Old Roman Catholic Church in Europe

The Old Roman Catholic Church in Europe (ORCCE) is a church operating as a communion of local churches in the Old Roman Catholic/Ultrajectine tradition in Europe, headquartered in the United Kingdom.

The ORCCE regards itself as a Catholic church of the Western tradition and follows the Latin Rite. The ORCCE enjoys fellowship with other ecclesiastical bodies internationally through inter-communion agreements and international ecumenical bodies (e.g. the World Council of Churches through the International Council of Community Churches) and is related through Apostolic Succession to the Catholic churches of the East and West (Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic).

The apostolic succession of the church is Old Catholic via Arnold Harris Mathew and historically traces its lineage back to Roman Catholic bishops. Roman Catholic commentators and the 1983 Code of Canon Law have written that sacraments administered by Old Catholics are sacramentally valid^[1] and a Roman Catholic may fulfill his Holy Day of Obligation by attending Mass celebrated by an Old Roman Catholic priest if unable to attend a Roman Catholic Mass.^[2] The Roman Catholic Church teaches, "The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches" in the 2000 declaration, Dominus Iesus, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This speaks primarily to the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, but also to "separated churches in the West", which is understood to be a reference to Old Catholics.^[3]

Beliefs

Old Catholic theology views the Eucharist as the core of the Church. From that point the Church is a community of believers. All are in communion with one another around the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as the highest expression of the love of God. Therefore, the celebration of the Eucharist is the experience of the Lord's triumph over sin. The defeat of sin consists in bringing together that which is divided.^[4]

Through communion, differences between people are reconciled and that which was scattered is brought together. In Old Catholic theology, “Church” means reconciliation. “Church” means the restoration of broken relations between God and men and men with each other. The ORCCE holds exactly the same understanding of ecclesiology as the Eastern Orthodox; from the Orthodox perspective, the Church is one, even though She is manifested in many places. Orthodox ecclesiology operates with a plurality in unity and a unity in plurality. For Orthodoxy there is no ‘either / or’ between the one and the many. No attempt is made, or should be made, to subordinate the many to the one (the Roman Catholic model), nor the one to the many (the Protestant model). It is both canonically and theologically correct to speak of the Church and the churches, and vice versa.^[5] Thus, within the ORCCE individual local churches retain their autonomy in self-governance, but subscribe to the same basic understanding of the Church and of the Faith as a communion expressing "one Church".

The ORCCE believes in unity in diversity. As a result, some diversity of belief and practice is to be found among its churches than is characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox churches. For example, some of the churches hold to the Roman dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception, others regard it as a doctrine worthy of pious belief but not necessary to believe for salvation and may hold to an Orthodox understanding of the nature of Mary; but all member churches commemorate the Feast of the Conception whether as a holyday of obligation or not. Old Roman Catholics often refer to the Church Father St. Vincent of Lerins and his saying: "We must hold fast to that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all the Faithful"^[6] as a basis for discerning and as an arbitrary tool in defining, faith and praxis. For this reason the ORCCE does not ordain women to the Sacred Ministry nor does it condone same-gender marriage and in various other ways is differentiated from the contemporary praxis and teaching of the Utrecht Union.

Mission

The mission of the church:^[7]

1. Theological Reform: to preserve and continue the orthodox Catholic Faith according to the principles found in Scripture, Tradition and Reason. "Real theological reform should consist in communicating to all men the teachings of Jesus Christ, as they are collected in the Scriptures and recorded in the universal tradition of the Church - a tradition, which also belongs to all the members of the Church. It is the duty of pastors and scholars to explain them, and it is the duty of each member to study the explanation, which appear to them wisest and most useful."
2. Ecclesiastical Reform: Old Roman Catholics are engaged in restoring the true conceptions of pastor, bishop, synod, council, ecclesiastical authority, and even infallibility according to ancient traditions. "The Church has been called from its very beginning a simple 'church' and it has been regarded in its universality, since the time when the question of universality arose, as a Christian 'republic'. The episcopal see of Rome was not long in attaining a certain priority. Rome being the capital of the empire; but it was merely a priority of honour, and not of jurisdiction."
3. Union of the Christian Churches: A better understanding generally has already been reached as to the respects in which the Christian Churches ought to be one, and those in which they ought to remain distinct and all. "When all are one in loving one another, in working together for the social well-being, in banishing from their theology every trace of anthropomorphism and politics, in becoming more spiritually-minded after the pattern of Christ, and in establishing the reign of God in every individual conscience, then the union in question will be very near being declared."

