About Catholicism beyond Rome

What is Catholicism?
The One Holy Catholic Church embraces all followers of Jesus Christ, and a liberal perspective would go further to extend its membership to mankind in its entirety. For our purposes in discussion, Catholics are those with faith in God through Jesus Christ and sacramental validity through the Apostolic Succession, an unbroken line of bishops tracing descent through the laying on of hands from the Apostles themselves. Catholics are distinct from Protestant Christians who do not generally stand within the Apostolic Succession, although in recent years there has been some degree of crossover between these categories. The Anglican Communion stands between the two divisions, with both Catholic and Protestant elements. Catholic does not purely mean "Roman Catholic", as will be explained below, although all Catholics have a common heritage with the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Churches through the Apostolic Succession, with many tracing that line through the Papacy.

What is a denomination?
A denomination is an organisation of Christian believers with a common vision and administration. Christianity is divided into many denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Churches and many more, some of which will probably be unfamiliar to the general reader. Whatever the differences between denominations, and they can be considerable, they share in common a faith in God and in Jesus Christ.

Are there many Catholic denominations? How can they be grouped and understood?
Yes, there are. The larger denominations include the Roman Catholic and Polish National Catholic Churches, while there are many smaller denominations. We will categorise the various churches, orders and other groups as Continuing Anglican, Old Catholic, Independent Catholic and Independent Orthodox respectively, while acknowledging that further designations are used, and not all churches fit into these categories or agree as to our categorizations.

Who are the Continuing Anglicans?
The Continuing Anglican movement consists of those churches that have seceded from the Anglican Communion during the nineteenth or twentieth-centuries, usually to pursue a more conservative theological position. These groups may be Low Church, Broad Church or High Church in orientation, and therefore some will not regard themselves as Catholic in any sense. Equally, some are connected historically or currently with Old Catholic churches in particular. As below, some of these groups are relatively large while others are very small.

Who are the Old Catholics?
The Old Catholic Church seceded from the Roman Catholic Church in 1724 and has since divided as its succession has been passed to other communities via bishops consecrated for the UK, Poland (the Mariavite Church) and the USA. In continental Europe, Old Catholicism is centred upon the large Utrecht Union, which embraces most continental European Old Catholics and which is now in union with the Anglican Communion. The Utrecht Union regards the Church of England as its presence in the UK. Whereas the Utrecht Union is moderately Protestant and liberal in character, Old Catholics in the UK and USA are generally traditionalists who seek to continue the use of the Tridentine Mass (often in the vernacular), and who are aligned to much of Roman Catholicism with the exception of allowing a married priesthood and certain other detailed theological differences. These differences vary widely between communities, though few communities outside the Utrecht Union concede the validity of Anglican orders.

In the United States, Old Catholic communities have in a number of cases grown and prospered, and although not approaching the size of the mainstream denominations, nevertheless represent a sustainable and credible tradition. In the UK, where Old Catholics have faced tremendous hostility from both Anglicans and Roman Catholics, it has been far more difficult for them to gain a foothold, with communities mostly being very small and the entire tradition in danger of dying out on occasion. In the contemporary era, Old Catholicism in the UK has benefitted from its growth and increasing strength in the USA and elsewhere, so that most, but not all, groups now have some form of American connection. With an ordination track being made available to most if not all members of these smaller churches, their model tends not to be that of a traditional parish but rather a clergy union or dispersed order.

It is unfortunately common for Old Catholic churches (both small and large) not to recognize each other or to declare each other invalid or heretical. Although to an outsider the groups themselves and the differences between them appear very small, those differences are essential to the very nature of the group. If they were not, they would have found a way to unify by now. No Old Catholic church in the USA or the UK is part of the Utrecht Union, although the Old Catholic Church of British Columbia, Canada, was for a time part of it. Many Old Catholics regard the modernist and liberal direction of the Utrecht Union as heretical. To illustrate this, the Polish National Catholic Church and the Old Catholic Church of Slovakia left the Union in 2003 and 2004 respectively in protest at the Union's increasing liberalism. However, some Old Catholic Churches in the USA are involved actively in plans to gain formal recognition from the Utrecht Union. The Polish National Catholic Church is actively seeking union with the Roman Catholic Church, while some others of the Old Catholic denominations seek recognition as a Uniate Rite of Rome. Others maintain a Traditional Catholic perspective and view Rome as having fallen into doctrinal error, particularly since Vatican II.

