INDEPENDENT OLD CATHOLIC

CHURCH AND ROMAN

CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TAGUM
(A BRIEF DISCOURSE)
OUTLINE

1. BRIEF HISTORY
2. DOCTRINE
3. IMPLICATIONS
4. ATTITUDE
HISTORY

• (SEE CHRONOLOGY)
• Jansenius and his “Agustinus”
• Utrecht Schism
 Jansenius and his “Agustinus”
His fundamental error consists in disregarding the supernatural order, for Jansenius as for Baius, the
vision of God is the necessary end of human nature; hence it follows that all the primal endowments
designated in theology as supernatural or preternatural, including exemption from concupiscence,
were simply man's due. This first assertion is fraught with grave consequences regarding the original
fall, grace, and justification. As a result of Adam's sin, our nature stripped of elements essential to its
integrity, is radically corrupt and depraved. Mastered by concupiscence, which in each of us properly
constitutes original sin, the will is powerless to resist; it has become purely passive. It cannot escape
the attraction of evil except it be aided by a movement of grace superior to and triumphant over the
force of concupiscence. Our soul, henceforth obedient to no motive save that of pleasure, is at the
mercy of the delectation, earthly or heavenly, which for the time being attracts it with the greatest
strength. At once inevitable and irresistible, this delectation, if it come from heaven or from grace,
leads man to virtue; if it come from nature or concupiscence, it determines him to sin. In the one case
as in the other, the will is fatally swept on by the preponderant impulse. The two delectations says
Jansenius, are like the two arms of a balance, of which the one cannot rise unless the other be lowered
and vice versa. Thus man irresistibly, although voluntarily, does either good or evil, according as he is
dominated by grace or by concupiscence; he never resists either the one or the other. In this system
there is evidently no place for purely sufficient grace; on the other hand it is easy to discern the
principles of the five condemned propositions .
UTRECHT SCHISM
• Since the United Provinces of Netherlands had for the most part
gone over to Protestantism, Catholics had lived there under the
direction of Vicars Apostolic. Unhappily these representatives of
the pope were soon won over to the doctrines and intrigues of
which the "Augustinus" was the origin and centre. De Neercassel,
titular Archbishop of Castoria, who governed the whole church in
the Netherlands from 1663 to 1686, made no secret of his intimacy
with the party. Under him the country began to become the refuge of
all whose obstinacy forced them to leave France and Belgium. Thither
came such men as Antoine* Arnauld, du Vaucel, Gerberon, Quesnel,
Nicole, Petitpied, as well as a number of priests, monks,
and nuns who preferred exile to the acceptance of the
pontifical Bulls.
• Peter Codde, who succeeded Neercassel in 1686, and who bore the
title of Archbishop of Sebaste, went further than his predecessor. He
refused to sign the formulary and, when summoned to Rome,
defended himself so poorly that he was first forbidden to exercise
his functions, and then deposed by a decree of 1704. He died still
obstinate in 1710. He had been replaced by Gerard Potkamp, but this
appointment and those that followed were rejected by a section of
the clergy, to whom the States-General lent their support. The conflict
lasted a long time, during which the episcopal functions were not
fulfilled. In 1723 the Chapter of Utrecht i.e. a group of seven or
eight priests who assumed this name and quality in order to put an
end to a precarious and Painful situation, elected, on its own
authority, as archbishop of the same city, one of its members,
Cornelius Steenhoven, who then held the office of vicar-general. This
election was not canonical, and was not approved by the pope.
Steenhoven nevertheless had the audacity to get himself consecrated by
Varlet, a former missionary bishop and coadjutor Bishop of Babylon, who was
at that time suspended, interdicted, and excommunicated. He thus
consummated the schism, interdicted likewise and excommunicated, he died in
1725. Those who had elected him transferred their support to Barchman
Wuitiers, who had recourse to the same consecrator. The unhappy Varlet lived
long enough to administer the episcopal unction to two successors of Barchman,
van der Croon and Meindarts. The sole survivor of this sorry line, Meindarts, ran
the risk of seeing his dignity become extinct with himself. To prevent this, the
Dioceses of Haarlem (1742) and Deventer (1757) were created, and became
suffragans of Utrecht. But Rome always refused to ratify these outrageously
irregular acts, invariably replying to the notification of each election with a
declaration of nullification and a sentence of excommunication against those
elected and their adherents. Yet, in spite of everything,
the schismatical community of Utrecht has prolonged its existence until
modern times.
It would scarcely be noticed if it had not, in the last century, made itself
heard by protesting against Pius IX's re-establishment of
the Catholic hierarchy in Holland (1853), by declaring itself against
the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception (1854) and Papal
Infallibility (1870), and lastly, after the Vatican Council, in allying itself
with the "Old Catholics", whose first so-called bishop it consecrated.

