What is the relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

The Episcopal Church (also officially known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America) is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States (including its unincorporated territories), but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe.[2][3][4] The Episcopal Church is the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States and most other territories where it has a presence (excluding Europe). The Episcopal Church describes itself as being "Protestant, Yet Catholic".[5] In 2009, the Episcopal Church had a baptized membership of 2,175,616 both inside and outside the U.S. In the United States, it had a baptized membership of 2,006,343, making it the nation's fifteenth largest denomination

CNN World ----------October 20, 2009,

The Vatican said Tuesday it has worked out a way for groups of Anglicans who are dissatisfied with their faith to join the Catholic Church.

The process will enable groups of Anglicans to become Catholic and recognize the pope as their leader, yet have parishes that retain Anglican rites, Vatican officials said. The move comes some 450 years after King Henry VIII broke from Rome and created the Church of England, forerunner of the Anglican Communion. The parishes would be led by former Anglican clergy -- including those who are married -- who would be ordained as Catholic priests, said the Rev. James Massa, ecumenical director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Episcopal church responds to Vatican

by Dennis Coday on Oct. 20, 2009

• NationalCatholicReporter Today

• Follwoing is a response sent from the office of Public Affairs of the Episcopal Church:

• From The Episcopal Church on the recent statement from the Vatican

  [October 20, 2009] The following is from The Episcopal Church:

  We have received the Vatican's statement and the joint statement signed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster. We are in dialogue with the Archbishop's office and will, in the coming days, continue to explore the full implications of this in our ecumenical relations.

  The announcement reflects what the Roman Catholic Church, through its acceptance of Anglican rite parishes, has been doing for some years more informally.

  We in the Episcopal Church continue to look to the Holy Spirit, who guides us in understanding of what it means to be the Church in the Anglican Tradition.

  We continue to remain in dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church through participation in the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Consultation (ARCIC) and the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the USA (ARC-USA).

  The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and works together with other Provinces and with our ecumenical and interfaith partners to promote God's reign on earth

  Bishop Christopher Epting

  Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations

  The Episcopal Church

  October 20, 2009

  Roman Catholic AnswerThe Catholic Church looks at our separated brothers as falling into two categories: those who remain Churches as they retain a valid priesthood and valid sacraments, although they are separated from the See of Peter, this would include the Orthodox, the Old Catholics, the Polish National Catholics, the Society of St. Pius X, etc. The other category are the protestant "ecclesial communities" which, in the main, retain a valid baptism and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior but have lost their priesthood and sacraments. This would include the Episcopal Churches, which are an offshoot of the Anglican Church in England. However, as noted above, they are very close, and as their "Church" continues to drift farther and farther away from Christianity, the more conservative of their members are, happily, returning to the Catholic Church from which they have been tragically separated for nearly five centuries.