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United Reform Catholic Church International
We are Catholic Christian communities that are committed to the person of Jesus
Christ and to His teaching. We accept and believe the testimony of His apostles who were His first disciples and eyewitnesses
of His life, death, and resurrection from the dead. It was these same disciples who passed on to the church their own testimony
about the person of Jesus and the events of His life. Embodied in their testimony are the very teachings of Jesus Himself.
The Reformation
After the Great Schism, the Roman Catholic Church
continued to develop in Western Europe. For the next 450 years, during the Middle Ages, the Popes consolidated their power
and extended their influence over the Church and society. With the dawn of the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church was
overloaded with moral and political corruption. Many concerned religious leaders made efforts to reform the Church.
These
efforts at reform became known collectively as the Reformation. Two very different reformations resulted from these tensions.
One became known as the independent communities that became Old Catholic. They were called Old Catholics because they sought
to turn the clock back and adhere to the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church prior to the various schisms.
Some
of the independent Catholic communities, like the United Reform Catholic Church International (URCCI)
derive their Apostolic Succession through the Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht. The Archbishop of Utrecht traces his Apostolic
Succession back to the Holy Apostles. The independent and Old Catholics therefore have a valid line of succession, a valid
priesthood and episcopate with valid sacraments. The Roman Catholic Church has never denied this fact.
Distinctives of the United Reform Catholic Church International (URCCI)
How
does the United Reform Catholic Church International (URCCI) differ from a Roman Catholic
Church?
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The Catholics of our community do not accept the teaching of papal
infallibility and, therefore, are independent of the pope's jurisdiction. As a result, we are not bound by some of the canons
and regulations that are formulated and enforced in the Roman Catholic Church.
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Deacons, priests and bishops are permitted to marry.
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Women are welcomed to all ranks of ordination: deacon, priest and
bishop in the ministry of the Church. As Saint Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
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Divorced people who remarry are able to be reconciled to the church
through the grace of God and, therefore, are not excluded from the sacraments. Therefore, a divorced person may remarry with
the blessing of the Church.
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Artificial contraception is an issue of conscience between husband,
wife, and God.
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Each Catholic is an equal part of the Church. Therefore, lay people
are encouraged to play a prominent role in the Church.
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No Christian is excluded from the sacramental ministry. All baptized
Christians are invited to participate in the worship and sacraments of the Church.
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The United Reform Catholic Church International
(URCCI) is an independent Catholic Church, descended from the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht.
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Our Beliefs
The
URCCI holds true to the faith professed by the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH;
The Church as it was before any of the splits that have wracked its historical development.
We hold that faith described
by Saint Vincent of Lerins as, "That which has been believed always, everywhere and by everyone."
Simply put that means
that we believe everything defined by the first seven Ecumenical Councils and proclaimed in the Nicene Creed. Anything added
or changed by any individual "Church" since the date of the Second Council of Nicea is not essential for the faithful to believe.
For
example, if you want to believe in the Assumption of Mary (A pious Tradition from the earliest days) fine, but you do not
have to. The same applies to legal strictures such as priestly celibacy imposed after that date, that cannot be held as universally
obligatory.
We do not dismiss the beliefs of other
traditions or jurisdictions, rather we believe that each person is free to reach her or his own conclusion on those matters
and that belief in them is not essential to Salvation nor do they affect our personal relationship with Christ.
As
a church that tries to live out the Commandments of Christ (to love God and love one another), we do not judge each other.
We accept people, as they are, where they are, just as Jesus did. We accept also that many early interpretations of the Holy
Scriptures were based on incomplete knowledge (particularly of the Aramaic and ancient Greek that they were written in) and
later translations of the scripture have bought new understanding in many matters.
CANON LAW
The URCCI has established
both Canon Law and Canonical Regulations however we try to keep legalism to as low a level as possible. We are guided by the
wisdom of our sister churches over the centuries in giving guidelines for the good conduct of church affairs and also the
good conduct of all ministers and employees of the Church. The law of this Church is above all the Law as expressed by Jesus
Christ: "Love God and love your neighbour." All legislation must help people to achieve this - if it does not then it is a
millstone rather than a touchstone.
LITURGICAL PRACTICE
In the primitive Church it was recognized that the Sacred Liturgy, especially the Eucharistic
Celebration, had certain essential elements, which must be present. However, the words used and the gestures that accompanied
them were left entirely to the discretion of the celebrating Bishop. As priests were added to the ranks of the clergy they
were expected to celebrate the Eucharist according to their Bishop's ritual. This led to a plethora of rich and varied Liturgies,
almost as many liturgies as Bishops. As time went on both Eastern and Western branches of the Church became more and more
centralized and the Liturgy became more rigid in its structure.
Some of the so-called "Independent" Churches attach
themselves to a particular Liturgical expression and denounce all others. We do not do this.
Whilst our Bishops generally
use the reformed Roman Ritual of the Second Vatican Council; they have given permission for any Rite of the Eucharist (or
other Sacrament) which is, or has been, promulgated by any of the greater Churches of East or West, to be used freely by clergy
according to pastoral needs. So, if a community has come to us from an Anglican tradition they can continue to use the 1928
Book of Common Prayer. Those from Roman background may use the Tridentine, Byzantine, or Reformed liturgy in the language
of their choice.
All Celebrations of Sacraments within the church take place under the leadership of an appropriate
Minister (Bishop, priest or deacon) vested according to tradition for their role, and should follow closely the rubrics for
the chosen rite.
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