Who are the Traditional Catholics?
Groups designated as Traditional Catholic have much in common with Old Catholics in practice, not least in their commitment to a Tridentine liturgy, but usually derive their Apostolic Succession from a postwar Roman Catholic consecration and see themselves as the "true" Roman Catholic Church where that church has fallen into doctrinal error. Most seek to preserve the Church from the period before Vatican II, although sometimes the cause of the breach is to be found in earlier changes. There is rarely any crossover with Old Catholic or Independent Catholic groups, but this is not definitively the case, especially as the traditionalist movement becomes more disparate.

Some Traditional Catholics are sedevacantist, in that they believe that the See of St. Peter has been vacated, either through manifest error in doctrine, invalid election, or through candidates being ineligible through being Freemasons, or for other reasons. For these people, the question of whether the Pope is a Catholic is truly moot. However, most sedevacantists have a direct heritage in Roman Catholicism rather than in Old or Traditional Catholic groups, to whose existence they may well be actively opposed. In rare cases, sedevacantists create open schism by forming a conclave (in which case they are properly described as conclavists) and electing a candidate to the vacant Papal see. This gives rise to the current existence of several antipopes around the world, at least one of whom was a layperson before election. Most sedevacantists do not support the conclavist position.

Who are the Independent Catholics?
Independent Catholic groups differ in that their orientation is progressive rather than traditionalist, although there is often some degree of crossover with Old Catholic groups in their history. These churches may use traditional liturgies, but are theologically liberal or largely non-dogmatic. It is these groups that are generally known as the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM). Independent Catholic groups include the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch and the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, to name just two of many.

Independent Catholic groups vary from the moderately conservative to the liberal and indeed the experimental, and can be highly conservative on some issues while being highly liberal on others. They include esoteric movements such as Liberal Catholicism and Gnosticism, groups with a mixture of Catholic and Protestant heritage, reforming and "progressive" Catholics and others which are more difficult to classify. Many seek to reclaim the approach of the early pre-Constantinian church and are consequently extremely spiritually open. The book "The Many Paths of the Independent Sacramental Movement" by Bishop John Plummer offers an overview of some of these groups. These groups often embrace optional celibacy, the ordination of women, the use of evolving forms of liturgy, theological liberalism, mysticism, and inclusivity of many kinds. They include many clergy who are married or civilly partnered, with a generally strongly inclusive stance towards gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgendered clergy. Some groups bless gay unions or celebrate gay marriages. Unlike the other classifications of groups we have mentioned, there is often interchange and productive dialogue between these groups, with bishops from different groups collaborating in ordinations and on other issues. Many often see their work as primarily one of inner spiritual transformation focussed on the individual, rather than as a church for the many. Some see their mission as specifically New Age, ecumenical or transformative.

Who are the Independent Orthodox?
Independent Orthodoxy is a highly complex area and is characterized by a number of churches, some of some size, which function as self-governing or autocephalous communities. These are rarely recognized by the mainstream Orthodox churches but even here some limited exceptions do exist. There is a high degree of antagonism between ultramontane "canonical" Orthodoxy, whose members often reject ecumenism and regard their church as the only true church, and the independent communities, and the view that there is no legitimate Orthodoxy outside the canonical churches is often expressed. However, some US Orthodox missions from the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries continue to exist independently today and their successions have cross-fertilized widely with independent and Old Catholics of all theologies.

Are there any other groupings?
Some groups hold a valid Apostolic Succession (and value this) but are not recognizably Christian at all. In this category are the Thelemic churches in particular, whose beliefs are based on the teachings of Aleister Crowley.  A number of successions from these churches have passed into the Independent Catholic movement.

Are all Catholic churches Roman Catholic?
In order to answer this question fully, we must draw a distinction between those denominations we regard as Independent Catholic and those which are Old Catholic, Traditional Catholic, sedevacantist or conclavist in their positions.

