Answers to Common Questions

Q. .

Catholics who "believe and are baptized" are indeed Christians. Being a Christian is not dependent upon what Church you attend, or the good works that you do, but rather on your relationship with Jesus Christ. There are people who attend any Church: Protestant, Catholic, or Nondenominational, who may have never committed their trust in the saving grace of our Lord. Expressing these truths in love is part of our distinctive mission.

The American Old Catholic Church is dedicated to the evangelization of our particular communities and establishing new missionary outreaches in the furtherance of the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus, before ascending into heaven, commanded his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize all nations: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:15-16); “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world” (Mt 28:18-20; cf. Lk 24:46-48; Jn 17:18,20,21; Acts 1:8).

The Church's universal mission is born from the command of Jesus Christ and is fulfilled in the course of the centuries in the proclamation of the mystery of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the mystery of the incarnation of the Son, as saving event for all humanity. The fundamental contents of the profession of the Christian faith are expressed thus: “I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.”

I like to refer to us as "Born Again Catholics," or simply "Catholic Christians."

Yes, there is more than one Catholic Church. There are several Catholic jurisdictions (or denominations) including Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Polish National Catholic, Assyrian Church of the east, and various independent Old Catholic jurisdictions including the American Old Catholic Church of which we are a part.

Since we decided to become a visible witness of Christ's Church to the world, we often receive email from people who for any number of reasons resent the fact that we call ourselves "Catholic." It is true; we are not Roman Catholics. Our clergy are permitted to be married. We do not consider divorce to be a sin worthy of separation from the sacraments of the Church. And we do not submit ourselves to the leadership of the Pope.

The distinctives that separate us from the Roman Church seem to be a source of consternation for many faithful Roman Catholics. I want to take this opportunity to say that we respect the Roman Catholic Church, their sacraments, it’s curia, magesterium, clergy and laity. We believe in the same God and recite and profess the same ancient creeds. Our sacraments are the same and our liturgies are similar. Our bishops and clergy are ordained into Apostolic Succession just like the Roman Catholic Church.

We do not require annulments. We do not believe in saying that a marriage did not exist. Rather, we believe in the disillusionment of ones past vows, similar to a priest leaving his vows and the ministry. Therefore, our Church permits the remarriage of a divorced person after counseling. We do not believe that divorce is the "unforgivable sin."

Our statement on marriage and divorce.

Click here to view the official Roman Catholic view on the divorced and remarried receiving the sacraments.

The American Old Catholic Church believes and teaches that family planning is best left to the conscience and judgment of the married couple. We do not believe that it is an infallible moral teaching that if you use birth control measures you must give up your Catholic faith, as required by the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Curia warns Roman Catholics who reject the "truth of Catholic doctrine.":
On June 30, 1998 Pope John Paul II apostolic letter Ad Tuendam Fidem "To defend the Faith" inserted certain penalties into the code of canon law for those who dissent from "definitive" but noninfallible teachings. In an accompanying declaration from CDF, Cardinal Ratzinger warned that those who dissent from truths such as these would be in a position of "rejection a truth of Catholic doctrine and would therefore no longer be in full communion with the Catholic Church"

See an NCR translation/summary of Ad Tuendam Fidem

First off, your parish priest is misinformed; the Roman Catholic Magesterium does not teach this position. American Old Catholic deacons, priests, and bishops are ordained to the same sacramental and apostolic ministry as are their Roman Catholic Church (RCC) counterparts, they even share a common heritage of apostolic succession. However, Roman Catholics who wish to be faithful to the teachings of the RCC are obligated to receive the sacraments from their local parish or another local RCC if there are traveling. They may only receive the sacraments outside their Church in cases of dire emergency.

We believe that the sacraments bring us into a deeper relationship with the whole church (i.e. the body of Christ – the "universal" catholic Church). While the RCC teaches that (according to Msgr. Richard A. Loomis, vicar for clergy for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles [1]); "The choice of a church can have serious implications, first Communion and Confirmation are viewed as sacraments of initiation that bring one deeper into a relationship with the Church," he said. "In our view, people who receive these sacraments in the Old Catholic Church have made a formal act which separates them from their faith," Loomis said.

Clearly, for the RCC the sacraments are a sectarian and guarded treasure. For Old Catholic Churches, Christians from all faith expressions (including Roman Catholic) are welcome to participate in our sacramental ministries.

We as "Old" Catholics, feel a distinct calling to reach out to the multitudes of Roman Catholics, who for reasons of conscience no longer feel welcome to partake of the Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Yes, by the Roman Catholic Church’s own policy, if you are a Roman Catholic in good standing, and wish to remain so, you should not participate in our sacramental ministry. However, if you or your family are falling through the sacramental cracks of the Roman Catholic Church, contact your local Old Catholic Parish. You will be welcomed!

1 L.A. Times Special Report titled "A Confusion of Churches." 2-27-00 by Margaret Ramirez

It would be inaccurate to say that we don't believe in the Pope. It would be more correct to say that Old Catholics do not believe in the dogma of "Papal Infallibility" and therefore have separated themselves from Papal authority. Papal Infallibility is not an historic, authentic Catholic belief, nor was it ever a part of the teachings of Jesus, the Apostolic Traditions, nor of the early Church Fathers. The dogma of Papal Infallibility which was promulgated at Vatican I, is the primary factor which caused the Churches who became Old Catholic to break away from Rome. They called themselves "Old Catholics" because they sought to turn the clock back and adhere to the faith, beliefs and practices of the One Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church prior to the Schism of 1054.

Click here to view a foundational document of the Old Catholic Church -- The Declaration of Utrecht