67-579: The Christ Catholic Church is an Old Catholic denomination founded by Karl Pruter in 1965. The denomination was founded when Pruter founded a congregation in 1965 in Boston , under the authority of the independent Eastern Orthodox Abp. Peter A. Zhurawetsky (1901-1994), head of the Christ Catholic Church of the Americas and Europe . In 1967, Pruter was consecrated bishop of
134-554: A Catholic bishop of the French Oratorian Society of Foreign Missions, consecrated Steenoven as a bishop without a papal mandate. What had been de jure autonomous became de facto an independent Catholic church. Although the pope was notified of all proceedings, the Holy See still regarded the diocese as vacant due to papal permission not being sought. The pope, therefore, continued to appoint apostolic vicars for
201-532: A few Armenians . Only a few bishops appear to have had doubts about the dogma itself. On 24 April 1870, the dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith Dei Filius was adopted unanimously. The draft presented to the council on 8 March drew no serious criticism, but a group of 35 English-speaking bishops, who feared that the opening phrase of the first chapter, " Sancta romana catholica Ecclesia " ('Holy Roman Catholic Church'), might be construed as favouring
268-429: A formal definition of papal infallibility as they were in strengthening papal authority and, because of this, were willing to accept the agenda of the fallibilists. A minority, some 10% of the bishops, McBrien says, opposed the proposed definition of papal infallibility on both ecclesiastical and pragmatic grounds, because, in their opinion, it departed from the ecclesiastical structure of the early Christian church. From
335-554: A major interest for Old Catholics who have never missed an F&O conference. Old Catholics also participate in other activities of the WCC and of national councils of churches. By active participation in the ecumenical movement since its very beginning, the OCC demonstrates its belief in this work. First Vatican council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican , commonly known as
402-626: A pragmatic perspective, they feared that defining papal infallibility would alienate some Catholics, create new difficulties for union with non-Catholics, and provoke interference by governments in ecclesiastical affairs. Those who held this view included most of the German and Austro-Hungarian bishops, nearly half of the Americans, one third of the French, most of the Chaldaeans and Melkites , and
469-538: A prisoner in the Vatican, issued the bull Postquam Dei munere , adjourning the council indefinitely. While some proposed to continue the council in the Belgian city of Mechlin , it was never reconvened. The council was formally closed in 1960 by Pope John XXIII , prior to the formation of the Second Vatican Council . In reaction to the political implications of the doctrine of infallibility on
536-466: The Anglican branch theory , later succeeded in having an additional adjective inserted, so that the final text read: " Sancta catholica apostolica romana Ecclesia " ('Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church'). The constitution thus set forth the teaching of the "Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church" on God, revelation and faith. There was stronger opposition to the draft constitution on the nature of
603-1110: The Bonn Agreement . The Union of Utrecht still exists to this day and includes the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands , the Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany , the Old Catholic Church of Austria , the Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic , the Polish-Catholic Church of the Republic of Poland and the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland . The Union of Scranton , formed by more theologically conservative Old Catholics,
670-602: The Diocese of Boston by Abp. Peter A. Zhurawetsky and Abp. Uladyslau Ryzy-Ryski (the latter was part of the American World Patriarchs ). In 1968, Pruter decided his diocese would be independent, and Zhurawetsky agreed. After this, over the years the denomination, headed by Pruter, moved its headquarters from Boston to New Hampshire , then to Scottsdale in Arizona , then to Chicago , and then finally, in
737-747: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Philippine Independent Church and many UU churches are members of the World Council of Churches . Both groups trace their beginning to the 18th century when members of the See of Utrecht refused to obey papal authority and were excommunicated . Later Catholics who disagreed with the Roman Catholic dogma of papal infallibility , as defined by
SECTION 10
#1732765519018804-663: The First Vatican Council (1869–1870), several groups of Roman Catholics in Austria-Hungary , Imperial Germany , and Switzerland rejected the Roman Catholic dogma of papal infallibility in matters of faith and morals and left to form their own churches. The formation of the Old Catholic communion of Germans, Austrians and Swiss began under the leadership of Ignaz von Döllinger , following