History

Background

The Old Roman Catholic Church was founded by Arnold Harris Mathew, Old Catholic Church bishop for England, on 29 December 1910. A former Roman Catholic, he was ordained priest in 1877 in Glasgow Roman Catholic Pro-Cathedral by the Most Revd Charles Eyre, Archbishop of Anazarba in partibus infidelium, Vicar-General of the Western District of Scotland, who became the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow after the restoration of the Hierarchy to Scotland. Fr Mathew was granted a degree of Doctor of Divinity by Pope Pius IX. He remained a Roman Catholic priest until, in 1889, various personal doubts and issues caused him to retire from the Roman obedience. Later in 1891 he was persuaded to "trial" the Anglican Ministry and went to assist the Rector of Holy Trinity, Sloane St, London. He was never officially received into the Church of England, neither did he formally leave the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1897, Fr Mathew had met the Revd Richard O'Halloran^[8] and became curious about the suggestion of an Old Catholic Church in Great Britain. O'Halloran had been corresponding with the Old Catholic bishops in Holland and Germany and believed that such a movement would interest a large number of disaffected Roman Catholics and Anglo-Catholics. In June 1906 the Royal Commission appointed in 1904 to inquire into "ecclesiastical disorders", afterwards known as the Ritual Commission,^[9] presented its report and this was followed by the issue of Letters of Business. It was expected that the catholic-minded Anglican clergy^[10] with their congregations, might, by Act of Parliament, be forced out of the Anglican Communion. Persuaded by O'Halloran, Mathew decided to join the movement and was elected the first Regionary Old Catholic Bishop for Great Britain and in 1908 the Old Roman Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht was petitioned to consecrate him to this charge.

On April 28, 1908, in St Gertrude's Cathedral, Utrecht], Arnold Harris Mathew was consecrated Regionary Old Catholic Bishop for Great Britain and Ireland at the hands of Mgr Gerardus Gul, Archbishop of Utrecht, assisted by Mgr James John van Thiel, Bishop of Haarlem, Mgr Nicholas Bartholomew Peter Spit, Bishop of Deventer and Mgr Joseph Demmel, Bishop of Bonn.

Bishop Mathew's election was to some extent, a precautionary endeavour by those anticipating a precipitous action of the Government regarding the Ritual Commission's findings, there were only a small number of Old Catholics in England. However, the Kings Letters of Business dealing with the Report of the Ritual Commission received no further attention as other important issues, including questions of tariff reform, claimed the immediate attention of the Government and no action was taken. The result being that those who had taken part in Bishop Mathews' election were able to remain within the Anglican Communion. Unprepared for the position in which he then found himself, Mathews disclosed the matter fully before the Dutch bishops who, with the Old Catholic bishops held an inquiry into the circumstances. Bishop Mathew was subsequently publicly exonerated from all suggestion of misrepresentation in a letter to The Guardian of 3 June 1908, the bishops also refused his request to retire and insisted he continue with the original mission.^[11]

In 1909, Mathew issued The Old Catholic Missal & Ritual,^[12] for the use of English-speaking Old Catholics with the imprimatur of Mgr Gerardus Gul, Archbishop of Utrecht. In September 1909, Bishop Mathew attended the Old Catholic Congress in Vienna, where he expressed his sympathy with the conservative position of the Dutch Old Catholics opposing the innovations being introduced among the German and Swiss Old Catholics to accept the decrees of the Holy Synod of Jerusalem (1672) and to renounce the Sacrament of Penance (auricular confession), the Invocation of the Saints and alterations in the liturgy, including the omission of the Pope's name from the Canon of the Mass. Mathew expressed fears that the trend of Continental Old Catholicism was towards Modernism, perhaps because of the growing association with Anglicans and Lutherans, and hoped for a return to the orthodox principles of the Church of Utrecht. At Utrecht, in October 1910, he assisted at the consecration of Michael John Maria Kowalski as Archbishop of the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites of Poland.

