Arnold Harris Mathew | |
|---|---|
 Mathew's episcopal consecration | |
| Successor | Rudolph de Landas Berghes,Bernard Mary Williams |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 24 June 1877 |
| Consecration | 28 April 1908 by Gerardus Gul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arnold Harris Ochterlony Matthews[citation needed] (1852-08-07)7 August 1852 |
| Died | 19 December 1919(1919-12-19) (aged 67) South Mimms,Hertfordshire,England |
| Buried | South Mimms, Hertfordshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Old Catholic, formerlyAnglican andRoman Catholic |
| Spouse | Margaret Florence Duncan (1892–?, separated 1910)[1] |
| Children | Margherita Francesca (born 1895)[1] Francis Arnold Dominic Leo ('Viscount Mathew'; born 1900)[1] Mary Teresa Gertrude (born 1907)[1][2][3] |
| Coat of arms |  |
Ordination history | |
Arnold Harris Mathew,self-styledde jure 4thEarl Landaff ofThomastown[a] (7 August 1852 – 19 December 1919), was the founder and first bishop of theOld Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain and a noted author on ecclesiastical subjects.
Mathew had been both aRoman Catholic and anAnglican before becoming a bishop in theUnion of Utrecht (UU).
Mathew was born in theFrench Second Empire in 1852, son of Major Arnold Henry Ochterlony Mathew (originally Matthews, d. 1894; his son later claimed him to have been 3rd Earl Landaff).[12] Major Mathew was son of Major Arnold Nesbit Mathew (originally Matthews), of the Indian Army, and his Italian wife, Contessa Eliza Francesca, daughter of Domenico Povoleri di Nagarole, a Marquis of the Papal State; through this descent the Rev. Arnold Mathew claimed the title of Count Povoleri di Vicenza.[13] Major Arnold Nesbit Mathew was allegedly the son- born only five months after his parents' marriage- of the 1st Earl Landaff, sent to live with an uncle in light of the circumstances of his birth. This constituted the basis for the Rev. Arnold Mathew's claim to be 4th Earl Landaff, which would not come to be officially recognised.[14] Research revealed the contemporary birth of an Arnold Nesbit Matthews to William Richard Matthews and his wife Anne at Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, which in conjunction with the Rev. Arnold Mathew's father and grandfather having originally been named 'Matthews' rather than 'Mathew', has been considered to cast sufficient doubt on the claim to descent from the Earls Landaff as to render it invalid.[15][16][17]
Mathew was educated atSedbergh School. He was a relative ofTheobald Mathew, the noted "Apostle of Temperance".[18][19][20]
Mathew was baptised in the Roman Catholic Church. At age two, due to his mother's scruples, he was rebaptised in theChurch of England. Mathew "went on oscillating between Rome and Canterbury for the rest of his life."[21] He studied for the ministry in theScottish Episcopal Church, but sought reconciliation and confirmation in the Church of Rome.[6]
As a Roman Catholic, Mathew was ordained a priest in 1877 inSt Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland, by ArchbishopCharles Eyre,apostolic administrator of theVicariate Apostolic of the Western District. Mathew received aDoctor of Divinity degree from PopePius IX. He became a Dominican in 1878 but only persevered a year, moving around a number of dioceses: Newcastle, Plymouth, Nottingham and Clifton. He had metHyacinthe Loyson in France,[22]: 159 while Mathew was,c. 1888 – c. 1889, a missionary-rector in Bath where heapostatized in 1889 and sent an announcement to his congregation that having ceased to believe in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity he could no longer act as a priest.[22]: 159 [23]: 42 He lost faith in thebiblical inspiration and in thedivinity of Christ.[24] After leaving Bath, he went to Paris to consult with people there.[25] Later in 1891 he was persuaded to "trial" the Anglican ministry and went to assist the rector ofHoly Trinity, Sloane Street, London. He was never officially received into the Church of England, neither did he formally leave the Roman Catholic Church.