Source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08285a.htm
 North American Old Catholic Church (NAOCC)
The North American Old Catholic Church was formed in January
2007 in Louisville, Kentucky, as a community of independent
Catholic churches, with Archbishop Michael Seneco being
elected as the community's first presiding bishop. This United
States-based organization traced its history to an 1870
movement in the Netherlands that dissented from the Roman
Catholic Church largely over the 1869 First Vatican Council
doctrine of papal infallibility, a dogma of the Catholic Church
which states that the pope is preserved from the possibility of
error in certain circumstances. (From Wikipedia)
The Archbishop of Utrecht Gerardus Gul, consecrated Father
Arnold Harris Mathew, a former Catholic priest, as Regionary
Bishop for England. His mission was to establish a community
for Anglicans and Roman Catholics. In 1913, Bishop Mathew
claimed to have secured permission from the Continental Old
Catholic bishops for his consecration of Rudolph Edward de
Landen Berghes as a bishop to work among the Scots.
• Mathew sent missionaries to the United States, including the
theosophist Bishop J. I. Wedgwood (1892–1950) and Bishop
Rudolph de Landas Berghes et de Rache (1873–1920). De Berghes
arrived in the United States on 7 November 1914, hoping to unite the
various independent Old Catholic jurisdictions under Archbishop
Mathew.[36] Bishop de Berghes, in spite of his isolation, was able to
plant the seed of Old Catholicism in the Americas. He consecrated a
former Capuchin Franciscan priest as bishop: Carmel Henry
Carfora.[37] From this the Old Catholic Church in the United States
evolved into local and regional self-governing dioceses and provinces
along the design of St. Ignatius of Antioch – a network of
Communities.
References
Amanda Abrams (October 15, 2012), Progressive Catholics find a home in breakaway group, The
Salt Lake Tribune, p. 2, retrieved March 23, 2013
Janae Francis (October 15, 2011), Archbishop visits Ogden church, Standard-Examiner, retrieved
March 23, 2013
Stephen Schwartz (March 18, 1993), Rev. Derek Stewart, San Francisco Chronicle, p. B7
Janae Francis (May 12, 2012), From Around The World, Standard-Examiner, retrieved March 23,
2013
"infallibility means more than exemption from actual error; it means exemption from the possibility
of error", P. J. Toner, Infallibility, Catholic Encyclopedia, 1910
Hattie Bernstein (December 18, 2009), Catholic church eyes Brookline., The Telegraph (Nashua),
retrieved March 23, 2013
DOCTRINES
What Old Catholics Believe?

Old Catholics accept the teaching of Scripture, the Early Church Creeds and 7 Church Councils. In 1823
Archbishop Willibrord of Utrecht wrote the following: "We accept without any exception whatever, all the
Articles of the Holy Catholic Faith. We will never hold or teach, now or afterwards, any other opinion than
those which have been decreed, determined and published by or Mother, Holy Church." Thus, Old Catholics
trace their Apostolic Succession to the Apostles, participate in the full sacramental ministry of the Church.

The Rule of Faith of Old Catholics is faithful adherence to Sacred Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition.

