By Rev.
Brother Jeff Wolfe, October 19, 2012
Back in March of this year, the Freedom from Religion
Foundation (FFRF)[i]
took out a one page ad[ii]
(see attachment) in the New York Times pleading those liberals who don’t agree
with the [Roman] Catholic church’s stance on contraception and its stand on
women priests.
It is important for the reader to understand that there
are many more Catholic churches other than Roman Catholic churches. Unfortunately, the article leaves the
impression that there is only one Catholic Church – Roman.
Recently, Rev. Dr. Jayme Mathias, Pastor of Holy Family
American Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, a parish of the American Catholic
Church in the United States (ACCUS – http://www.accus.us),
pointed out that indeed there are many other Catholic Churches than Roman. Taken from the “Frequently Asked Questions”
(FAQ) page on the Holy Family American Catholic Church website (http://www.holyfamilyacc.org), Fr Jayme
reminds visitors to Holy Family’s website that indeed there are many “Catholic”
churches beyond the traditional “Roman Catholic Church”.
Is the American Catholic Church even Catholic?
Yes, definitely. There are several expressions of Catholicism, and
many Catholic churches comprise the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church" which is professed by all.
In many Western countries, the most well-known expression of
Catholicism is the Roman Catholic Church. In Asia and Eastern
Europe, however, the most well-known expression of Catholicism is the Orthodox Catholic Church, which possesses over
300 million adherents.
Other less-known expressions of Catholicism
include the Orthodox
Catholic Church of America, the American Apostolic Catholic Church, the American National Catholic Church, the Independent
Old Catholic Church of America, the Old Catholic Apostolic Church, the Old Roman Catholic Church of North America,
the United
American Catholic Church, the United
Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Catholic Church, and the expression
that we enjoy here in Austin: the American
Catholic Church of the United States. That's more diversity in the
Body of Christ than many people ever imagined![iii]
The American Catholic Church in
the United States (ACCUS) is a “Catholic” church. According to the ACCUS website, the American
Catholic Church in the United States is a progressive, inclusive, Vatican II
church which truly takes to heart the idea put forth by Pope John XXIII that “….Christ
died on the cross with his arms open… welcoming everyone… EVERYONE”.
The idea
that the Roman Catholic Church is the only valid Catholic Church is false. Again, Fr Jayme, in his “Frequently Asked
Questions” page under the “About Us” section of the website for Holy Family
American Catholic Church explains the “litmus test” for determining of a
Catholic church other than Roman is a valid Catholic church.
The litmus test of any Catholic church is
apostolic succession.
The American Catholic Church in the United
States (or ACCUS, for short) is currently led by Presiding Archbishop William
A. Johnson, D.D. On October 3, 2009, Archbishop Johnson was validly consecrated
by bishops representing eleven valid lines of succession from the apostles,
including the Roman Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Church, the
Malankara/Syrian/Jacobite Churches, and six Orthodox Churches…
Despite St. Paul's vision that we are
"all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28), a split within the Church occurred
in 1054 A.D. Though the five patriarchs of the Church historically worked
together to formulate doctrine, the Patriarch of Rome (now known as the pope)
tampered with the Church's creed, thus changing the Church's Trinitarian
theology. In what is now known as the East-West Schism, the Patriarch of
Constantinople excommunicated the Patriarch of Rome, and the Patriarch of Rome
excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, leading to the creation of the Orthodox Catholic Church (i.e., the church perceived to be
orthodox and in communion with the four patriarchs of the East) and the Roman Catholic Church (the church that aligned itself
with the independently-acting Patriarch of Rome). Interestingly, no one thought
in terms of a new church being formed. Rather, the Church now had two valid
expressions of apostolic Catholicism.
After that split, the next great divide would
occur in 1517-1521 when a Catholic priest, Father Martin Luther, began raising
questions about the sale of indulgences (viz., time out of purgatory, a concept
that was made doctrine in 1274) which were being used to finance the
construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This led to a division between
"Roman Catholics" and "Protestants."
Three centuries later, another significant
split would occur when the Patriarch of the West (now known as the pope) pushed
for the declaration of his own infallibility.
More recently, divisions in the Church have
occurred over such issues as contraception (1968)
and the place of women within the Roman church (1994).
Despite these events, bishops who were validly consecrated through
apostolic succession have continued to share the gift of the Spirit with
others, and the ministry of the Body of Christ has continued. The Church is
comprised of individuals who are at once saints and sinners. They are human
beings who, like Peter, the Rock upon which the Church was built, have at times
denied Christ (Mt 26:74-75), or who, like James and John,
have sometimes jockeyed for positions of supposed power (Mt 20:20-28). Fortunately, the love of Christ
continues to unite us all and lead us as the sinners-and-saints we are![iv]
So, if you are a Roman
Catholic, and the one page ad taken out by the Freedom from Religion Foundation
(FFRF), affected you and gave you pause to consider to “leave the Catholic
church” as their ad puts it, please remember, you do not have to leave being “Catholic”
if you feel strongly about the issues the FFRF points out in their one page ad.
The one page ad is referring to the “Roman
Catholic Church” – not all valid Catholic churches. I would ask you to consider
not leaving your faith altogether because of these issues. Search for a valid Catholic community which
does align with your values and mores without sacrificing your faith.
If you would like more
information about what it means to be Catholic in today’s society, and learn
more about valid Catholic churches other than Roman, contact the nearest ACCUS
parish to you. You do not have to leave
your Catholic faith because of the issues noted in FFRF’s one page ad. As members of humanity, we are all children
of God and as Catholic Christians, we believe in “One, Holy, Catholic, and
Apostolic Church”.
[i] Freedom
from Religion Foundation, http://www.ffrf.org.
[ii]
Gaylor, Annie Laurie, and Barker, Dan, “It’s
Time To Quit the Catholic Church”, New York Times, March 9, 2012, New York
Times, Pg 10, Front Sections © 2012, Freedom from Religion Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
[iii] Mathias,
Rev. Dr. Jayme, Holy Family American Catholic Church website (http://www.holyfamilyacc.org), “Frequently
Asked Questions” page under the “About Us” section, © 2012 Holy Family American
Catholic Church, Austin, Texas. All
Rights Reserved.
[iv] Ibid.
About the Author
Rev. Brother Jeff Wolfe is the Director and
Administrator of St John xxiii
Pastoral & Outreach Center (POC) in Indianapolis, IN. It was founded
April 4, 2011 in Indianapolis on the East-side in Irvington. Br Jeff attends
seminary as a third year student at St. John xxiii Theological Institute
enrolled in the Master of Divinity Program.
Brother Jeff also serves as founder and a member
of the Board of Directors for The
Kristen Center, a faith-based not-for-profit community based organization
dedicated to providing programs and services to those with HIV and those who
care for them. Currently The Kristen Center offers targeted, customized HIV
Support Groups for: Newly Diagnosed; Long Term Survivors; Family &
Caregivers of those with HIV; and, Women with HIV.
To learn more about Brother Jeff, visit his Facebook Page or visit his
blog, Following My Calling.
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