Frequently Asked Questions
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Most Common Questions
Q: What is the official status of the Anglican Patriarchate?
The Anglican Patriarchate (Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church) is an ecclesiastical sovereignty by right of Rome with an independent government in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Additionally, we descend from the See of Utrecht, which was granted autonomy in 1145 by Pope Eugene III and confirmed in 1520 by Pope Leo X in the Bull Debitum Pastoralis, this right becoming known as the Leonine Privilege. As the sole successor of Pope Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle in Italy and Britain, the Patriarchate is fully Catholic and holds the same canonical authority as the Roman Communion (Vatican). The Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical successor to temporal Rome, the temporal patrimony of the Roman Empire claimed historically by right of the papacy. The succession passed to the Patriarchate after Benedict XVI by right of Rome and Florence, with the Archfather (Coadjutor of Rome and Bishop of St. Stephen) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as spiritual successor of St. Peter and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State.
Q: Are "traditionalist" groups affiliated with the Anglican Patriarchate?
No.
Q: Do you ordain clergy outside the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church?
Generally no. Exceptions are rare and strictly regulated by canon law.
Q: What is the New Roman Communion?
The New Roman Communion is defined as the Anglican Patriarchate and the churches of all Bishops recognised by the Patriarchate. It takes its name from the Florentine heritage of the Anglican Patriarchate, with Florence recognised as the second New Rome after Constantinople. Bishops of the New Roman Communion need not be of the Anglican Rite, but may be of any traditional Catholic Rite.
Q: Who is the head of the Anglican Patriarchate and New Roman Communion?
The Coadjutor and Prince of Rome, Bishop of St. Stephen, who is most commonly known as the Archfather or Florentine Archfather.
Q: What is an Archfather?
The personal title of Archfather has common ancient origins with the title of Patriarch and Pope. Patriarchs are found in the Old Testament and eventually among Christian clergy. The title of Pope was used first for the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria and later also for the Bishop of Rome. Today the title of Archfather refers exclusively to the Florentine Archfather, Coadjutor and Prince of Rome.
Q: What is the authority of the Archfather?
By right of Rome, the Archfather speaks with supreme authority and the full voice and authority of the Pope within and regarding the jurisdiction of the Anglican Patriarchate and New Roman Communion.
Q: What is the Leonine Office? How does it relate to the Petrine Office?
The Florentine Archfather, as successor to Pope Leo X, holds what is known as the Leonine Office. It is an extension of the Petrine Office, the primacy of the Pope, and shares in its authority within and regarding the jurisdiction of the Anglican Patriarchate and New Roman Communion. (Read more about the Petrine Office, Leonine Office, and the Anglican Patriarchate.
Q: Several others now suddenly claim to be the "true" Anglican Rite of the Catholic Church. Are you one of them?
A: Our long and ancient history of deeds and actions speaks for us. True faiths concentrate on positive acts of faith and service. There is no compelling need to prop ourselves up with words.
Q: Are you the "true" Roman Catholic Church? What about others?
A: We are a continuation of the ancient and traditional One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, with the Archfather possessing by right of Rome supreme authority with the full voice and authority of the Pope within and regarding the jurisdiction of the Anglican Patriarchate and New Roman Communion. We do not feel the need to comment on others, instead encouraging all to focus on Christ-like acts of faith and service.
Q: Why do some Bishops in the Anglican Patriarchate wear red?
The Governor-General and Arch-Chancellor wear red habits, including red zucchetti (skull caps), because they hold titular Prince-Bishoprics. It is an ancient custom deriving from the Holy Roman Empire that Prince-Bishops wear red. Crown Cardinals also wear red habits. The Prefect-General, whether lay or clerical, is similarly entitled to a red habit with yellow mantellone and fur cappuccio distinct to the office.
Q: Why does the Archfather have a white habit?
The Archfather uses a white habit often trimmed with red, which is based on the habit of the Order of St. Stephen. The zucchetto (skull cap) is in plain white silk to match the habit, much like the custom of a white skull cap being used by members of religious orders with white habits. Some other elements of the habit remain red.
Q: Why do some of the bishops in the Anglican Patriarchate have different titles?
This reflects the ancient and diverse history of the Anglican Patriarchate. The Archfather is known as "His Holy Eminence," a style unique to the Anglican Patriarchate. It is a combination of the papal style of "Holy" (as successor Leo X and temporal successor St. Peter the Apostle) with the style of "Most Eminent." "Most Eminent," or "Eminentissimus," dates to the Roman Empire as a title often used by the Caesars. Of Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor who legalised Christianity, the ancient writer Sedulius wrote "The Most Eminent Emperor prided himself more to be God's servant than of his earthly empire." It was also used by the Praetorian Prefects, who held the highest office, governing a division of the late Empire, from Constantine onward. The title of "Eminence" also came to be used by Cardinals and ecclesial Prince Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, both of which are among the traditional titles held by the Archfather. Thus the style of "Holy Eminence" reflects the unique authority and heritage of the Florentine Archfather.