Each Catholic church is one of many denominations within the One Holy Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest of these denominations, followed in size by those Orthodox churches in communion with Rome. The other Catholic churches are smaller, while in some cases nevertheless embracing a following of some many thousands. Many assert universal membership, thus making the question of numbers difficult to assess. All Catholic denominations not in communion with Rome are independent and autonomous (self-governing), with their metropolitan, archbishop or presiding bishop as earthly authority. While most honour and respect the work of the Roman Catholic Church, and have many beliefs in common with many of its members, they are not controlled or governed by the Pope or other Roman Catholic authorities, and in some cases do not accept a number of the Roman Catholic Church's teachings.

Many Old or Traditional Catholics do perceive themselves as Roman Catholic in that they are groups that have reacted against what they see as Roman error, in many cases the reforms of Vatican II, though in some cases against much earlier issues. In this case they perceive themselves as continuing the "true church" while the mainstream of the Roman Catholic Church has been corrupted and continues in heresy. These groups often seek recognition of some kind from Rome, and in rare cases their orders have been acknowledged as valid and their priests reconciled, although usually on the condition that they only celebrate the Mass in private. 

Most of these groups maintain a strictly male clergy (a few allow women to become deaconesses), although some allow clergy to marry either before or after ordination and few maintain compulsory celibacy. There are certainly gay and bisexual clergy, though few are openly so, and the phenomenon of the church that outwardly condemns homosexual activity while consisting almost entirely of gay men is not unknown. Some groups are more liberal on some issues than others, not always predictably. Some groups have established formal or informal collaborations and concordats.

Many Independent Catholics, while acknowledging their historical and sometimes ecumenical links to the mainstream churches, see their work as separate and distinct from them, and unlike Old or Traditional Catholics do not desire recognition, acceptance by or reform of the mainstream churches. They see their churches as pursuing a specific mission not addressed by others.

Some reforming Catholics assert their identity as Roman Catholics as an act of activism. The group "Married Priests Now", which includes some whose orders derive from the Old Catholic movement, identifies as Roman Catholic; its members are all married men in Holy Orders deriving from Archbishop Milingo, although several hold orders through Old Catholic lines as well. Bishop Romulo Braschi, who ordained seven women priests in 2002, takes a similar position, as do those he has ordained.

The most commonly stated position of the Roman Catholic Church is that these groups are schismatic since they are not in communion with Rome, but that some if not most of their (male) clergy may be valid since they have been ordained in the Apostolic Succession. This gives rise to the "valid but illicit" formula of which a more detailed explanation is given here. Until fairly recently, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was prepared to investigate and publically declare the validity of the Holy Orders of particular bishops not directly subject to Rome, and as a result several Old Catholics today hold documentation of their validity from the Vatican itself.

An example of "valid but illicit" in practice is provided by the January 2009 remission of the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of St Pius X who were automatically excommunicated on their illicit consecration by Archbishop Marcel Lefebre in 1988. The proof of the validity of the consecration was provided by the full recognition by the Vatican of the episcopal status of these bishops now they have reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church and their excommunication has been remitted. However, at the time of writing, they remain under canonical suspension a divinis as are the other clergy of the Society.

One bishop consecrated illicitly in 1991 by the Society of St Pius X bishops (Bishop Licinio Rangel) fully reconciled with the Holy See in 2001 and was appointed to a titular see in 2002.

Do other Catholic Churches have valid sacraments? Why does this matter?
Yes they do. It is a condition of catholicity that sacraments be valid in matter, form and intent. In practice, this means that to be considered validly Catholic, clergy must be ordained in the Apostolic Succession by the laying on of hands. The Apostolic Succession is an unbroken line of transmission of Holy Orders from a bishop all the way back to a named Apostle, and any Catholic bishop should be able to produce this heritage if asked. All valid Catholic churches can trace their lines of Apostolic Succession back ultimately to bishops consecrated by the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church or by the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Churches.

In recent years at least one group has appeared on the internet claiming to be "Old Catholic" with no evidence of any Apostolic Succession whatsoever, and others have made claims that are intentionally or through error false. To avoid being deceived, always verify that an Old Catholic church has evidence that their clergy have been ordained in Apostolic Succession. Such evidence should be available in the form of ordination certificates, succession tables and where possible photographs of the consecration ceremony.