871-681: The First Vatican Council (1870), were thereafter without a bishop and joined with the See of Utrecht to form the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches. Today, Utrechter Union churches are found chiefly in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In 2008, the Polish National Catholic Church created the Union of Scranton and separated from the Union of Utrecht. This
938-589: The First Vatican Council or Vatican I , was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church , held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 1563. The council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, under the rising threat of the Kingdom of Italy encroaching on the Papal States . It opened on 8 December 1869 and was adjourned on 20 September 1870 after
1005-655: The Netherlands , had already existed long before the term. The Old Catholic Church is separate and distinct from Traditionalist Catholicism . Two groups of Old Catholic churches currently exist: the Union of Utrecht (UU) and the Union of Scranton (US). Neither group is in full communion with the Holy See . Member churches of the Union of Utrecht are in full communion with the Anglican Communion as well as
1072-670: The Old Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain . In 1914, he consecrated Rudolph de Landas Berghes , who emigrated to the United States in 1914 and planted the seed of Old Roman Catholicism in the Americas. Mathew also consecrated an excommunicated Capuchin Franciscan priest as bishop: Carmel Henry Carfora . Various Christian denominations claiming apostolic succession from Mathew were founded in
1139-600: The Spanish Netherlands and signed the 1579 Union of Utrecht , persecuted the Roman Catholic Church, confiscated church property, expelled monks and nuns from convents and monasteries, and made it illegal to receive the Catholic sacraments . However, Catholicism did not die, rather priests and communities went underground. Groups would meet for the sacraments in the attics of private homes at
1206-651: The sovereignty of secular states , some of the European kingdoms and republics took rapid action against the Catholic Church. The Austrian Empire annulled the Concordat of 1855 . In the Kingdom of Prussia , the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf broke out immediately afterwards, and in the French Third Republic the synod so accentuated the power of ultramontanism (an emphasis on the powers of
1273-480: The vernacular instead of Latin. The churches which broke from the Holy See in 1870 and subsequently entered into union with the Old Catholic See of Utrecht gradually introduced the vernacular into the liturgy until it completely replaced Latin in 1877. In 1874, the Old Catholics removed the requirement of clerical celibacy . The Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany received support from
1340-752: The Christ Catholic Church (Diocese of Boston) then voted for Sloane to be the CCC/DoB's archbishop and for the "CCC/DoB to function as a diocese of the SEC/USA". The diocese brings traditional Anglicans and Old Catholics into fellowship together, believing "in the essential unity of all Christians, and the Sacramental unity of those in communion with validly consecrated Bishops of the Apostolic Succession, who teach and practice
1407-919: The Christ Catholic Church claimed to have about 2000 members and 3 bishops (including Pruter). Pruter's denomination took the name Christ Catholic Church (Diocese of Boston) in 2006. Pruter died in 2007. In 2008 William Martin Sloane, a priest in the Southern Episcopal Church of the USA, was consecrated a bishop of "Christ Catholic Church (Diocese of Boston)" and of the Southern Episcopal Church . The consecrating bishops were Huron Clay Manning, Jr.; William Harold Corley; Charles George Fry; Robert William Hotes; Richard Melvin Johnson; and Robert Louis O'Block. The board of directors of
SECTION 20
#17327655190181474-602: The Church could be made visible again. Following these principles, later bishops and theologians of the Union of Utrechts churches stayed in contact with Russian Orthodox , Lutheran and Anglican representatives. Old Catholic involvement in the multilateral ecumenical movement formally began with the participation of two bishops, from the Netherlands and Switzerland, at the Lausanne Faith and Order (F&O) conference (1927). This side of ecumenism has always remained
1541-520: The Faith of the undivided Church. [...] The work of Christ Catholic Church today is the same as that of the Apostolic Church , to lovingly offer the fullness of Orthodox-Catholic Faith, Worship and Witness to all who would seek Christ and His Kingdom". Old Catholic The terms Old Catholic Church , Old Catholics , Old-Catholic churches , or Old Catholic movement , designate "any of
