| Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands | |
|---|---|
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| Classification | Old Catholic |
| Theology | Ultrajectine |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Archbishop metropolitan | Bernd Wallet |
| Associations | International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference Union of Utrecht |
| Full communion | Anglican Communion Church of Sweden Philippine Independent Church Mar Thoma Syrian Church |
| Region | Netherlands |
| Headquarters | Utrecht |
| Separated from | Catholic Church |
| Other names |
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TheOld Catholic Church of the Netherlands (Dutch:Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland), sometimesJansenist Church of Holland,[1] is anOld Catholic jurisdiction originating from theArchdiocese of Utrecht (695–1580). The Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands is the mother church of theOld Catholic Union of Utrecht.
With approximately 10,000 members,[2] the jurisdiction is currently led by Archbishop MetropolitanBernd Wallet.[3]
St.Willibrord evangelised the northern parts of the Netherlands (above theRhine), bringingRoman Catholicism in the 7th century. The southern parts of the now so-calledBenelux were already evangelised from the 4th century, beginning withSt. Servatius, Bishop ofMaastricht.[4] Willibrord had been consecrated byPope Sergius I in circa 696 inRome.[5][6]
In 1145,Pope Eugene III restricted the electorate to thechapters of the fivecollegiate churches in the diocese.[1]: 64 [a] TheFourth Lateran Council confirmed this in 1215. In 1517,Pope Leo X prohibited, inDebitum pastoralis officii nobis, theArchbishop-Elector of Cologne,Hermann of Wied, aslegatus natus,[b] to summon to a court of first instance in Cologne,Philip of Burgundy, his treasurer, and his ecclesiastical and secular subjects.[8][c]John Mason Neale explained that Leo X only confirmed a right of the church but Leo X's confirmation "was providential" in respect to the future schism.[1]: 72
Forced into hiding as a result of theProtestant Reformation, the diocesan structures of theCatholic Church of the Netherlands were dissolved.[d] The Holland Mission started whenPope Clement VIII erected theApostolic Vicariate of Batavia in 1592.[10]
The Jesuits accused ArchbishopPetrus Codde, apostolic vicar, ofJansenism.Pope Innocent XII appointed a commission ofcardinals who started an investigation of Codde, ending in exoneration.[citation needed] In 1700, Codde was summoned to Rome and brought before a second commission appointed byPope Clement XI. When Codde refused assent to theFormula of Submission for the Jansenists, Clement XI suspended Codde in 1701 and appointed a successor,Gerard Potcamp [nl], as apostolic vicar.[citation needed]
Although the historic archdiocese was suppressed in 1580, and its replacement, theapostolic vicariate, was erected in 1592, the chapter of the suppressed archdiocese arranged forLuke Fagan,Bishop of Meath, to ordain priests for the suppressed archdiocese in 1716.[1]: 235–236, 282
Finally in 1723, dissatisfied Dutch clergy electedCornelius Steenoven [nl] as archbishop of the suppressed Archdiocese of Utrecht.[d] He was consecrated in 1724 without a papal mandate by suspended BishopDominique Marie Varlet, who had been living in Amsterdam since 1721.[1]: 246, 256 [e] Both Varlet and Steenoven were suspended for illicit episcopal consecration, and excommunicated for claiming a diocesan see of jurisdiction without the permission of theRoman Pontiff. Varlet later reconciled with the Catholic Church, but subsequently consecrated, again without a papal mandate, three more bishops for the independent Ultrajectine church, which would later become known as "Old Catholic" after 1853. Among the three bishops wasPetrus Johannes Meindaerts who consecrated several other bishops, becoming the source of apostolic succession for all Old Catholic bishops, after he was consecrated by Varlet in 1739 which had no papal mandate.[1]: 282
The apostolic vicariate was reduced to amissionsui iuris byPope Benedict XIII in 1727.[10]
In 1853, under thereestablished episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands, Catholics were permitted to worship publicly after two and a half centuries ofsecret and private religious worship. After reestablishment of the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands in 1853 byPope Pius IX, the breakaway Church of Utrecht adopted the name "Old Catholic Church" to distinguish itself from the newly created Roman hierarchy by its seniority in the Netherlands.[citation needed]
In 1870 theFirst Vatican Council was convened, and the bishops of the Church of Utrecht were not invited because they were not seen as being in communion with theHoly See. At the First Vatican Council,papal supremacy in jurisdiction and theCatholic dogma ofpapal infallibility were defined.
Several separate communities were formed at this time and sought apostolic succession from the Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht, eventually forming theUnion of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches, and these German speaking communities adopted the nameOld Catholic. The schism was able to continue.
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Catholic episcopal councils compared to popes |
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Objections and controversy
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Old Catholics believe they preserve ancient Catholic doctrine through adherence to the "ancient Catholic faith".[12] Their practice of privateconfession has fallen into disuse in most areas. Since 1878, Old Catholic clergy have been allowed to marry at any time. It would also seem that, by the beginning of the 20th century, theEucharisticfast had been abandoned, along with practice ofEucharistic Adoration, and the veneration of the saints.[13]
The MetropolitanArchbishop of Utrecht (not to be confused with the Catholic prelate whoholds the same title) is the leader of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, and chairman of its governing bodies.
The current archbishop isBernd Wallet.[14]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Neale, John M (1858).History of the so-called Jansenist church of Holland; with a sketch of its earlier annals, and some account of the Brothers of the common life. Oxford; London: John Henry and James Parker.hdl:2027/mdp.39015067974389.OCLC 600855086. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Pope Leo X.Debitum pastoralis officii nobis (in Latin). FromJoosting, Jan G. C.; Muller, Samuel (1912). "Verbod van Paus Leo X aan den aartsbisschop van Keulen als legatus natus, Philips bisschop van Utrecht, diens fiscus en diens kerkelijke en wereldlijke onderdanen in eerste instantie naar keulen te doen dagvaarden".Bronnen voor de geschiedenis der kerkelijke rechtspraak in het bisdom Utrecht in di middeleeuwen. Oude vaderlandsche rechtsbronnen (in Dutch). 's-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff. pp. 59–62.hdl:2027/mdp.35112103682300. Retrieved2014-01-09. This book contains documents relating to the limit of the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Utrecht. This book was published inWerken der Vereeniging tot Uitgaaf der Bronnen van het Oud-Vaderlandsche Recht. 's-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff. 2 (14).OCLC 765196601.| International | |
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