In October 1890, he changed his name, by deed poll, from Arnold Jerome Matthews to Arnoldo Girolamo Povoleri.[26] Mathew, under the name Povoleri, married Margaret Florence, fifth daughter of Robert Duncan,[3] atSt Marylebone Parish Church, London, on 22 February 1892.[27] He was "described as a clerk in holy orders."[1] They had a son, Francis Arnold Dominic Leo (b. 1900), who in light of his father's claimed title of Earl Landaff used the title 'Viscount Mathew' and served as a second lieutenant in the Indian Cavalry, and two daughters (Margherita Francesca, b. 1895, and Mary Teresa Gertrude, b. 1907).[3][2]
In 1892, when he had reconciled with theRCC as a layman, he at the same time participated in non-Catholic religious functions and officiated at marriages in aCoE church without a licence from theCoE.[28] He stopped using the name Povoleri in 1894.[7][29] While his wife was listed in the 1897Royal Blue Book as la Contessa Povoleri di Vicenza,[30][b]he stopped using the title of Count in 1894.[29]
In 1897, Mathew had met FatherRichard O'Halloran[32][failed verification] and became curious about the suggestion of anOld Catholic Church in Great Britain. In 1897, O'Halloran was suspended in theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster for "reasons of canonical discipline".[33] O'Halloran condemned the censure and created the "Ealing schism".[33] O'Halloran was, according toThe Tablet, also suspected of heresy.[33]
Bishops belonging to theInternational Old Catholic Bishops' Conference had corresponded with O'Halloran since 1902.[34][35]: 344 O'Halloran believed that such a movement would interest a large number of disaffected Roman Catholics andAnglo-Catholics. In June 1906 the Royal Commission appointed in 1904 to inquire into "ecclesiastical disorders", afterwards known as the Ritual Commission.[36] The king issued letters of business after the report. It was expected that the Catholic-minded Anglican clergy, with their congregations, might, byAct of Parliament, be forced out of theAnglican Communion.[37] Persuaded by O'Halloran, Mathew joined the movement and was elected the first Regionary Old Catholic Bishop for Great Britain and in 1908 theOld Catholic Church of the Netherlands (OKKN) was petitioned to consecrate him to this charge.
Mathew's election was to some extent a precautionary endeavour by those[who?] anticipating a precipitate action by the Government regarding the Ritual Commission's findings, there were only a small number of Old Catholics in England. However, the King's Letters of Business dealing with the Report of the Ritual Commission received no further attention and no action was taken. The result was that those who had taken part in Mathew's election were able to remain within the Anglican Communion.[clarification needed] Added to the natural differences[which?] with their former brethren in the Roman Church was a campaign of persecution[example needed] directed by certain elements[who?] of theCoE.[clarification needed] In 1898 Willibald Beyschlag wrote, inThe American Journal of Theology, that Old Catholic churches sought "federation with other churches having an"episcopal polity. They sought "recognition that they all belong to the one ecumenical church which rests upon the dogmatic and episcopal foundation of the early church, and can, therefore, practice communion with each other." Those negotiations had "no tangible result" in 1898, according to Beyschlag, who did not "think that such a result would be of any great value," because some Anglicans "emphatically desire to be 'catholic', and are at the same time wholly out of sympathy with the Old Catholics." Beyschlag distinguished that theRitualistAnglican Catholics "are on the way to Rome; the Old Catholics on the way from Rome."[38]
Mathew was consecrated inSt. Gertrude's Cathedral,Utrecht, on 28 April 1908, by theOKKN ArchbishopGerardus Gul of Utrecht, assisted by twoOKKN bishops, Jacobus Johannes van Thiel of Haarlem and Nicolaus Bartholomeus Petrus Spit of Deventer, and oneCatholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany bishop, Josef Demmel of Bonn.[39]: 12
