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Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants - Who’s on First? by Rev. James David

It’s confusing. How could people who follow one founder – – have developed into so many different Churches? Or is it Traditions? Denominations? What’s the right term – and who can use it? Here is a very brief attempt to explore some of these issues, with a spotlight on the term and its historical development.

Confusion of Claims and Terms

The that the rest of Christendom, while it is in error in not accepting Rome as its head, nevertheless subsists in the Roman itself. Most of the rest of , including other Catholic Churches, believe that there is one Catholic (universal) Christian Church and that all Christian Traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church, subsist together in the one Church. The latter position would include numerous Church groups and communities who self- identify and exist as Independent Catholic Churches, despite Rome’s claim that they are “in error” or “not real”.

One of the oldest (and quite real) Churches, The , considers itself Catholic (universal), though they prefer the term Orthodox. It is considered by some to predate the Western Church and Rome . While the Roman Catholic Church claims that it’s authority dates back to the Apostles, many theologians disagree and claim that Rome’s emergence as one of the most prominent seats of the Church developed historically from the fourth century forward. There are strong historical, theological, and scriptural arguments to support this view.

Jesus didn’t use the term Catholic

The term “Catholic” was not used in reference to the Church until the second century (by ) to refer to the whole body of believers, both east and west. As differences intensified between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches, Rome came more into prominence in the Western Church from the fourth century forward. The differences between east and west developed gradually, and finally resulted in a in 1054. With the Western Church’s structure of monarchical under the authority of the of Rome (The ), Rome became the de facto center of the Western Church’s authority structure. Yet, it was only after the in the 16th Century that Rome attempted to appropriate the term Catholic for its own exclusive use to distinguish itself from the ‘Protestants’ or ‘Reformers’ (Collins and Walls). For an excellent exploration of the historical and theological development of the church from its earliest days see Roman But Not Catholic: What Remains at Stake 500 Years after the Reformation, by Kenneth J. Collins and Jerry L. Walls.

Are there Other Catholics Besides Roman Ones? Yes, and that has been the case for hundreds of years.

The Old Catholic Church has been around for centuries, (some scholars date it back to the 16th century). It became more prominent following the Declaration of by the in the mid-19th century. A number of Roman Catholic Bishops could not accept this Declaration and became “Old Catholic” bishops. “Old Catholic” alludes to a time before the east-west Schism in the 11th century, when the ultimate authority in the Church was considered to be not the Pope (Bishop of Rome), but rather Ecumenical Councils. From the Eastern Church’s perspective, it was Rome who ‘left the Church,’ as opposed to the Roman view that the Eastern Church departed from it. For an easy to read discussion of these events see: Catholic But Not Roman, Orthodox But Not Eastern: An Introduction to The Old Catholic Church, by Father R. Joseph Owels.

The following Groups, who self-identify as Independent Catholic Churches, have communities located around the and some in other countries. Most differ from the Roman Catholic Church in that they tend to be inclusive, ordaining married or single men and women, and welcoming all to the communion table without regard to gender orientation, marital status, or Christian affiliation. Some are quite large with many , priests, and bishops. Others are smaller with only a few communities and priests. A thorough google search will uncover many more than just the few listed below.

The Ecumenical Catholic Communion

The Ecumenical Catholic Church

The Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of America

The Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of New

The American Catholic Church

The American National Catholic Church

The Celtic Catholic Church

The United States Old Catholic Church

There are a few well-researched works exploring the development of the Independent Catholic Movement. One of the most recent is The Other Catholics: Remaking of America’s Largest , by Julie Byrne.