Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council



From 26 to 30 October the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordination Council (AOCICC) met in Canterbury. I have been part of this Council since its inception in 1998, first as co-secretary, and latterly as a member. The AOCICC is the instrument which oversees the relationship of full communion between the Churches of the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht and the Anglican Communion, a relationship established by the Bonn Agreement in 1931. Besides keeping each other abreast of issues and trends in our respective Communions, the AOCICC is engaged in ongoing theological work and is close to finalising a joint statement on ecclesiology and mission.
There are two streams of which come together into the Old Catholic Communion:
  1. In 1723 in the Netherlands the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht insisted on its historic right to elect its Archbishop. The Pope refused this right and the Chapter elected independently a new Archbishop who was then consecrated by a French bishop, Dominique Marie Varlet. This led to a break between Utrecht and Rome.
  2. In 1870 the First Vatican Council declared the infallibility and universal ordinary jurisdiction of the Pope as articles of faith. In Germany, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe protests were raised against these new dogmas on biblical and historical grounds. Opponents were excommunicated by Rome but as they wanted to retain their Catholic identity and continue to receive the Sacraments they turned to the Church of Utrecht for support.
Given this history, you can imagine there was some interesting conversation at the AOCICC meeting about the recent Vatican announcement of an Apostolic Constitution to bring former Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church!
The Old Catholic Communion has an official website here. The above picture was taken last year at the consecration of the Old Catholic Bishop of Haarlem, the Rt Revd Dick Schoon.

Comments

  1. cbmilne3313 November 2009 at 09:10

    I do think that with regards the act of Papal aggression over the conversion of Anglicans to Roman Catholicism that maybe you Bishop David Hamid could propose that the Old Catholics should join the Anglican and Lutheran Porvoo alliance system as fully fledged partners in which all Anglicans,Lutherans,and Old Catholics,etc could join forces.Possibly we could see a future Reformed Catholic Communion in the horizon with Anglican,Calvinist,Lutheran,and Old Catholic-Latin rites being part of it.Why don't you consider the Anglicans joining the Calvinist-Lutheran Lauenberg Confession?I also think that all Western Church traditions should sign up to the Lutheran-Roman Catholic deal that the Methodists have also signed up to.This could help your internal Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical,etc splits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. David Hamid13 November 2009 at 11:06

    A very far reaching vision indeed. Of course, the Anglican Communion and the C of E continue all round ecumenical conversations. I would add to your proposal that Anglicans and RCs play closer attention to the highly significan agreements already reached on ministry, eucharist, and to a large degree authority in the Church.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell to the Diocese in Europe

Image
Deacon Frances and I packed up our office yesterday and turned over our official files, emails and equipment. Thus a close working together for 22 years comes to an end. So it is hard to believe that today, St David's day, a new chapter begins, after 44 years of stipendiary ministry, 22 years as deacon then priest and 22 as a bishop.  Here are just a few memories from the last couple of months...   But now it is time to begin a new chapter.  O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: forgive our impatience, perfect our faith and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise, grant us to have a good hope because of your Word,  even Jesus Christ our Lord. (St Gregory Nazianzus, 330 - 390)
Read more

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter: A European Consequence

Image
In his Pentecost letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned of certain consequences for provinces of the Anglican Communion which have failed to stand by the three moratoria . (No authorisation of blessings services for same-sex unions; no consecrations of bishops living in same-sex relationships; and no bishop authorising any ministry within the diocese of another bishop without explicit permission). One consequence would be that representatives from such provinces w ould not be able to participate in the formal international interchurch dialogues of the Communion. One of those dialogues is the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council ( AOCICC ), the official instrument set up to deepen the relationship of communion established in 1931 between the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht . As the member Churches of the Union of Utrecht are all European, the AOCICC is effectively a European body. (I am one of the members, appo...
Read more

Bishop Austin Rios of California

Image
It was a joyful, colourful, multicultural three-hour liturgy. At Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, the Revd Austin Rios was consecrated the bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of California. I have known Austin from his time as the Rector of St Paul's Episcopal Church in Rome, where he was a great friend and collaborator with our own Church of England All Saints Chaplaincy in that city. The liturgy, appropriately, marked the multiculural make-up of the diocese, with prayers, readings, hymns and songs in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Tonga and Mandarin. The final procession was led by a Chinese dragon! I was told that there were about 300 in the procession and 2000 present in the beautiful gothic cathedral on Nob Hill San Francisco. My good friend and ecuenical colleague from Rome Fr Keith Peckers SJ was also in attenance, so the Church of Rome and the Church of England were both represented! Among the bishop friends present were Bishop Mark Edington of the Episcopal Convocation in Europe, a...
Read more