Answer
The Old Catholic Church is a group of independent Catholic churches who seek to maintain the doctrine and traditions of the undivided church, that is, the church prior to the Great Schism of 1054. The Old Catholic Church has about 18 million members worldwide.
The various groups within the Old Catholic Church emerged at various times. The Church of Utrecht began in 1724, separating from Rome over the right to elect their own archbishop. The German, Austrian, and Swiss Old-Catholic churches refused to accept the doctrine of papal infallibility as defined at the First Vatican Council of 1869—70. The Old Catholic Church of Croatia started in 1924. Churches in communion with the Old Catholic Church include the Anglican Church and the Philippine Independent Church.
There has always been resistance to the centralization of authority in the Roman See and the pope. Movements such as conciliarism in the fifteenth century and Jansenism in the seventeenth century are examples of that resistance. The First Vatican Council’s declaration of papal infallibility in 1870 sparked fierce opposition, especially from church historian J. J. I. von Döllinger.
Following the council, many opposing bishops eventually accepted the new dogma. However, von Döllinger continued to oppose papal infallibility and was excommunicated. While he did not directly establish separatist churches, he was instrumental in the formation of Old Catholic churches in countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. These groups turned to the Jansenist Church in Holland, which had maintained an episcopal succession recognized by Rome as valid though irregular. Joseph H. Reinkens was the first bishop in this new movement. He was consecrated in Germany by Bishop Heykamp of the Jansenist Church of Holland in 1873. Likewise, the Polish National Church of America and Canada received episcopal succession from Bishop E. Herzog of Switzerland. The Declaration of Utrecht (1889) is the charter of Old Catholic doctrine and polity.
The Old Catholic Church operates under the authority of a conference of bishops, with the archbishop of Utrecht holding an honorary primacy. Each diocese has a synod that includes both clergy and laity, ensuring full participation in all aspects of church life, including the election of bishops.
In three key propositions, von Döllinger outlined the vocation of the Old Catholic churches:
1. To bear witness to the truth and against new errors, especially the arbitrary development of new articles of faith.
2. To gradually conform the Church more closely to the undivided church.
3. To serve as an instrument for the future reunion of separated Christians and churches.
Based on these principles, the Old Catholics have been dialoguing with both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Old Catholics accept the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds, and the dogmatic decisions of the first seven ecumenical councils. They place high value on tradition and recognize seven sacraments. They teach apostolic succession, allow clergy to marry, reject transubstantiation, and, since 1996, have opened the priesthood to women.
Von Döllinger’s third principle commits the Old Catholics to persistently work toward Christian unity. This commitment was emphasized at their first conference in 1874 and reiterated at subsequent international congresses of the Old Catholic Church. The quarterly journal Internationale Kirchliche Zeitschrift, first published in 1893, is a sourcebook on Old Catholicism and interchurch relationships worldwide.