1608-723: The First Vatican Council. These were supported by the Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht , who ordained priests and bishops for them. Later the Dutch were united more formally with many of these groups under the name " Utrecht Union of Churches ". In the spring of 1871, a convention in Munich attracted several hundred participants, including Church of England and Protestant observers. Döllinger, an excommunicated Roman Catholic priest and church historian,
1675-413: The Holy See , and the ordinations of and by Old Catholic bishops in the Union of Utrecht churches has never been formally questioned by the Holy See until the more recent ordinations of women as priests. The Union of Utrecht considers that the reunion of the churches has to be based on a re-actualization of the decisions of faith made by the undivided Church. In that way, they claim, the original unity of
1742-433: The Holy See due to theological and liturgical issues; their leader, Franciszek Hodur , was consecrated a bishop by Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht Gerardus Gul , establishing the Polish National Catholic Church , which joined the Union of Utrecht. In 1910, Arnold Mathew —a former British Catholic and Anglican, who was consecrated by Old Catholic Archbishop Gul in 1908—split away from the Union of Utrecht, establishing
1809-749: The Italian Capture of Rome . Its best-known decision is its definition of papal infallibility . The council's main purpose was to clarify Catholic doctrine in response to the rising influence of the modern philosophical trends of the 19th century. In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith ( Dei Filius ), the council condemned what it considered the errors of rationalism , anarchism , communism , socialism , liberalism , materialism , modernism , naturalism , pantheism , and secularism . Its other concern
1876-611: The Jesuits accused him of favouring the Jansenist heresy . Pope Innocent XII appointed a commission of cardinals to investigate the accusations against Codde. The commission concluded that the accusations were groundless. In 1702, Pope Clement XI deposed Codde, to which Codde obeyed. While the religious clergy remained loyal to the Holy See, three-quarters of the secular clergy at first followed Codde, but by 1706 over two-thirds of these returned to Roman Catholic allegiance. Of
1943-411: The Netherlands. Steenoven and the other bishops were excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church, and thus began the Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands . Subsequent bishops were then appointed and ordained to the sees of Deventer , Haarlem and Groningen under the See of Utrecht in later years. Due to prevailing anti-papal feeling among the powerful Dutch Calvinists , the Church of Utrecht
2010-744: The Polish National Catholic Church rejects. Prior, in 1994, the German Old Catholic bishops of the Utrechter Union decided to ordain women as priests , and put this into practice on 27 May 1996. Similar decisions and practices followed in Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. By 2020, the Swiss church also voted in favour of same-sex marriage . Marriages between two men and two women were conducted in
2077-620: The Vatican, hence its name. The object of the council was a mystery for a while. The first revelation was given in February 1869 by an article in La Civiltà Cattolica , a Jesuit periodical. It claimed, as the view of many Catholics in France, that the council would be of very brief duration, since the majority of its members were in agreement, and mentioned inter alia the proclamation of papal infallibility. Factions around
Christ Catholic Church - Misplaced Pages Continue
2144-558: The apostolic vicars and secular clergy . In 1629, there were 321 Roman Catholic priests in the United Provinces, 250 secular and 71 religious, with Jesuits at 34 forming almost half of the religious. By the middle of the 17th century the secular priests were 442, the religious 142, of whom 62 were Jesuits. The sixth apostolic vicar of the Dutch/Holland Mission , Petrus Codde , was appointed in 1688. In 1691,
2211-460: The church, and Old Catholics had gradually replaced the Latin mass with the vernacular by 1877. In 1989, the Union of Utrecht opposed abortion , but "[u]nusual exceptions should be made in consultation with a priest". Old Catholicism values apostolic succession by which they mean both the uninterrupted laying on of hands by bishops through time (the historic episcopate ), and the continuation of
2278-426: The church, which at first did not include the question of papal infallibility, but the majority party in the council, whose position on this matter was much stronger, brought it forward. It was decided to postpone discussion of everything in the draft except infallibility. The decree did not go forward without controversy; Cardinal Filippo Maria Guidi [ it ] , Archbishop of Bologna, proposed adding that