Eventually, with the support of his clergy, on 29 December 1910, Bishop Mathew issued a pastoral letter entitled "A Declaration Of Autonomy And Independence"^[13] from the Union of Utrecht Churches. This necessitated then the continuation of the Apostolic Succession for the survival of the "old" Roman Catholic faith and so on 7 January 1911, Mathew consecrated Archdeacon Francis Herbert Bacon, Canon Cuthbert Francis Hinton, Fr William Edmond Scott-Hall and Fr Frederick Clement Christie Egerton to the episcopate. An episcopal synod then followed and Bishop Mathew was unanimously elected Old Roman Catholic Archbishop of Great Britain and Ireland. In February 1911 in response and arguably in recognition of the validity of the consecrations, Pope Pius X formally excommunicated Archbishop Mathew for having consecrated bishops without permission of the Holy See (which permission the Dutch Church was granted freedom from by previous Papal Bulls).^[14]

Archbishop Mathew had been in contact with people interested in extending the presence of the Eastern Orthodox Church to Western Europe. On 5 August 1911, at a conference in Bredon's Norton, Worcestershire attended by Archbishop Gerassimos Messarra, Archbishop of Beirut, Legate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Archbishop Mathew and others. After a long and full discussion the faith of the Old Roman Catholic Church under Archbishop Mathew was considered in full accord with that of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Archbishop Mathew was then solemnly received by Mgr Messarra on behalf of Gregory IV (Haddad) and the Old Roman Catholic Church into union with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch as an autocephalous jurisdiction of the Holy Synod and on 26 February 1912, His Holiness Photius, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, also accepted this union.^[15] As this status has never been formally withdrawn or repudiated, it may be reasonably argued that Old Roman Catholic bishops are not in fact "episcopi vagantes" (an oft used term of disparagement by critics) but bishops of a canonically autocephalous church in communion with two historical Patriarchal Sees of the ancient undivided Church [see Ecumenical Relations below].

In 1914, the previous bishops having left the church for various reasons, Bishop Mathew elected Bishop Rudolph Francis Edward Hamilton de Lorraine-Brabant, Prince de Landas Berges, to continue the succession and initially to establish the ministry of the Old Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and then later in the United States. Shortly thereafter, Father Carmel Henry Carfora, an Italian Franciscan friar who had left the Roman Catholic Church, was elected to succeed Bishop de Landes Berghes as Archbishop of the Old Roman Catholic Diocese of America. Because of the move to America of Bishop de Landas Berghes, to safeguard the succession once more, Canon Bernard Mary Williams was consecrated by Archbishop Mathew on the 14th April 1916. On the 25th March 1917 Mathew appointed Bishop Williams as his successor and on the 20th December 1919 he died at South Mymms, Hertfordshire where he had retired.

Being now the only active Old Catholic Bishop in Great Britain, Mgr Williams considered the question of safe guarding the succession. Being unwilling to see any repetition of the scandals of the past (the consecrations of undisclosed Theosophists resulting in the Liberal Catholic Church), he arrived at a mutual understanding with Mgr Carfora, who had succeeded Archbishop de Landas as Archbishop of the North American Old Roman Catholic Church, that, should either die without leaving a successor, the survivor would consecrate a duly elected person to fill the vacancy.^[11] Following Archbishop Carfora's death in 1958, the North American Old Roman Catholic Church evolved into five autonomous but cooperating ecclesiastic bodies, one of which is the Old Roman Catholic Church Latin Rite. [1]

In 1925 Mgr Williams issued a new constitution which repudiated the whole historical and doctrinal position of Old Roman Catholicism, the very position upon which Archbishop Mathew had stood firm. By this constitution, he repudiated the objections^[16] of the Church of Utrecht to the Roman Church and renewed his acceptance of the canons and decrees of the council of Trent, all with the aim of creating a Pro-uniate Rite and eventual reconciliation with Rome. Archbishop Bernard Mary Williams died on the 9th of June 1952 leaving no successor.

