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Old Catholic Church

A group of Christian churches, mainly in central Europe, formed after Vatican I that reject papal infallibility while retaining catholic liturgy, episcopal orders, and close relations with Anglicanism.

Author: Leandro Alegsa Creation date: November 13, 2022 Last updated: May 25, 2026

en.wikipedia.org · CC BY-SA 3.0

Overview

The Old Catholic Church denotes a group of independent Christian churches that identify with historic catholic traditions but reject certain developments of the Roman papacy. Originating in Europe, especially German- and Dutch-speaking regions, these churches emphasize local governance by bishops and synods, retention of the catholic sacraments and rites, and openness to liturgical and pastoral reform.

Key characteristics

Ecclesiology: Episcopal structure with national or regional churches governed by synods rather than central papal authority.
Theology: Catholic in sacramental life but critical of papal infallibility and universal jurisdiction as defined at the First Vatican Council (1870).
Liturgy and ministry: Worship often resembles the Western rite; clergy may marry and many communities have adopted vernacular liturgy and modern pastoral practices.
Recognition: Most Old Catholic churches maintain apostolic succession and valid sacraments as understood in historic catholic tradition.

History and development

The movement consolidated in the late 19th century after disagreement with the declaration of papal infallibility at the First Vatican Council. Several national groups formed associations to preserve older catholic customs while rejecting what they saw as new dogmatic claims. The Union of Utrecht became the best-known federation linking many of these churches, while other related groups arose independently.

Ecumenical role and notable facts

Old Catholic churches have played an important role in ecumenical dialogue, especially with the Anglican Communion, leading to mutual recognition of ministries in several contexts. Some Old Catholic bodies have been progressive on issues such as the ordination of women and blessing of same-sex unions, reflecting their commitment to local decision-making and pastoral adaptation. For further reading see additional resources.

Distinctions and examples

The term "Old Catholic" should not be confused with Roman Catholicism; it signals continuity with ancient catholic practice but independence from papal definitions.
Examples include churches from central Europe and national communities with shared roots, some of which cooperate in international networks.

Name

The official names of the three Old Catholic churches in the German-speaking world are:

"Catholic Diocese of Old Catholics in Germany".
"Christ Catholic Church of Switzerland"
"Old Catholic Church of Austria".

Theology and Church Order

→ Main article: Utrecht Declaration

Understanding of faith

The Bible and Tradition are regarded as the basis and guide of faith (regula fidei).
The depositum fidei includes the dogmatic decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils
These include in particular:

the Niceno-Constantinopolitanum without filioque as authentic summary of the faith
the belief in the Trinity: there is one God who exists in three persons of the same essence (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
Jesus Christ is true man according to his humanity and true God according to his divinity; in the unmixed unity of his two natures (divine and human) he is one person.
Because of her central position in God's work of salvation, Mary bears the predicate God-bearer (in the Western Church: Mother of God), since she conceived and gave birth to the second divine person, the Son of God, in virginal integrity through the action of the Holy Spirit.

The following doctrines are rejected as contrary to the teaching of the early church:

the infallibility of the Pope in matters of faith and morals
the universal jurisdiction of the Pope over the universal Church
the Immaculate Conception of Mary
the Assumption of Mary
the doctrine of transubstantiation.

It is taught, however, that

the Pope, as Bishop of Rome and Patriarch of the West, has a position of honour
the Eucharist is a sacred sacrificial meal in which the faithful who receive the body and blood of the Lord also have communion with one another.

Understanding the Church

The ecclesiological principles are found in the Statute of the International Bishops' Conference, as well as in the constitutions of the individual Old Catholic national churches. For example, the Statute of the Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands states:

"What the Church of Utrecht has in common with other Catholic churches is this:

- the diocese is the central figure of the ecclesial structure. At its head is the diocesan bishop, who is both the first presider of the Eucharist and the one who, in agreement with his clergy, directs the diocese;

- the ecclesial life of each diocese takes place in the parishes;

- Bishops from neighbouring dioceses join together to form the Synod of Bishops of an ecclesiastical province, with one of them acting as chairman;

- the bond between different ecclesiastical Provinces is expressed in the Church of the West in the special concern and responsibility of the Bishop of Rome for the good of the Church and the preservation of unity;

- the universality of the Church is shown in the General or Ecumenical Council."

In the Synodal and Congregational Order of the Old Catholic Church in Germany, the interaction of "personal, collegial and communal episcopacy" is weighted more in favor of the laity:

"We hold fast to the old episcopal-synodal constitution of the Church. According to it, the bishop directly and independently governs the local church with the participation and co-decision of the community of the ordained and the whole people of God."

The content of the Old Catholic understanding of the Church is specified in the Constitution of the Christian Catholic Church in Switzerland. Article 3 of the preamble reads:

"Maintaining the catholicity of the Church is the content and goal of apostolic succession. It is accomplished by the mutual commitment of the bishop with the priests and deacons, on the one hand, and the laity, on the other, to preserve the faith of the apostles and the liturgy and structure of the early Church, to develop them in the present and to continue them into the future and throughout the world. This is shown emphatically in the Sacrament of Orders; therefore ordinations to apostolic offices take place only in the explicit context of the apostolic succession in which the whole Church stands."