2345-434: The divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. None of the bishops who had argued that proclaiming the definition was inopportune refused to accept it. Some Catholics, mainly of German language and largely inspired by the historian Ignaz von Döllinger , formed the separate Old Catholic Church in protest; von Döllinger did not formally join the new group himself. Discussion of
2412-668: The early 1980s, to Highlandsville in Missouri . In Highlandsville, Pruter was the bishop of a small chapel called the Cathedral Church of the Prince of Peace. In 1988, Frederick P. Dunleavy was consecrated bishop by Pruter. In 1989, the denomination of which Dunleavy was the head, the Ontario Old Catholic Church, consisting of a single parish , merged into the Christ Catholic Church. In 1991, Dunleavy
2479-402: The government of Otto von Bismarck , whose 1870s Kulturkampf policies persecuted the Roman Catholic Church. In Austria-Hungary, pan-Germanic nationalist groups , like those of Georg Ritter von Schönerer , promoted the conversion of all German speaking Catholics to Old Catholicism and Lutheranism, with poor results. In 1897 a group of Polish migrants in the United States broke away from
2546-608: The groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undivided church but who separated from the see of Rome after the First Vatican council of 1869–70". The expression Old Catholic has been used from the 1850s by communions separated from the Roman Catholic Church over certain doctrines, primarily concerned with papal authority and infallibility . Some of these groups, especially in
2613-430: The head of the Christ Catholic Church International. Thereafter, Pruter, retired, disagreed with some actions done by the new entity. In 1995, he came out of retirement, called for the dissolution of the merge and reorganized some of the former Christ Catholic Church parishes under his leadership as the Christ Catholic Church. Those who disagreed with Pruter remained in the Christ Catholic Church International. In 2004,
2680-424: The high prices in Rome. When Lord Houghton asked Cardinal Manning what had been going on, he answered: "Well, we meet, and we look at one another, and then we talk a little, but when we want to know what we have been doing, we read The Times ." Unlike the five earlier general councils held in Rome , which met in the Lateran Basilica and are known as Lateran councils , it met in Saint Peter's Basilica in
2747-429: The highest expression of the love of God . Therefore, the celebration of the Eucharist is understood as the experience of Christ's triumph over sin . The defeat of sin consists in bringing together that which is divided. An active contributor to the Declaration of the Catholic Congress of Munich, 1871—and all later assemblies—was Johann Friedrich von Schulte , professor of dogmatics at Prague . Von Schulte summed up
Christ Catholic Church - Misplaced Pages Continue
2814-499: The laity, the overwhelming majority sided with the Holy See. Thus, most Dutch Catholics remained in full communion with the pope and with the apostolic vicars appointed by him. After Codde's resignation, the Diocese of Utrecht elected Cornelius Steenoven as bishop . The See of Utrecht declared the right to elect its own archbishop in 1724, after being accused of Jansenism . Following consultation with both canon lawyers and theologians in France and Germany, Dominique Marie Varlet ,
2881-407: The new order was that of Joseph H. Reinkens, who was made bishop in Germany by a sympathetic Jansenist bishop Johannes Heykamp of Utrecht . Such new group referred to itself as the Old Catholic Church (or the Christian Catholic Church in Switzerland). Old Catholics in Europe united into the Union of Utrecht in 1889, which entered into full communion with the Anglican Communion in 1931 through
2948-423: The only recognized Christian church in America that is in communion with the Union of Utrecht is the Episcopal Church . As of 2016 , there are 115,000 members of Old Catholic churches. Old Catholic theology views the Eucharist as the core of the Christian Church ; from this point of view, the church is a community of believers. All are in communion with one another around the sacrifice of Jesus Christ , as
3015-507: The outcome would be, and some 60 members of the opposition left Rome so as not to be associated with approval of the document. The final vote, with a choice only between placet and non placet , was taken on 18 July 1870, with 533 votes in favour and only 2 against defining as a dogma the infallibility of the pope when speaking ex cathedra . The two votes in opposition were cast by Bishops Aloisio Riccio and Edward Fitzgerald . The dogmatic constitution states, in chapter 4:9, that
3082-449: The pope has "full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church" (chapter 3:9); and that, when he: speaks ex cathedra , that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which