The two principle electoral bishops are each referred to as "His Highness" or "His Eminence." (The more formal version is "His Most Eminent Royal Highness," abbreviated H.M.E.R.H.). Crown Cardinals are referred to as "His Eminence." Other bishops are referred to as "His Excellency." For more on protocol for all clergy, please refer to the Protocol Page.
General Questions
Q: Is
there such a thing as the Anglican Rite?
A: Yes.
The Anglican Church began when Saint Augustine of Canterbury was sent
to England by the Pope to found the Catholic Church there in 595 A.D.
The Anglican Rite was a distinct usage of the Roman Rite. (Novak,
Rev. Victor E. "The Anglican Rite in Historical, Theological,
and Ecumenical Perspective." Virtue
Online.)
In fact, several "uses" were developed in the English
Church, one of the most famous of which being the Sarum Use (also
known as the Sarum Rite). Within the modern Latin Rite, John Paul II
established a distinct "Anglican Use" (instead of a Rite)
for post-Reformation Anglicans joining the Roman Communion. This was
continued by Benedict XVI and expanded into the Anglican Ordinariate
(Roman Catholic - Anglican Form). Today there is no Anglican Rite
within the Roman Communion. The Anglican Rite exists within the New Roman Communion in the
form of the Anglican Patriarchate.
Q: What is Imperial Old Roman Catholic or Imperial Catholic?
A: Imperial Old Roman Catholicism, or simply Imperial Catholicism descends
from the ancient Roman Catholic Diocese of Utrecht in the Netherlands and historically tied to the Holy Roman Empire. It maintains the privilege of
autonomy of government.
Q: What is the Latino culture and Germanic culture of the Anglican Patriarchate?
A: The Germanic culture of the Anglican Patriarchate of originates with the Merovingian dynasty and of the Holy Roman Empire. The culture of the Frankish people represented in the patriarchate is principally through Italy, portions of modern-day Germany, France, and the British Isles. The Latino culture of the Anglican Patriarchate includes Italy, France, Spain, and portions of the French and Spanish Americas. Latino culture originated with the Latins in the Roman Empire and spread with the Empire around much of Europe. That included especially not only Italy, but Spain and Gaul (roughly modern-day France). With the expansion of Spain and France (which included significant Italian support) to the New World, Latino culture spread to the Americas. Those modern societies that have historical romance languages, which derived from Latin, comprise the modern Latino society. In the Europe, that includes at least Italy, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Romania, Switzerland, and parts of Belgium. In the New World, it includes those people descended from the European Latino countries. They are properly termed both Latino like their European counterparts and also Latin Americans (Latino-Americano in Spanish and Italian).
Unfortunately in recent times, the United States has appropriated the European term "Latino" and changed its meaning, defining it as only the Latin-Americans. What ever the motivation may have been for doing that, it disenfranchised and excluded Latinos of European origin, including the very fountainhead of Latino culture, the Italian peninsula where Lat language and culture in originated and spread through the Roman Empire. Those of European Latino culture, heritage, or origin, however, rightly should not permit their own heritage and history to be erased.
Q: What
does it mean to be "Roman
of the English/Anglican Rite?"
A: The Anglican Patriarchate is
an Anglo-Roman Particular Church and serves as patriarchal See of the New Roman Communion. We are not a Protestant community,
separate church, or denomination. We reject modernism and every
innovation, adhering instead to the historic doctrine and discipline
of the Catholic Church in the Apostolic period. We are Catholic by
Leonine Privilege and Right of Rome, by special favour of the Church, and because we
derive our authority from Jesus Christ in unbroken succession from
the Apostles through the Bishops; because our communion is confined
neither to time nor space; and because we teach, profess, and
preserve the Faith once delivered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
to the Apostles; and as sole successor of
Pope Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle in Italy and Britain, the Patriarchate remains fully Catholic
holding the same canonical authority as the Roman Communion (Vatican).
The Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical successor to temporal Rome,
the temporal patrimony of the Roman Empire claimed historically by right of the papacy. The succession passed to the Patriarchate after Benedict XVI by right of Rome and Florence,
with the
Archfather (Bishop of St. Stephen) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as spiritual successor of St. Peter
and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State.