The legal system of the Polish Catholic Church exemplifies how the connection between catholicity and national church can be shaped:

"§ 1. The Polish Catholic Church

a) confesses the Catholic truths of faith and morals, as well as the principles of Church Order, contained in Sacred Scripture and formulated in the Universal Declaration of Faith and in the provisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the first millennium;

b) is part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church;

c) has its own church hierarchy;

d) shall exercise religious and pastoral care for the faithful of Polish nationality and also for the faithful of other nationalities when they have manifested their adherence to the Church;

e) uses in the liturgy the Polish language as well as its own liturgical books approved by the ecclesiastical authority, in particular the missal, the ritual and the pontifical, as well as the auxiliary books (hymnals; prayer books);

f) take into account in its pastoral work the spiritual and material needs of the Polish people and state;

(g) teaches the value of human life from conception to natural death and the dignity of every human being."

Church Order

The constitution of the Old Catholic Churches is episcopal-synodal and based on democratic principles (majority decision; separation of powers):

Adult members of the congregation have rights of co-determination, which are exercised primarily at the semi-annual congregational meetings.

These include the election of the church council, the synod deputies and, as a rule, the pastor.

The bishop is elected at a synod, which includes lay people and clergy delegated from the congregations.
The bishop leads the diocese together with the synodal council (in Germany: with the synodal representation).
Jurisdiction in the diocese is vested in independent synodal courts.

Coercion in the practice of religion is rejected:

The obligation of the faithful to hear auricular confessions was abolished in Germany after 1873.
Since 1878, clergy have been exempt from celibacy in principle; however, they are free to live voluntarily without marriage.
The fees for ecclesiastical acts and indulgences were abolished in Germany in 1873.
There is no mandatory Sunday commandment.

Role of women, homosexuals and divorcees in the Western European Old Catholic Churches:

All baptized Christians who share the faith in the Real Presence are invited to receive the Eucharist (this also applies to remarried divorcees).
Women are admitted to the sacrament of Holy Orders, see main article Ordination of Women.
A second church wedding of divorced persons is possible if certain conditions are met.
The blessing of same-sex couples is possible in consultation with the pastor in charge.

Liturgical Reforms:

Holy Mass and other services have been celebrated in the national language in Germany since 1877, in Switzerland since 1885, in Austria since 1879 and in the Netherlands since 1908.
Instead of individual confession, sacramentalabsolution may also be received communally.
The Communion of the Chalice - in some dioceses also the Intinctio - are part of the liturgical practice.

Liturgy

The Holy Eucharist, with the Liturgy of the Word and Homily, is usually celebrated on every Sunday and on Solemnities. The consecrated hosts are kept in a tabernacle, near which there is usually a perpetual light.

The degree of solemnity of the liturgy varies according to parish and priest. In some parishes, Sunday services resemble Roman Catholic weekday Masses; in others, High Masses with deacon, altar service, and incense are celebrated regularly or occasionally. Sometimes kneeling is done during consecration and for communion. The liturgical ministries of cantor, organist, and lector are performed by lay persons, while children, youth, and in some places adults serve as altar servers.

The following main articles provide information on individual aspects of Old Catholic liturgy:

Worship
Roman Rite
Offertory
High Prayer
Our Father
Eucharist
Communion Prayer
Communion
Chalice Communion
Liturgical year
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Great intercessions
Easter Vigil
Ite, missa est
Prostratio

Criticism from the Roman Catholic side

Occasionally the reforms carried out by the Old Catholic Church (e.g. introduction of the national language, abolition of compulsory celibacy, most recently the introduction of the ordination of women) were seen as a "Protestantization process". The Old Catholics were accused by the Roman Catholic side of being neo-Protestants. The Old Catholic side counters this assertion with the fact that the Old Catholic Church did not intend to give up the catholicity of the church by its reforms, and, on the other hand, that the Roman Catholic Church itself introduced one or the other reform, which it had prevented until then, almost a hundred years later, e.g. the liturgical reform, the national language in the service or the ordination of married men as permanent deacons.

The Old Catholic Church does not see in its positions and reforms any innovations that affect the original, generally binding faith of the Church or even run counter to it. Rather, according to the Old Catholic view, these reforms are based on an original Catholicism that corresponds to the spirit of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church of the first millennium. This also applies, for example, to the possibility of priests to marry. Rather, in the Old Catholic view, it was the changes in the doctrine of faith and morals of the Roman Catholic Church brought about by the First Vatican Council, which elevated the infallibility and universal jurisdiction of the Pope to binding doctrines of faith, that were the actual "innovations" to be rejected out of Old Catholic sentiment. The Old Catholic movement raised its objection to Vatican I not least because it was not an ecumenical council in the Old Church sense, but rather a particular synod. Moreover, there was a considerable minority among the Roman Catholic bishops present who initially rejected the new dogmas and evaded the vote by leaving early.

Despite some similarities, for instance in the emphasis on the synodal principle, the Old Catholic Church in its self-understanding differs fundamentally from the churches of the Reformation, for instance because it - apart from the preservation of the apostolic tradition and the belief in the sacrificial character of the Eucharist - adheres to the seven number of sacraments.