3149-488: The pope is assisted by "the counsel of the bishops manifesting the tradition of the churches". Pius IX rejected Guidi's view of the bishops as witnesses to the tradition, maintaining: "I am the tradition." On 13 July 1870, a preliminary vote on the section on infallibility was held in a general congregation: 451 voted simply in favour ( placet ), 88 against ( non placet ), and 62 in favour but on condition of some amendment ( placet iuxta modum ). This made evident what
3216-419: The pope), that Republican France took steps to curb it by revoking the Concordat of 1801 , and therefore completely separating the Church from the state . The dogma of papal infallibility raised considerable opposition in some liberal theological circles in the Netherlands , Austria , Germany and Switzerland ; the most notable theologian opposing the formulation of the dogma was Ignaz von Döllinger , who
3283-425: The proposal arose across Europe, and some Italians even proposed setting up a rival council in Naples . However, before the council met all became quiet in view of the studied vagueness of the invitation. Pope Pius defined as dogma the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus , in 1854. However, the proposal to define papal infallibility itself as dogma met with resistance, not because of doubts about
3350-451: The rest of the document on the nature of the church was to continue when the bishops returned after a summer break. In the meanwhile, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. With the swift German advance and the capture of Emperor Napoleon III , French troops protecting papal rule in Rome withdrew from the city. On 20 October 1870, one month after the newly founded Kingdom of Italy had occupied Rome , Pope Pius IX, who then considered himself
3417-418: The results of the congress as follows: The 1889 Declaration of Utrecht states the Union of Utrecht believes in Vincent of Lérins 's following quote from his Commonitory : "all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all; for this is truly what is catholic ". The UU allows those who are divorced to have a new religious marriage in
SECTION 50
#17327655190183484-428: The risk of arrest. Priests identified themselves by wearing all black clothing with very simple collars . All the episcopal sees of the area, including that of Utrecht, had fallen vacant by 1580, because the Spanish crown , which since 1559 had patronal rights over all bishoprics in the Netherlands , refused to make appointments for what it saw as heretical territories, and the nomination of an apostolic vicar
3551-496: The same manner as heterosexual marriages. The Old Catholic Church of Slovakia was accepted in 2000 as a member of the Union of Utrecht. As early as 2001 some issues arose concerning future consecration of Augustin Bacinsky as old-catholic bishop of Slovakia, and the matter was postponed. The Old Catholic Church of Slovakia was expelled from the Union of Utrecht in 2004, because the episcopal administrator Augustin Bacinsky had been consecrated by an episcopus vagans . At present,
3618-697: The scheme, dissenting voices being rare. After March 1865, the convocation of the council was no longer in doubt. Special bulls were reportedly issued with invitations to Eastern Orthodox and Protestant clerics as well as to other non-Catholics, but apparently none accepted the invitations. The council was summoned by the pope by a bull on 29 June 1868. The first session was held in St. Peter's Basilica on 8 December 1869. Preliminary sessions dealt with general administrative matters and committee assignments. Bishop Bernard John McQuaid complained of rainy weather, inadequate heating facilities, and boredom. Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley of Newark, New Jersey, noted
3685-405: The substance of the proposed definition, but because some considered it inopportune to take that step at that time. Richard McBrien divides the bishops attending Vatican I into three groups. The first group, which McBrien calls the "active infallibilists", was led by Henry Edward Manning and Ignatius von Senestrey . According to McBrien, the majority of the bishops were not so much interested in
3752-505: The whole life of the church community by word and sacrament over the years and ages. Old Catholics consider apostolic succession to be the handing on of belief in which the whole Church is involved. In this process the ministry has a special responsibility and task, caring for the continuation in time of the mission of Jesus Christ and his apostles. According to the principle of ex opere operato , certain ordinations by bishops not in communion with Rome are still recognised as being valid by