Q: Did the Anglican Patriarchate (or other Old Roman Catholic Churches) ever leave the Catholic Church? A: Absolutely not. The Anglican Patriarchate is the sole successor of Pope Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle in Italy and Britain and as such remains fully Catholic and holds the same canonical authority as the Roman Communion (Vatican). The Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical successor to temporal Rome, the temporal patrimony of the Roman Empire claimed historically by right of the papacy. The succession passed to the Patriarchate after Benedict XVI by right of Rome and Florence, with the Archfather (Bishop of St. Stephen) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as spiritual successor of St. Peter and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State. Also, as Old Roman Catholics, we descend from the See of Utrecht, which was granted autonomy in 1145 by Pope Eugene III and confirmed in 1520 by Pope Leo X in the Bull Debitum Pastoralis, this right becoming known as the Leonine Privilege. The Church Councils in 1215 and 1717 further confirmed this right. It has also been confirmed by several more recent affirmations. Indeed, the See of Utrecht, from which we descend, provided a Pope, Hadrian VI, in 1522. (For more on the Old Roman Catholic Church, please read this article. ) The Anglican Patriarchate, as as Patriarchal See of the New Roman Communion, remains Catholic in perpetuity by right of Rome. |
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Q: Are
you "Episcopi vagantes?"
A: No.
That term, meaning "wandering bishops," is often applied in
a derogatory fashion against Old Roman Catholics and Old Catholics
who do not know any better and sometimes even by those who ought to
know better. Based on the autonomy granted to the See of Utrecht and
further recognition of the status of that See and Old Roman
Catholics, Old Roman Catholics continue rightly to claim licitness
under Canon Law. Therefore, it is inappropriate to apply the term
"episcopi vagantes" to Old Roman Catholic Bishops. Furthermore,
as sole successor of
Pope Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle in Italy and Britain, the Anglican Patriarchate, New Roman Communion (Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church) remains fully Catholic
holding the same canonical authority as the Roman Communion (Vatican).
The Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical successor to temporal Rome,
the temporal patrimony of the Roman Empire claimed historically by right of the papacy. The succession passed to the Patriarchate after Benedict XVI by right of Rome and Florence,
with the
Archfather (Bishop of St. Stephen) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as spiritual successor of St. Peter
and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State.
Q: Are
you a part of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops or other Episcopal Conferences of the Roman Communion?
A: No. The USCCB
or other episcopal conferences of the Roman Communion are not part of the Anglican Patriarchate or
the New Roman Communion.
Q: Do
you recognize the USCCB or other Episcopal Conferences?
A: Of
course. We recognize the Bishops, clergy, and faithful under the
USCCB or other Episcopal Conferences as brother Catholics, even though they are not part of the New Roman Communion. We always seek a cooperative relationship
wherever possible.
A: No. We are in succession from Archbishop Mathew of England, consecrated in 1909 by Geraldus Gul, Archbishop of Utrecht, who separated from the Utrecht Union in order to preserve the orthodoxy of the Catholic Faith within Old Roman Catholicism. This was due to attacks within Utrecht against the Catholic Faith and in opposition to the decrees of the First Vatican Council. While "Old Catholic" is often used as a short version of "Old Roman Catholic," the term "Old Catholic" also refers to the movement begun in 1870 against, among other things, Papal Infallibility. This resulted in an eventual split between the Old Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain and continental Old Catholics, which had caused the See of Utrecht to descend into modernism. Thus Utrecht was overwhelmed and forced to adopt many modernist practices and doctrines inconsistent with traditional Imperial Catholicism. True Old Roman Catholicism, the fruit of the venerable Church that was home to Saint Willibrord and Saint Boniface, lives on to this day. She does not adopt modernist doctrine and practices, compromise with Protestant theology, or compromise with or adopt non-Christian practices. Indeed, there is much similarity between the "Old Catholicism" from which Archbishop Mathew separated and the modernist form of Catholicism widely practiced today. (Read Archbishop Mathew's letter separating the Old Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain from the Utrecht Union.) Additionally, as sole successor of Pope Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle in Italy and Britain, the Anglican Patriarchate, New Roman Communion remains fully Catholic holding the same canonical authority as the Roman Communion (Vatican). The Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical successor to temporal Rome, the temporal patrimony of the Roman Empire claimed historically by right of the papacy. The succession passed to the Patriarchate after Benedict XVI by right of Rome and Florence, with the Archfather (Bishop of St. Stephen) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as spiritual successor of St. Peter and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State. |