Soon after the consecration, Mathew and O'Halloran were estranged and O'Halloran, under a pseudonym,[35]: 346 questioned if the seventeen priests and the eight congregations did not exist in reality but were only a deception and if "the Old Catholic theology teaches that deception of any kind invalidates the consecration" then was Mathew "a validly consecrated Old Catholic bishop according to the teaching of Old Catholic theology?"[40] Unprepared for the position in which he then found himself,[clarification needed] Mathew informed Gul that he was himself a deceived victim and "the information given him by O'Halloran was entirely false" and offered to resign but his resignation was not accepted.[39]: 12–13 [22]: 174–175 [c] Yet weeks earlier, Mathew and O'Halloran traveled to Utrecht where Mathew personally presented him to Gul.[35]: 346 Within weeks, van Thiel wrote that theIBC "had no reason to suppose that we were mistaken in complying with" O'Halloran's request and stated that their "confidence in Bishop Mathew remains unshaken, after carefully perusing a large number of the documents bearing upon this matter," and they "earnestly hope that his ministrations will be abundantly blessed by Almighty God, and that he will receive the cordial support of the British people and Church in the trying circumstances in which he has been placed."[34][d] Brandreth thought that theIBC "exonerated him from personal blame" in this letter.[39]: 13 But Anson believed that it "was a polite way of stating that he had been consecrated under false pretenses, though not of his making."[22]: 176
The 1908Lambeth Conference "deprecate[d] the setting up of a new organised body" and requested thatRandall Davidson,Archbishop of Canterbury, notify theIBC bishops about the resolution.[42] This was a protest against the consecration and although it was not publicized at the time,[43] Gul replied with explanations and promised "that in future they 'would take care not to make trouble by encroaching on the order of a friendly Church'."[44]: 154–156
Mathew publishedThe Old Catholic Missal & Ritual in 1909, for Old Catholics using the English language.[45]
In September 1909, he attended theOld Catholic Congress in Vienna, where he sympathized with the Dutch Old Catholics conservative position which opposed the innovations being introduced among the German and Swiss Old Catholics to renounce theSacrament of Penance (auricular confession), theintercession of saints and alterations to theliturgy, including the omission of the Pope's name from theCanon of the Mass. He proposed the acceptance of the 1673Synod of Jerusalem's doctrines.[46]: 303 Mathew expressed fears that the trend of Continental Old Catholicism was towardsModernism, perhaps because of the growing association with Anglicans andLutherans, and hoped for a return to the traditional principles of the Church of Utrecht. Moss wrote that Mathew thought they were becoming "steadily more Protestant".[46]: 302 TheIBC rejected Herford's request to join. "theIBC was uncertain about Herford's credentials" and, only one bishop, i.e. Mathew, was needed for England.[47]: 196 Mathew also rejected Herford's applications several times.[28]
Brandreth wrote that for two years Mathew, "with the status of a missionary bishop", remained in full communion with theUU. In October 1909, Mathew assisted Gul at the consecration ofJan Maria Michał Kowalski as archbishop of theOld Catholic Mariavite Church.[39]: 13
A claimant successor to theOrder of Corporate Reunion alleged that Mathew was conditionally consecrated in November 1909 byFrederick Cornwallis Conybeare.[48]
In June 1910, he secretly consecrated, without agreement of theIBC,[47]: 193 Beale and Howarth, both of whom did not accept or sign the Convention of Utrecht,[46]: 302 [49] and Mathew informed the Holy See of these consecrations.[25] Beale and Howarth were suspended.[50]
In August, van Thiel declared that Old Catholics "could not be considered responsible for [...] Mathew's eventual particular attitude or opinions, because he only represents his own clergy and himself in England." Mathew was "in no sense a representative of the Church of Holland in England."[e] In October, Mathew defended the consecrations inThe Church Times against a critical article inKatholik.[f] In December 1910,De Oud-Katholiek concluded that Mathew had "given up communion with the other Old Catholics" when he acted against the Convention of Utrecht. He ignored "his duty to inform" theIBC prior to "any consecration", so "that the case may be duly examined and all precautions taken that no unworthy person be consecrated;" he consecrated men who belonged to another Church "knowing that they were Roman Catholics and would probably remain so"; he consecrated alone without need and in secret.[46]: 302 [49]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Within weeks of theDe Oud-Katholiek article, on 29 December 1910, Mathew issuedA Declaration of Autonomy And Independence from theUU.[51]