3819-524: The world through Berghes, Carfora, and others including James Wedgwood —founder of the Liberal Catholic Church . Such groups' apostolic succession is deemed to be invalid by both the Holy See , the Union of Utrecht and the Anglican Communion . Mathew himself was excommunicated and declared a "pseudo-bishop" by Pope Pius X , while the International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference declared his consecration to be null and void , obtained mala fide . Another significant figure, Joseph René Vilatte , who
3886-422: Was a notable leader of the movement but was never a member of an Old Catholic church. The convention decided to form the "Old Catholic Church" in order to distinguish its members from what they saw as the novel teaching in the Roman Catholic dogma of papal infallibility. Although it had continued to use the Roman Rite , from the middle of the 18th century the Dutch Old Catholic See of Utrecht had increasingly used
3953-448: Was done in protest of the older Union's decision to ordain women and bless same-sex marriages . The Nordic Catholic Church later joined the Union of Scranton as well. In the pre- Reformation era, there were already disputes that set the stage for an independent bishopric of Utrecht between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire , notably during between the 11th to 15th centuries. The northern provinces that revolted against
4020-430: Was elected as the head of the Christ Catholic Church, replacing Pruter. The denomination was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in November 1990. In 1992, in an optic of expansionism, the Christ Catholic Church and the Liberal Catholic Church of Ontario merged to form the Christ Catholic Church International . The bishop who headed the now merged Liberal Catholic Church of Ontario became
4087-483: Was excommunicated in 1871 by Archbishop Gregor von Scherr of Munich and Freising , for refusing to accept the council's decision. Following the council's decision, a minority of clergy and laity opposed to the newly proclaimed dogma united with the Jansenists , which had maintained a somewhat precarious existence in separation from Rome since the 18th century but had preserved an episcopal succession recognized by Rome as valid though illicit . The first consecration of
SECTION 60
#17327655190184154-434: Was followed by a period of expansion of Roman Catholicism under the apostolic vicars, leading to Protestant protests. The initial shortage of Roman Catholic priests in the Netherlands resulted in increased pastoral activity of religious clergy, among whom Jesuits formed a considerable minority, coming to represent between 10 and 15 percent of all the Dutch clergy in the 1600–1650 period. Conflicts arose between these, and
4221-466: Was later consecrated a bishop by Patriarch Mar Julius I of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church , though the validity of such consecration is disputed. He proceeded to establish a number of Christian denominations before eventually reconciling with the Holy See. In 2003, the Polish National Catholic Church voted itself out of the UU due to the Utrechter Union's acceptance of female ordination, and their attitude towards homosexuality , both of which
4288-403: Was ordained a deacon and priest by Bishop Eduard Herzog , of the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland ; he worked with Catholics of Belgian ancestry living on the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin , with the knowledge and blessing of the Union of Utrecht and under the full jurisdiction of the local Episcopal Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin . However, he subsequently left the Old Catholics and
4355-433: Was seen as a way of avoiding direct violation of the privilege granted to the crown. The appointment of an apostolic vicar, the first after many centuries, for what came to be called the Holland Mission was followed by similar appointments for other Protestant-ruled countries, such as England , which likewise became mission territories. The disarray of the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands between 1572 and about 1610
4422-400: Was the doctrine of the primacy ( supremacy ) and infallibility of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope ), which it defined in the First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ ( Pastor aeternus ). As early as late 1864, Pope Pius IX had commissioned the cardinals resident in Rome to tender him their opinions as to the advisability of a council. The majority pronounced in favour of
4489-505: Was tolerated and even praised by the government of the Dutch Republic . In 1853 Pope Pius IX received guarantees of religious freedom from King William II of the Netherlands and re-established the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the Netherlands . The Holy See considers the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht as the continuation of the episcopal see founded in the 7th century and raised to metropolitan status on 12 May 1559, thus not recognizing any legitimacy of Old Catholics. After
#17982