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Independent Catholic

Independent Catholic is a term used by many small groups which are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church or other traditional and episcopally-governed churches such as the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, or Old Catholic churches. Most of them function as small episcopally-governed church bodies. They are to be found in many parts of the world, but their largest concentration is in North America.

The term Independent Catholic carries a wide array of meanings for different people. Some use the term to indicate those who are more liberal in social and moral teachings (such as supporting gay and lesbian marriage, abortion, and birth control) but remain as members of the historic churches. Yet there always have been and there is now an increasing number of more conservative bodies independent of the larger church communions. Those who use the term as a general description of all those claiming to be "Catholic" but who are not in communion with Rome, Constantinople, Canterbury or Utrecht are, therefore, probably more accurate in their usage.

A more detailed examination of this phenomenon can be found at the Wikipedia articles "Episcopi vagantes" and "Independent Catholic Churches."


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Types of Independent Churches

Independent Catholic Churches form a very broad category in their own right. They range from "paper churches" to viable denominations, and from ultra-liberal to ultra-traditional in their outlook. Most churches hold to the basic tenets and liturgics of traditional Catholicism, although some allow for married clergy and the use of birth control. Many are accepting of female clergy, homosexuals and an openly gay lifestyle.

Churches whose Orders trace their origins to the Old Catholic Church of Arnold Harris Matthew include the Old Roman Catholic Church in North America (led by Archbishop Francis Facione), the Reformed Catholic Church (led by Metropolitan Archbishop Phillip Zimmerman, SJ) and the Old Catholic Church of America (led by Archbishop James Bostwick), both of which are generally liturgically conserative. Another body, the Old Catholic Church of the United States (led by Archbishop Robert Matthew Gubala) changed its name in 2005 to the Catholic Apostolic National Church after coming into communion with the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, founded by the former Roman Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa.

The Polish National Catholic Church, until recently a member of the Utrecht Union, has maintained a conservative stance on women's ordination. The decision on the part of a number of European churches of the Union of Utrecht to permit women priests caused the PNCC to break with the Utrecht Union.

Another part of this movement is the Liberal Catholic Church, actually a number of separate jurisdictions using the term. Historically, their bishops received their Orders through Old Catholic lines but many of them distinguished themselves from other Old Catholics by adopting a combination of (slightly adapted) traditional liturgies and Theosophical or New Age theology.

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