Although the Holy See usually did not respond to notifications about episcopal consecrations,[25] in this case, on 11 February 1911,Pope Pius Xexcommunicated Beale, Howarth, and Mathew.The Times reported on their excommunication and included an English language translation of the Latin language document which described Mathew as a "pseudo-bishop".[52][53][i] Mathew sued The Times for libel, on the grounds that the newspaper was apparently endorsing the Pope's characterization of him as a "pseudo-Bishop" who had given aid to a "wicked crime".[57] Father David Fleming testified during the trial at theKing's Bench Division in April 1913 that the three were excommunicated on the strength of their own communication to the Holy See.[58]
The trial was described as "tense with laughter over the elaborate and convoluted ecclesiastical definitions."[1] Mathew lost the case.[59] A "material part of the case" about whether Mathew was truthful was the 1889 printed announcement sent to his congregation in Bath. The trial revealed that in 1897 Mathew restated that he had apostatized in 1889 and had circulated the printed announcement but by 1897 had concluded that his change in belief was a mistake; he therefore recanted the 1889 document, in 1897, which during the trial he said that he never wrote. He testified that he washypnotized in Bath and so the announcement was written without his knowledge.[24] Mathew's attorney argued that publication of the excommunication byThe Times in English washigh treason under a 1571 law re-enacted in 1846.[j] The judge,Charles Darling, 1st Baron Darling, "held that it was not unlawful to publish a Papal Bull in a newspaper simply for the information of the public", and according to a 1932 article inThe Tablet, this was the last time the 1571 act was invoked.[60][57] The jury found thatThe Times had not been actuated by malice and the words of the report were true in substance and in fact.[57]
Now an archbishop, Mathew was in contact with people[who?] interested in expanding the Eastern Orthodox Church's presence in Western Europe.Olga Novikov,[k] along with Baroness Natalie Uxkull-Gyllenband, encouraged and financially assisted Mathew and according to Anson, one of them also introduced Mathew toGreek Orthodox Church of Antioch ArchbishopGerassimos Messara,Metropolitan of Beirut.[22]: 186
Moss wrote that Messara "had no power to do this without the consent of"Gregory IV, in Damascus, "which was never given".[46]: 306 According to Herzog, Gregory IV retracted Messara's statement.[l] "It is hard to believe that an Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch would have been prepared to accept a married prelate into communion with his Church," Anson wrote. Mathew's wife "did not take part in the conference, and it is probable that her existence behind the scenes was again kept dark, as at the time of her husband's consecration in 1908."[22]: 186 On 26 February 1912,Greek Orthodox Church of AlexandriaPatriarch Photius of Alexandria, allegedly also accepted this union.[64][better source needed] TheMathew v. "The Times" Publishing Co., Ltd. trial revealed that although Mathew "was originally informed that all were welcome, he was not ultimately admitted" as a cleric into the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.[24]
Either Novikov or Uxkull-Gyllenband, according to Anson, introduced Mathew toRudolph de Landas Berghes.[22]: 189
Like five of his bishops and several of his priests, in December 1915, Mathew sought to reconcile with theRCC.[65] Mathew wrote toThe Tablet within a month:
Although the Orders of the Dutch schismatical clergy were, down to 1910, undisputed in Rome, I make no claim to be recognized as a bishop, or to exercise episcopal functions, or to use any episcopal insignia. I desire to conform in everything to whatever may be the commands or wishes of the Holy See. Neither do I intend or claim even to exercise priestly functions, unless and until, as I earnestly hope, this privilege may be permitted to me. It is my firm resolve, which nothing will ever alter, to obey the commands of the Holy Father, whose word I am perfectly willing to await, and I shall do nothing whatever, whether publicly or privately, in any ecclesiastical matters without the permission of Superiors.[66]
