old Catholic Church of the USA or 'OCCUS') decided, in consultation with other orthodox Bishops, to re-name itself the "Old Catholic Church in Europe" or 'OCCE
[1]' to become not just an English language representative for orthodox Old Catholicism in Europe but also to provide an organisation for orthodox Old Catholics to relate to and be cared for on the Western side of the European Continent (the Old Catholic Church of Slovakia similarly for the East). It must be stressed that these provisions for orthodox Old Catholics have yet to be formally agreed between the Churches concerned. The OCCE is a numerically small denomination and yet it remains loyal to traditional Old Catholicism and engages in partnership working with other orthodox jurisdictions within COUSPP
[2].
Many groups in the USA have tried to join the
International Bishops' Conference, but due to the lack of organization, theological training and other credentials, the IBC has ignored their requests.
Terminology
The term 'Old Catholic' is used often by many splinter groups, ranging from 'Continuing' or 'Traditionalist' to 'New Age'. Many of these self-identified Old Catholic Churches are gatherings of clergy without substantial congregations of faithful, and some allegedly exist only on the Internet. Although the Bishops of many of these groups can trace lines of Apostolic Succession through Old Catholic Churches, most of these are regarded as ''
episcopi vagantes'' even by the established, mainstream churches of the
Utrecht Union.
References
1. Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany 'Old Catholic Church Homepage'
★ Episcopi Vagantes and the Anglican Church. Henry R.T. Brandreth. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1947.
★ Episcopi vagantes in church history. A.J. Macdonald. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1945.
★ History of the So-Called Jansenist Church of Holland. John M. Neale. New York: AMS Press, 1958.
★ Old Catholic: History, Ministry, Faith & Mission. Andre J. Queen. iUniverse title, 2003.
★ The Old Catholic Church: A History and Chronology (The Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, No. 3). Karl Pruter. Highlandville, Missouri: St. Willibrord's Press, 1996.
★ The Old Catholic Sourcebook (Garland Reference Library of Social Science). Karl Pruter and J. Gordon Melton. New York: Garland Publishers, 1983.
★ The Old Catholic Churches and Anglican Orders. C.B. Moss. The Christian East, January, 1926.
★ The Old Catholic Movement. C.B. Moss. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1964.
★ ''The Old Catholics'', Anthony Cekada,
''The Roman Catholic Magazine'', 1980.
See also
★
American Catholic Church in the United States
★
Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada
★
Episcopi vagantes
★
The Evangelical Old Catholic Comunion
★
Free Church of Antioch
★
Independent Catholic Churches
★
The Liberal Catholic Church
★
Old Catholic Church of America
★
Old Catholic Church in Europe
★
Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands
Notable Old Catholics
★
Randall Garrett[3]
★
Franz Heinrich Reusch
★
Warren Prall Watters
★
Arnold Harris Mathew
External links
Old Catholic Churches
Member churches of
Utrecht Union
★
Union of Utrecht of The Old Catholic Churches
★
Old-Catholic Church of the Netherlands
★
Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany
★
Old-Catholic Church of Switzerland
★
Old-Catholic Church of Austria
★
Old-Catholic Church of the Czech Republic
★
Polish-Catholic Church of Poland
Other Churches with Old Catholic roots
★
American Apostolic Catholic Church
★
★
Holy Family Old Catholic Church The American Apostolic Catholic Church in Atlanta Georgia
★
American Old Catholic Church of Aurora, Colorado
★
Apostolic Catholic Church Charter Member - Conference of North American Old Catholic Bishops
★
British Old Catholic Church
★
Catholic Apostolic Church in North America (CACINA)
★
Catholic Church of America
★
Community of Charity Reform Catholic Church aka Independent Old Catholic Church
★
Community of The Good Samaritan American Independent Catholic Church Mission
★
Conference of North American Old Catholic Bishops
★
Ecclesia Apostolica Jesu Christi
★
Ecumenical Catholic Church USA
★
Ecumenical Catholic Communion
★
★
San Damiano Ecumenical Catholic Church Ecumenical Catholic Parish in Little Rock, AR, affiliated with the
Ecumenical Catholic Communion
★
Gemeenschap van de Goede Herder (in Dutch)
★
Independent Catholic Christian Church
★
Independent Old Catholic Church
★
Independent Catholic Church of the West
★
Independent Catholic Orthodox Alliance
★
North American Old Roman Catholic Church
★
Old Catholic Church of America
★
Old Catholic Church in Europe
★
Old Catholic Communion in North America An Old Catholic Communion open to all autocephalous Old Catholic, Orthodox Catholic, or Orthodox Anglican jurisdictions with orthdox beliefs and theology.
