Friday, December 30, 2011

Declaration of Autonomy: 101 Years of Fragmentation

On December 29th, 1910, Bishop Arnold Harris Mathew, Old Catholic Bishop of Great Britain declared autonomy from the continental Old Catholic Church, forming a 101 year (and counting) schism between the Union of Utrecht and his successors. Mathew announced 9 points of disagreement between his community and those of the Union of Utrecht:

  1. Mathew accepted the Council of Jerusalem in 1672 and the belief that all 7 Sacraments are necessary for salvation although not all 7must be received by each Christian. 
  2. Mathew stated that the Sacrament of  Reconciliation is necessary for the forgiveness of mortal sins committed after Baptism. 
  3. Mathew stated, the veneration of the Communion of Saints must be maintained and never lost.
  4. Matthew asserted that the Old Catholic Church cannot change the ancient liturgy and it must remain the same, although in the vernacular. Also, benediction must be retained. 
  5. Mathew claimed that praying for the Pope must be retained in the canon of the Mass.
  6. Mathew stated that the Eucharist should be celebrated daily. 
  7. Mathew stated that the use of holy images, statues, and relics must be maintained. 
  8. Mathew stated that the Eucharist should only be given to Catholics.
  9. Mathew claimed that fasting and abstinence must be retained. 


With this declaration, Mathew ceased to be Old Catholic and then Old Roman Catholic. This date is not a proud date or a feast, but a day of reflection for those who are his successors. Today, very few churches adhere to the declarations of Mathew, but most adhere to some aspects of it. The question for those who claim to be his successors is, are you Old Catholic or Old Roman Catholic? And if so, why? 

1 comment:

  1. I write as the Vicar Apostolic for the Old Roman Catholic Church in Europe and can tell you that we still hold to Bishop Mathew's declarations. We are ourselves part of the Old Roman Catholic Church Latin Rite, one of the oldest still extant ORC churches derived directly from Bishop Mathew. We have congregations in Canada, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. There are only half a dozen jurisdictions of direct descent from Bishop Mathew's original Old Roman Catholic church and we are known to each other and generally cooperate quite amicably. However, there is sufficient difference between us and say the PNCC for intercommunion to be problematic.

    It is the "Old Catholic" (non-Utrecht)churches of various stripes, including the Liberal Old Catholics who have continued to multiply through fractious endeavour; of those there are a huge number! As the Utrecht Union has progressed, so these other bodies more closely resemble it - liberality in theology, sacraments, liturgy, unions etc. It is a wonder that they have not sought greater cooperation with Utrecht as the Union has grown closer to them in outlook and praxis?

    Many thanks for this blog! It is very useful to know what's going on for the Utrecht Union.

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