But because the Holy See insisted that he would only be reconciled as a layman and would be obliged to accept the doctrine of papal infallibility and primacy of the Roman Pontiff, Mathew then sought union with theCoE but theArchbishop of CanterburyRandall Davidson refused to give him any position in theCoE. Mathew retired toSouth Mimms, a village in the English countryside in Hertfordshire, and contented himself with assisting at services in aCoE parish church. He died suddenly, on 20 December 1919, at South Mimms and was buried in the churchyard at South Mimms.[67]
In 1964, Anson identified several independent sects which derived their apostolic succession through Mathew: the "Old Roman Catholic Church (Western Catholic Uniate Church)",[m] "Old Catholic Church of Ireland",Liberal Catholic Church, "The Church Catholic", "Old Catholic Church in America",[n] and the "North American Old Roman Catholic Church".[n] He noted that, except for the Liberal Catholic Church, the "sects hardly counted numerically at all."[22]: 324 Moss characterized, in 1948, that "there are several sects which claim to derive their episcopal succession from him, which are often confused with the Old Catholics, and which in some cases make use of the name 'Old Catholic'." But, Moss emphasized, "none of these sects is Old Catholic, or is recognized in any way by the genuine Old Catholic churches in communion with the Archbishop of Utrecht."[46]: 308
Anson wrote that, for at least two years, Mathew was "in close touch with leading Theosophists, apparently without investigating the orthodoxy of their beliefs," and believed that Mathew "had no excuse" for not understanding thecult ofMaitreya beliefs held by the majority of his clergy.[22]: 195–196 The manifestations of Maitreya included the Hindu deityKrishna andChrist during the three years of theministry of Jesus.[73]: 278 Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke wrote, inConstructing Tradition, that the identification of Christ as Maitreya wasCharles Webster Leadbeater's "innovation, closely linked to his assimilation of Christianity to Theosophy."[74]: 144 According to Anson, the majority of clergy involved with Mathew were members of the Theosophical Society and theOrder of the Star in the East (OSE), and were dismayed when Mathew directed them to separate from these organizations in 1915.[22]: 200, 342 Instead, within weeks, they had separated from Mathew and elected Rupert Gauntlett, secretary of the Theosophical Society's Order of Healers, and Robert King, a consultingpsychic andastrologer, to the episcopate.[39]: 19 [22]: 344
But the "effective leader of the schism" wasJames Ingall Wedgwood.[22]: 344 [75]: 32 Wedgwood explored anAnglo-Catholic vocation in theCoE and was associated with theOrder of Corporate Reunion prior to his involvement with theTheosophical Society.[76]: 573 Mathew ordained Wedgwood as a priest in 1913.[22]: 345–348 In 1916Frederick Samuel Willoughby, who had been consecrated by Mathew, consecrated Gauntlett, King, and Wedgwood.[39]: 19 Leadbeater wrote toAnnie Besant, in 1916, that Wedgwood offered Mathew's Old Catholic movement to Maitreya, one of theGreat White Brotherhood'sascended masters and holder of the office of World Teacher, "as one of the vehicles for [... Maitreya's] force, and a channel for the preparation of His Coming." Leadbeater took Wedgwood during a festival in Sydney to make that offering.[77]: 3–5 [o] Goodrick-Clarke wrote that theLCC was used for "the assimilation of Catholicism and its sacraments into the Theosophical Society" as a subsidiary movement of a diversified second generationNeo-Theosophy which emphasized "the acquisition and practice ofpsychic andoccult powers, notablyclairvoyance, explorations of theastral plane,past lives research."[74]: 142 Leadbeater promoted an unorthodoxesoteric understanding of Christian creeds;[p] he interpreted Christian doctrines through Theosophy.[81]: 160 [q][r] Leadbeater and Wedgwood revisedThe Old Catholic Missal and Ritual,c. 1916 – c. 1918, by "eliminating references to fear of God, everlasting damnation, the insistence on sinfulness and appeals for mercy," according to Joanne Pearson, inWicca and the Christian Heritage.[75]: 33 [77]: 6–8 Later that year, before the end ofWorld War I, the schism which separated from Mathew's group was renamed the Liberal Catholic Church (LCC) and Wedgwood became the firstpresiding bishop.[75]: 32 [s] Leadbeater informed Besant that Maitreya approved of theLCC founding.[82]: 39–40 TheLCC "affirms a number of Christian beliefs but injects aGnostic ortheosophical meaning into them," according toEncyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. "The church believes that humans are sparks of divinity (rather than creatures of God) and believes inreincarnation (rather thanresurrection). The church also accepts the idea of thespiritual hierarchy of masters, or highly evolved beings who guide the spiritual development of the race. In this regard, it accepts the idea thatJesus is one of the masters, but separates the human Jesus [...] from themaster Jesus." In other words, Jesus, "the person known in his early life asAppolonius of Tyanna" in that system of beliefs, is not the same as the entity known as Maitreya in that same system beliefs.[83]
