What is the Old Catholic Church

 

The Old Catholic Church Is Neither Protestant, Nor Is It the Product of the Reformation

The Old Catholic Church is not a group of Catholics who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church to start its own church. If anything, the Old Catholic Church regards the Roman Catholic Church as the church that broke away--hence the name “Old” Catholic. The issue that caused a “schism” in the church was that of Papal Infallibility, which was also linked to the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. (More about that later). To be fair, the Roman Church has had a habit of breaking away, so it shouldn’t then be surprising that Protestants broke away from it.  

The original geographic center for the universal (catholic) church was Jerusalem. The Bible makes that much clear. Yet, other religious centers soon emerged in Antioch, Alexandria, and elsewhere including Rome. When Constantine made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire, and then later favored it, Constantinople became the Christian geographical center. The church councils confirmed Constantinople and Jerusalem as the primary centers of Christianity, and listed Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome as secondary in importance.

MORE...

WHY ISN'T THE "OLD" CATHOLIC THE "ROMAN" CATHOLIC CHURCH?

Reviews

[Wolfwind]

Very nicely presented. I've always been keen on the ancient histories of this world, be them of social or religious lines, never took away from that fascination. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! It's very much appreciated. =)

Aaron - Wolfwind

[icelandicblue]

That was incredibly interesting. Thank you for sharing that. I didn't know. I see schism and I think Avignon. That was wonderfully educational.

[TLK]

This is the most level-headed personal account of schism that I have ever read. This increases the credibility of your spiritual beliefs in my eyes very much. I am sure that mainstream Catholic countries could do with this kind of analysis -- and, in fact, I have been told that many Catholics are indeed asking fori t.

[Emerald Seas]

An enjoyable read, thank you Father for posting some history of the Catholic church. I look forward to reading more.