Three priests had remained loyal to Mgr Williams and continued to maintain the Old Roman Catholic Church. They chose a former priest of Archbishop Mathew, Gerard George Shelley, who had gone to America, where he was consecrated by Bishop Marchenna - who himself had been consecrated by Archbishop Carfora - to succeed Mgr. Williams. Bishop Shelley became resident in Rome and so was able to succeed Mgr Williams as third Archbishop of the Old Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain. On Whit Sunday, 1960, Mgr Shelley consecrated Mgr Geoffrey Peter Paget King, as coadjutor Bishop for England of the Old Roman Catholic Church, and he succeeded as fourth Archbishop upon the death of Mgr Shelley. Archbishop Paget King retired in 1982 and was succeeded by Archbishop James Charles Hedley Thatcher as fifth Archbishop. Upon his retirement he was succeeded by Archbishop Denis St Pierre as sixth Archbishop and, following his death in 1993, the Most Reverend Douglas Titus Lewins succeeded as seventh Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Old Roman Catholic Church in GB^[11]. However, in 1998, Archbishop Lewins was reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church, under the authority of, the then, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and served for a time as an assistant in a parish of the Diocese of Brentwood. ^[17]

Recent

In 1999 a new group of mainly disaffected Anglo-Catholic clergy and laity, disappointed with the then small growth of the Continuing Anglican movement in Great Britain and unable to find an orthodox Old Catholic presence in the UK, approached the Old Catholic Church of the United States (OCCUSA) under the primacy of Archbishop Robert Gubala, petitioning for the creation of a Missionary Province to re-establish an orthodox Old Catholic presence in the United Kingdom (the OCCUSA being derived from one of the five autonomous dioceses created after the death of Carfora). After the consecration of its first bishop in 2000, the English Catholic Church (ECC) became an autonomous Church from the OCCUSA whilst still retaining communion with her. After a few difficult years of internal struggles mainly caused by some confusion in ideaologies and personality clashes between the founding members, the ECC eventually gained some internal stability in 2006 and after discussion with other orthodox Old/Independent Catholic Bishops on the Continent, changed its name to the Old Catholic Church in Europe (OCCE) with a view to unify disaffected Old Catholics of the Utrecht Union. Gradually attracting a number of disaffected former Roman Catholics as well as Anglo-Catholics, and desiring to reflect its adherence to the faith and tradition of Archbishop Mathew, in 2009 the OCCE became the Old Roman Catholic Church in Europe and on 5 December 2011 was received into full communion with the Old Roman Catholic Church Latin Rite [2], one of the original five jurisdictions founded after Carfora's death.^[18]

Ecumenical relations

The ORCCE does not regard itself as the sole expression of traditional Old Roman Catholicism in Western Europe and has relations and dialogue with similar traditionalist Old Catholic and Independent Catholic jurisdictions internationally. The ORCCE is in full communion with the Old Roman Catholic Church - Latin Rite which has a presence in North and South America, Africa and Asia and is regarded as the representative presence of that church in Europe.

The Old Roman Catholic Church in Europe has been approached by some traditional Anglican individuals and bodies, both within and without the Anglican Communion, seeking cordial relations. The ORCCE sees no immediate objections to the formulation of relations with traditionalist Anglo-Catholics in this way and welcomes such enquiries.

Remaining true to the stance of the Declaration of Utrecht, the ORCCE feels that the possibility of reunion with the Holy See would require discussion and agreement on the understanding and practice of the Petrine Ministry necessarily different from that promulgated as dogma by the Roman Church during the First Vatican Council. Since August 2008, through the umbrella body of the International College of CANC Bishops, the ORCCE has been in dialogoue with the Holy See through the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. At present there is no known Old Roman Catholic petition to the Holy See for a Canonical solution similar to that of Anglicanorum Coetibus offered for Anglicans despite an historical ORC concept of becoming a Pro-Uniate Rite.

The ORCCE has also been following with interest the recent development of the Union of Scranton currently consisting of the Nordic Catholic Church and the Polish National Catholic Church for Old Catholic churches disaffected with the Utrecht Union. The theological framework upon which the Union is based is currently being reviewed by the ORCCE hierarchy. However, the historical theological differences that developed between Old Catholicism (Utrecht Union) and Old Roman Catholicism (Mathew) and became visible in 1910 may provide some issues.

The hierarchy of the ORCCE hopes, after achieving a wider and more cohesive consensus of feeling and desire amongst other Old Roman Catholic jurisdictions, to approach the Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch and Alexandria for clarification and praxis regarding the existing intercommunion agreement extant since 1911 that has never been formally retracted by either party.