TheLCC self identifies as a part of the historical Catholic Church; has doctrines but does not regulate how they are believed by congregants, unlikeRoman Catholic dogma; and has membership based on acceptance of a common worship without the profession of a common belief.[84]
InWestern Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation, Henrik Bogdan compared the network containing theEcclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) to the network containing theLCC.[85]
| Belief in invisible superiors | Secret Chiefs | Mahātmās |
| Belief in a world teacher | Crowley (Therion) | Krishnamurti (Alcyone[t]) |
| World religion[u] | Thelema | Theosophy |
| Oath bound body | A∴A∴ | E.S. |
| Fraternal body | Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) | Co-Masonic Order |
| Church body | EGC | LCC |
Concerning the validity of the holy orders conferred by Mathew in the period following his departure from theUU, the following have been stated:
Gul consecrated and commissioned Mathew as a bishop in accordance with the norms of universal ecclesiastical law, nominating and electing him to a title. Mathew declared autonomy from theUU on 29 December 1910,[51] and asserted of canonical rights and prerogatives for the continuation and perpetuation of the Old Roman Catholic Church from Utrecht. He also, prior on 1 November 1909, was allegedly conditionally consecrated for the Order of Corporate Reunion.[48] According to Catholic canon law,conditional sacraments are performed when there are doubts of validity.[86]
In 1913, Fleming testified inMathew v. "The Times" Publishing Co., Ltd. about theOKKN that, "The Holy See or the Pontiff has never condemned these orders as invalid; but he has never explicitly recognized them."[58] However, Mathew was regarded by the papacy as a "pseudo-bishop."[53]
After Mathew died in 1919, theIBC declared in 1920 that Mathew's "consecration was obtainedmala fide and that consequently it is null and void."[39]: xvi, pp14–15 The suggestion was that the petition for his consecration and its 150 signatories collated by O'Halloran was false in its premise for the consecration and thus the consecration was invalid.[87]: 97
Smit explained that in 1913, "ties of theIBC with Mathew were formally severed",[47]: 197 and afterWorld War I, theIBC "distanced itself more from the'episcopus vagans' Mathew and those ordained and consecrated by him."[47]: 213 Consecrations derived from Mathew were not recognised by theIBC.[39]: xvi TheIBC did also state that consecrated persons and communities connected with Mathew would not be welcome by theUU.[41]
Herzog's discourse was published inInternationale Kirchliche Zeitschrift in 1915. He wrote that a surreptitious consecration, under false pretenses and on presentation of false documents, can not be recognized as valid, even if the rite of ordination had been accurately performed by real bishops.[88]: 271
In 1908, Lambeth had expressed regret over the consecration of Mathew. Lambeth also indicated a desire for a closer relationship with Utrecht.Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury, andWilliam Maclagan,Archbishop of York, replied to the Holy See inSaepius officio giving a defence of Anglican orders.[89]
Discussions about union with Utrecht had been taking place since the end of the 19th century, such as the conferences of reunion in Bonn in 1874 and 1875 convoked byJohann von Döllinger. Though the Dutch bishops in a report of 1894 still could not decide on the recognition of Anglican orders,[87]: 109 it would appear that a desire for closer cooperation on the part of Utrecht with an Anglican desire for the recognition of their orders, conspired to impugn the reputation of Mathew.[90][page needed] By June 1925, Davidson stated that theOKKN had "after lengthy investigations and serious discussions" arrived "without any reservation (to recognise) that the apostolic succession was not interrupted in the Church of England"[41] and in 1931 theBonn Agreement was signed and intercommunion agreed between theUU and the Anglican Communion.