★
★
All Saints Old Catholic Church Old Catholic Parish in Tennessee affiliated with the
Old Catholic Communion in North America
★
★
Dove of Peace Old Catholic Church Old Catholic Parish affiliated with the
Old Catholic Communion in North America
★
★
Old Catholic Diocese of The Holy Spirit Old Catholic Diocese with orthodox theology affiliated with the
Old Catholic Communion in North America
★
★
Saint Francis Old Catholic Mission Old Catholic Parish affiliated with the
Old Catholic Communion in North America
★
★
Holy Trinity Old Catholic Church Old Catholic Parish affiliated with the
Old Catholic Communion in North America
★
Old Catholic Church of the Beatitudes Lansdowne PA Apostolic Catholic Church
★
Old Catholic Church of North America
★
★
Canticle of Christ Ministry An outreach ministry of the
Old Catholic Church of North America
★
★
Incarnation Old Catholic Mission A mission of the
Old Catholic Church of North America
★
★
St Thomas More Old Catholic Church An Old Catholic parish in Central Florida, part of the
Old Catholic Church of North America
★
Old Roman Catholic Church of Great Britain
★
Old Catholic Church in Slovakia
★
Old Episcopal Catholic Church of The Netherlands
★
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Old Catholic Church in Washington, DC
★
Servants of the Good Shepherd
★
Polish National Catholic Church
★
★
Polish National Catholic Church in Republic of Poland
★
St. Mychal Judge Old Catholic Church Dallas, Texas, USA
★
The American Catholic Church in the United States
★
The Ancient Apostolic Communion
★
The Ecumenical Catholic Church
★
The Ecumenical Catholic Communion
★
The Evangelical Old Catholic Communion (EVOCC)
★
The North American Old Catholic Church An inclusive Catholic faith community (Chicago, IL.; Washington, DC.; Milwaukee, WI.; Louisville, KY.; Athens, TN.)
★
The Old Catholic Church of British Columbia
★
The Old Catholic Church in Europe
★
The Old Catholic Mariavite Church
★
The Old Roman Catholic Church in North America
★
The Reformed Catholic Church
★
The United Catholic Church
★
United Ecumenical Catholic Church North America
★
United Ecumenical Catholic Church Europe and the United Kingdom
★
United Ecumenical Catholic Church Metropolitan Region of Australasia
★
United Reform Catholic Church International
★
Old Catholic Brazil - ++Lucas Macieira da Silva
Liberal Catholic Churches with Old catholic roots and
theosophical tenets
★
The Liberal Catholic Church Overview of the entire Liberal Catholic movements, regardless of jurisdiction
★
The Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the USA The American branch of the more traditional church which emphasizes theosophical tenets
★
Liberal Catholic Church International The church in which theosophical tenets are allowed but not emphasized
★
The LCCI Province of Great Britain and Ireland
★
The Liberal Rite An independent Liberal Catholic community
★
The Reformed Liberal Catholic Church
★
The Young Rite Ritual in an esoteric Christian tradition
Religious Orders
★
Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary An Independent Catholic Religious Order
★
Franciscans of Divine Providence A canonical Religious Order to the Trinitarian Catholic Church
★
Order of Port Royal Ecumenical Cistercian Congregation
★
The Order of Sevant Franciscans Ecumenical community of faith
★
The Society of Pope Saint Anacletus An Old Catholic Benedictine order
Other links
★
Table of the Old Catholic Apostolic Succession
★
Bonn Agreement
★
Old Roman Catholics - a term paper by Mariruth Graham
★
Declaration of Independence (1910) of the English ''Old Roman Catholic Church'' from the
Utrecht Union, by Archbishop
Arnold Harris Mathew
★
''The Old Catholics'', Rev. Anthony Cekada, 1980. In: ''The Roman Catholic Magazine''.
★
Disunion of Utrecht: Old Catholics Fall Out Over New Doctrines. An article by Laurence J. Orzell
★
Independent Movement Database - A free encyclopedia of information on the Independent Movement.
★
Ind-Movement.org: The World of Autocephalous Churches Extensive information and links concerning Old Catholic and other Churches claiming valid
Apostolic Succession which are separate from the more mainstream
Roman Catholic,
Orthodox, and
Anglican Churches.
★
Anglican Relations with Old Catholics
★
''Catholic Encyclopedia'' on the Old Catholics (Döllingerites)
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