Source: http://www.independentoldcatholicchurch.org/history.html
• There are several aspects in which we differ from the Roman Church.
Clerical Celibacy is optional among Old Catholic Clergy and married
men and women may be ordained. Liturgical expression is a matter of
discipline of local Bishops, subject to guidelines of Canon Law. Our
Belief Statement discusses some of these differences. We of course
reject any authority of the Bishop of Rome (The Pope) in any Old
Catholic affairs. Divorced and remarried persons are not rejected
from the sacramental life of the Church. Contraception is considered
a personal decision and not a moral issue. Because the doctrine of
the Immaculate Conception is non-scriptural the Old Catholic Church
does not accept it.
• Source: http://www.independentoldcatholicchurch.org/history.html
How Do They Differ? (From their Website)
1. We believe that Jesus is the Christ and our personal Savior.
2. We believe in the Holy Trinity.
3. We believe in the inerrancy and divine inspiration of Holy Scripture.
4. We believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
5. We believe in the three historic creeds: Nicene, Apostles and Athanasian.
6. We appreciate the wisdom and guidance of the doctrines of the Seven Early Church
Ecumenical Councils.
7. We appreciate the wisdom and guidance of the Early Church Fathers.
8. We believe in the seven sacraments of the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy
Eucharist, Anointing and Prayers for the Sick, Confession and Reconciliation,
Marriage and Holy Orders.
9. We believe that the Bread and Wine become the real presence of Jesus
in the Eucharist.
10. We believe that the Eucharist is open to all Christian believers.
11. We believe that all Holy Orders are open to both men and women, married
or single.
12. We believe celibacy of those in Holy Orders is a personal decision.
13. We hold valid apostolic succession.
14. We believe in the sanctity of marriage, however we believe that Jesus is
merciful and those who have been divorced and/or remarried are offered the
sacraments of the Church
15, We believe that contraception is a personal decision.
16. We believe that abortion and euthanasia is the taking of human life
however we also are aware of the loving and forgiving nature of God.
• Source: http://www.independentoldcatholicchurch.org/about-us.html
IMPLICATIONS
• THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You
shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.
It is written: "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall
you serve."
2088 The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence
and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of
sinning against faith:

Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has
revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in
believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety
aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness.

2089 Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it.
"Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with
divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy
is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the
Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."11
 CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE
FAITH

DECLARATION

"DOMINUS IESUS"ON THE UNICITY AND SALVIFIC

UNIVERSALITY OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE
CHURCHIMPLICATIONS TO OUR BELIEF
17. Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in
the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the
Bishops in communion with him.The Churches which, while not existing
in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her
by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a
valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches. Therefore, the Church of
Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though
they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not
accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will
of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the
entire Church.60
On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not
preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance
of the Eucharistic mystery,61 are not Churches in the proper sense;
however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by
Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion,
albeit imperfect, with the Church.62 Baptism in fact tends per se
toward the full development of life in Christ, through the integral
profession of faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church.63
“The Christian faithful are therefore not permitted to imagine that the Church
of Christ is nothing more than a collection — divided, yet in some way one — of
Churches and ecclesial communities; nor are they free to hold that today the
Church of Christ nowhere really exists, and must be considered only as a goal
which all Churches and ecclesial communities must strive to reach”. In fact, “the
elements of this already-given Church exist, joined together in their fullness in
the Catholic Church and, without this fullness, in the other communities”.
“Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such, though we
believe they suffer from defects, have by no means been deprived of
significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the spirit of Christ
has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their
efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic
Church”.
The lack of unity among Christians is certainly a wound for the Church; not in
the sense that she is deprived of her unity, but “in that it hinders the complete
fulfillment of her universality in history”.
ATTITUDE

COMPASSION TO THE MYSTICAL BODY OF

CHRIST (THE CATHOLIC CHURCH)
This division furthers the wounds of Christ

From woundedness... ...to healing

Scars may of the
wound may still
remain
Forgiveness is not forgetting but
remembring our woundness in a
different way.
“On the night he was
betrayed and entered
willingly into his
passion...”
He gave His Body and
Blood for us... he took
this as an oppurtunity to
show us how much he
loved us.
This an oppurtunity for us
to show all the more how
much we love the Church
by proclaiming the truth
and be instruments of
healing.