Who is the head of those Catholic Churches not in communion with Rome? Is there a central figure like the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury?
The head of all Independent Catholic Churches is ultimately Jesus Christ Himself. In the United Kingdom and the United States, Independent Catholic Churches follow a decentralised model. This means that each community is independent of others and is run by its bishops. There is no central figure or administrative organisation at the present time that has responsibility for all the communities together.

This situation follows the model of the early Christian (pre-Constantinian) Church, in which each community enjoyed freedom of faith and worship. As a result of this freedom, Catholic churches not in communion with Rome can be very different from each other. Some are very traditionalist and conservative in their positions, while others are very liberal. Some seek to offer an alternative form of Roman Catholic worship, such as the Tridentine Mass, while others see themselves as distinct in tradition from the Roman Catholic Church and as a separate Christian tradition in their own right.

Although from time to time one church or another has tried to create a dogmatic unification movement, all attempts to persuade churches to surrender their autonomy have ultimately ended in failure. Catholics not in communion with Rome value and fiercely guard their independence, and are generally happier to remain small than to risk losing their church identity to become a part of a wider body. This does not mean that they do not ultimately pray for the reunification of the One Holy Catholic Church, but that they regard unity in itself as of lesser importance than integrity in their profession of faith. In a number of cases, the very existence of their church derives from this search for personal authenticity in faith.

Where are the cathedrals and churches?
Unlike the larger denominations, Catholics outside the Roman communion rarely have access to the funds necessary to support elaborate church buildings; indeed doing so is a continuing struggle even for those larger denominations. In the United States, some groups have access to well-equipped churches and even cathedrals, while others meet in more informal settings through choice or financial need. These groups are largely house-church organisations, worshipping at home oratories and shared chapels. This form of worship again recalls the earliest Christians, who built up a tradition of home worship that also continues in other communities today, such as the Amish and some Unitarians. Home worship has many advantages; it does not separate religious observance from the rest of one's life, and the presence of an oratory, however small, is a continuing reminder in one's home of the presence of Christ.

How many clergy are there in the movement? How do they operate?
It is impossible to give a fully accurate picture of the number of clergy ordained in Catholicism outside the Roman communion. In the U.K. we estimate that there are currently around seventy to eighty bishops and over one hundred other clergy. In the United States the numbers are far higher, and if large groups such as the P.N.C.C., the Philippine Independent Church and I.C.A.N. are included, the total would be very high indeed.

Most clergy are non-stipendiary. This means that they support themselves through having a separate day job and offer their vocation as an act of Christian service. At present, there is no salaried ministry in most Catholic churches, though clergy may receive donations for work such as funerals or blessings, and in a few cases this work may be enough to support a full-time living. As communities grow in the future, it is the hope of many that we will reach the point where a salaried ministry may become a possibility. Until then, their clergy live among the communities they serve and experience life alongside them, following the model of the worker-priest movement that emerged in the Roman Catholic Church in post-war France. They come from all walks of life, including graduate professionals, tradesmen and craftsmen, the retired and those originally pursuing ministry in another denomination.

What do these churches actually do?
Above all, they are communities of worship and prayer. They meet regularly to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Each member of the clergy will also pursue personal devotions as he or she decides - there is no central imposition as to this matter. Some clergy say the Divine Office daily; others celebrate Complin privately, and still others use esoteric liturgies or non-liturgical forms of intercession.

Many clergy perform the normal functions expected of the clergy. That means they conduct services of baptism, blessings of civil marriage and partnership, funerals, healing ministry, pastoral counselling and in some cases other specific ministries in keeping with a particular situation or calling. Most groups are strongly rooted within their communities; not all have websites, and those who do generally treat them as informational bulletins rather than as an active means of internet ministry.

Is the Catholic movement not in communion with Rome merely a haven for former Roman Catholics?
There are certainly former Roman Catholics in the Roman Catholic movement not in communion with Rome, as well as those who are in a "semi-detached" position to Rome, but there are also numerous former members of other denominations, and also some who were actually born into the movement.