Anglican Communion bishops stated in 1920 Lambeth Conference resolution 27 and 1958 Lambeth Conference resolution 54 that they do not regard the Old Catholic Church in Great Britain, its extensions overseas, and"'episcopi vagantes' who call themselves either 'Old Catholic' or 'Orthodox,' in combination with other names" as properly constituted Churches, or recognise the orders of their ministers."[44]: 34 [91]
Old Roman Catholic jurisdictions have consistently employed the Tridentine Ordinal andRoman Pontifical for the conferral of ordinations and theconsecration of bishops. This was the case with the See of Utrecht right up to and some years beyond the consecration of Mathew himself, without any alterations to the ceremonies. Mathew'sOld Catholic Missal & Ritual contains his English translation of theRoman Pontifical.[45]: 289–326
The Old Catholic Church of British Columbia, which claims apostolic succession from Mathew, was,c. 2006 – c. 2007, a probationary member of theUU.[92]: [letter] [v]
TheRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec, in a public statement, which included an apology made for miscategorizing Father Claude Lacroix, acknowledged the validity of Lacroix's holy orders and stated thatOCCBC's certificates of baptism "may be accepted for the inscription of children to First Communion and Confirmation program" in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. It also stated that when "Roman Catholics marry before an ordained minister belonging to another religious denomination, as in the case of the [...OCCBC], their marriage is invalid from a religious point of view."[93][relevant? –discuss]
In 2002, CardinalÉdouard Gagnon investigated the documentation of BishopAndré Letellier's episcopal orders and consecration; Letellier was consecrated on 23 May 1968 by Archbishop André Leon Zotique Barbeau of the Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada.[w] Gagnon commented that, "nothing allows me to doubt the validity of episcopal ordination of Mgr André Letellier by Archbishop André Barbeau and that of Archbishop Barbeau by Archbishop Ignatius Charles Brearley, Primate of the Church of the 'Old Catholics' having its seat in England. The ordinations of the 'Old Catholics' are generally considered to be the same as those of Orthodox bishops."[94][relevant? –discuss]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Thurston, Herbert (July 1918)."The scandal of the theosophist bishops".The Month.132 (649). London: Longmans, Green: 41.ISSN 0027-0172. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Alleged libel in 'The Times'".The Times. No. 40187. London. 16 April 1913. pp. 3–4.ISSN 0140-0460. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Alleged libel in 'The Times.'".The Times. No. 40184. London. 12 April 1913. p. 3.ISSN 0140-0460. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Personal, &c".The Times. No. 33139. London. 10 October 1890. p. 1.ISSN 0140-0460. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"King's bench division".The Times. No. 40186. London. 15 April 1913. pp. 3–4.ISSN 0140-0460.{{cite book}}:|journal= ignored (help){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) Translated in"none".The Guardian. London. 9 December 1910.OCLC 21987594. Translation reprinted in One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"The "Old Catholics" in England".The Tablet. London. 17 December 1910. p. 39.ISSN 0039-8837. Archived fromthe original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved5 April 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"The excommunication of Englishmen".The Times. No. 39520. London. 28 February 1911. p. 6.ISSN 0140-0460. 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. 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. 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. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"King's bench division".The Times. No. 40188. London. 17 April 1913. p. 4.ISSN 0140-0460. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"King's bench division".The Times. No. 40189. London. 18 April 1913. p. 3.ISSN 0140-0460. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Old Catholics in Britain".The Times. No. 41051. London. 31 December 1915. p. 5.ISSN 0140-0460. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Death Of 'Archbishop' Mathew".The Times. No. 42290. London. 23 December 1919. p. 13.ISSN 0140-0460.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Leadbeater, Charles W. (1904) [1899].The Christian creed: its origin and signification (2nd enl. and rev. ed.). London [u.a.]: Theosophical Publishing Society. p. 14.OCLC 221390587. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Anonymous (Blavatsky, Helena P.) (15 December 1887). "'Lucifer' to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Greeting!".Lucifer.1 (4). London: Theosophical Publishing Society: 251.hdl:2027/pst.000058528167.OCLC 804337810. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Roca, Paul (15 January 1888). "Esotericism of the Christian dogma".Lucifer.1 (5). London: Theosophical Publishing Society: 369.hdl:2027/pst.000058528167.OCLC 804337810.Can. 845 §1 Because they imprint a character, the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and order cannot be repeated.
§2 If after diligent enquiry a prudent doubt remains as to whether the sacraments mentioned in §1 have been conferred at all, or conferred validly, they are to be conferred conditionally.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[non-primary source needed] Translated inGagnon, Édouard."To whom it may concern".After having studied the documentation about Mgr André Letellier and his predecessors in episcopal succession, I am convinced that he has been validly consecrated a bishop. It is not my intention to rule on the reports of the organization, incorporated under the name of Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada with the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Canada and of Québec. But nothing allows me to doubt the validity of episcopal ordination of Mgr André Letellier by Archbishop André Barbeau and that of Archbishop Barbeau by Archbishop Ignatius Charles Brearley, Primate of the Church of the 'Old Catholics' having its seat in England. The ordinations of the 'Old Catholics' are generally considered to be the same as those of Orthodox bishops. I have known Archbishop Barbeau for more than 60 years since our time at the Grand Seminary of Montreal. I have had little contact with him thereafter, having exercised my ministry far from here. But he has always been known to me as a man of prayer, a mystic. And I think that his disciples are also, above all, men of prayer.[dead link][independent source needed]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