The ORCCE prays for the day when such discussions and agreements can be made that Christ's Church may be united once more on earth and to this end actively encourages its member congregations to participate in ecumenical activities and partnerships both at the local and where possible, national level in their respective countries. At the international level the ORCCE enjoys membership of the World Council of Churches through the International Council of Community Churches.

Current state

Members of the ORCCE clergy believe that there is a role for a "niche chaplaincy" which meets the needs of smaller groups of people who are neglected in their churches of origin. Those who wish for the Latin Mass i.e. the Tridentine Mass in Latin or in the vernacular may be accommodated without problem.

Beauty in worship

Resources

The lack of funding available to Old Roman Catholic churches means that the ORCCE has few church buildings and this is true of many denominations. A lack of resources is considered a problem by Old Roman Catholic clergy when larger groups wish to gather although it does lead to positive partnership working arrangements with other Christian groups and community organizations. The positive feature of such innovative partnerships is that resources are not wasted and clergy assert that sharing resources creates a linkage of people with ministry.

Religious services

Services are often held in a private house reflecting the house churches of ancient Rome. However, wherever possible, public spaces e.g. places of worship belonging to other denominations, may often be used. The ORCCE Mission based in Brighton, UK broadcasts Masses daily over the internet for those unable to attend a service physically i.e. in person whether through disability, immobility or circumstance e.g. distance from nearest Mass centre or working hours. The ORCCE predominantly uses the Gregorian Rite, often referred to as the Tridentine Rite, for the occasional offices as well as the 1570 Breviary and Mass with pre-1955 rubrics e.g. the traditional Rites of Holy Week without the alterations instituted by Pius XII.

Geography

The bishops and priests sometimes travel considerable distances to bring worship to small groups. Whilst time consuming and personally exhausting for individual clergy, this ministry demonstrates a real need for a responsive chaplaincy and reflects needs that are not being met by mainstream denominations.

Missions

Despite a lack of state funding and prejudice from the more established denominations, the missions of the ORCCE continue to grow slowly over time. The missions of the ORCCE have brought the Gospel to people from very different backgrounds.

Ministry

Priests and bishops within the ORCCE express their commitment to a real ministry and a ministry working with real people. Clergy have collectively asserted that they will not have relations with those who believe that a solely internet-based ministry is adequate or appropriate as a means of knowing the Risen Christ.

Intercommunion

The ORCCE is in full communion with the Old Roman Catholic Church - Latin Rite which has a presence in North and South America, Africa and Asia. There is an intercommunion agreement in place between the Catholic Apostolic National Churches in the United States, Columbia, Philippines, Argentina and Zambia. Since August 2008, through the umbrella body of the International College of CANC Bishops, the ORCCE has been in dialogoue with the Holy See through the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

Hierarchy

• College of Bishops

Europe

• The Mt Revd Msgr Jerome Lloyd OSJV, Metropolitan of Europe (UK) Dioecesis Britannia
• The Mt Revd Msgr António Fernandes de Freitas, (Portugal) Dioecesis Iberia
• The Mt Revd Msgr Serge Burglé VG, Auxillary, (France) Dioecesis Gallia
• The Rt Revd Msgr Pio Dilsen Guven VG, Bishop-Elect (Turkey) Dioecesis Anatolia

International

• The Mt Revd Boniface Grosvold, ORCC-LR Primate
• The Mt Revd Omar Rojas Gonzalez, South America
• The Mt Revd John Marochi, South Eastern USA
• The Mt Revd Denis Waterbury, American Midwest
• The Mt Revd Jean Marie Denis Ngodobo, Cameroon
• The Mt Revd Pius Corley OSB, South Central USA
• The Mt Revd Patrick F. Dunleavy, Canada
• The Mt Revd Hector M. Rojas, Auxillary Colombia
• The Mt Revd Martin W. Obam Amvella, Auxillary Cameroon
• The Rt Revd Msgr David Fucci VG, Bishop-Elect, ORCC-LR Military Vicariate United States

Consultors

• The Rt Revd Msgr Miguel A. Chamli
• The Rt Revd Msgr Stephen Porter
• Thomas Oliver, Chancellor, ORCC Latin Rite

See also

• Old Catholic Ministry

References

External links

• Parish of Saint Cuthman
• Catholic Apostolic National Church (USA)
• Catholic Apostolic National Church (Columbia)
• The ORCCE home page