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A: No. Most who make this argument do not understand the history. Neither are we ex-Catholics, former Catholics, or non-Catholics. First, the Anglican Patriarchate is, by right of Rome, the Anglican Rite of the Universal Church and the Patriarchal See of the New Roman Communion. Bishops of the New Roman Communion need not be Anglican Rite, but may be of any Catholic rite. Furthermore, Old Roman Catholicism is not, nor has it ever been, a sect or schism of the Catholic Church. Autonomy was granted to the See of Utrecht, from which we descend, in 1145 and confirmed many times since. Some, however, claim that Old Roman Catholics are heretics or schismatics, usually due to an accusation of the Jansenist heresy in the 17th century against Archbishop Codde, the Archbishop of Utrecht, by the Jesuits. Despite the fact this claim was never proven and Archbishop Codde was declared innocent, the baseless accusations continued. Through pressure of the Jesuits, Archbishop Codde was dismissed, which not only threatened the independence granted under Leonine Privilege by previous Popes and Councils, it caused division and misinformation at that time and which abounds to this day (The New Schaff-Herzog of Religious Knowledge). The Anglican Patriarchate recognizes the primacy of the Pope as the head of the Church. Our priests pray for the Holy Father in the Canon of the Mass. We do, however, maintain our rights under Leonine Privilege as given and confirmed by Popes, Ecumenical Councils, and special favor of the Church by right of Rome. (For more information on the politics and situation of the accusations of the Jansenist heresy and Utrecht, please see H. Daniel-Rops. The Church in the Seventeenth Century. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1963)
Q: Are
you part of the Continuing Anglican movement?
A: No.
While our parent Anglican diocese was originally part of that
movement in 1978, it has since embraced the fullness of the Catholic
Faith through Rome and is not a part of or
associated with the Continuing Anglican movement or the Traditional
Anglican movement, both of which typically reject the tenets of Roman Catholicism.
Q: Why
are you not part of the Anglican Ordinariate in the Roman Communion?
A: The
Ordinariate (Roman Catholic - Anglican Form) was created as a
mechanism for corporate conversion by Anglicans, whose Holy Orders
and Sacraments are not recognized as valid by the Holy See (see
Apostolicae Curae,
Leo XIII). Our Church is, by right of Rome,
the Anglican Rite of the Universal Church and the Patriarchal See of the New Roman Communion. Also, it is part of the Old Roman
Catholic tradition, stemming from the See of Utrecht, with Holy
Orders recognized as valid by the Holy See. As sole successor of
Pope Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle in Italy and Britain, the Patriarchate remains fully Catholic
holding the same canonical authority as the Roman Communion (Vatican).
The Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical successor to temporal Rome,
the temporal patrimony of the Roman Empire claimed historically by right of the papacy. The succession passed to the Patriarchate after Benedict XVI by right of Rome and Florence,
with the
Archfather (Bishop of St. Stephen) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Pope (Bishop of Rome) as spiritual successor of St. Peter
and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State.(See
Dominus Iesus, 2000,
the Concordat of 1976, and Canon 844 Sec. 2).
Q: What
is your position on the Declaration of Utrecht and the 14 Theses?
A: We
adhere to traditional Roman Catholic doctrine and principles. Our
guiding principles are Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the
authentic Teaching Authority of the Universal Church. However, the
Declaration is useful to study to gain understanding of conflicts
arising in Catholicism after the First Vatican Council. Our Apostolic
lineage in the Old Catholic line extends to before the Declaration in
1889, and our Particular Church has worked to reconcile the
ultramontanist and the ultrajectine positions.
Q: How
is the Archfather chosen?
A: The
Archfather and Grand Pontiff of the Anglican Rite is elected by the Patriarchal Electors in accordance with
the Code of Particular Canon Law. The Electors are prelates appointed
by the Archfather.
Q: Can clerics, priests, and bishops in the ARRCC be married?
A: Yes, with permission, and under the regulations of canon law.
Q: Why are Bishops important?
A: Because they are the successors of the Apostles, and they possess the fullness of Christ's Priesthood. Our Church is organized like the historic Church has always been, and that is top down. You can have a Church with one Bishop and no other clergy, but even a church of 100 priests would be a highly deficient church if there was no Bishop. All authority to minister in the local Church stems from the Bishop under whom the priests function.
Q: Does the Anglican Patriarchate teach and profess Catholic doctrine?
A: Yes. In particular, our principal Catechism, the Southwest Anglo-Catholic Catechism (also known as the Catechism of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church), is based on the Baltimore Catechism, a standard catechism of the Roman Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council. As Old Roman Catholics who received and inherited the true doctrine of Catholicism, the Anglican Patriarchate preserves that doctrine, as well as the seven Sacraments of the Holy Mass, Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Penance, Matrimony, and Unction.
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