
Declaration
of Autonomy from the Old Catholics of Utrecht (Utrecht Union)
We
the undersigned Bishop, on behalf of our clergy and laity of the
Catholic Church of England, hereby proclaim and declare the autonomy
and independence of our portion of the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church. We are in no way whatever subject to or dependent
upon any foreign See, nor do we recognize the right of any members of
the religious bodies known as 'Old Catholics' on the Continent, to
require submission from us to their authority or jurisdiction, or the
decrees, decisions, rules or assemblies, in which we have neither
taken part nor expressed agreement.
We
had supposed and believed that the Faith, once delivered to the
Saints, and set forth in the decrees of the Councils accepted as
Ecumenical no less in the West than in the East, would have continued
unimpaired, whether by augmentation or by diminution, in the
venerable Church of the Dutch Nation.
We
anticipated that the admirable fidelity with which the Bishops and
Clergy of that Church had adhered to the Faith and handed it down,
untarnished by heresy, notwithstanding grievous persecution during so
many centuries, would never have wavered.
Unfortunately, however, we discover with dismay, pain, and regret
that the standards of orthodoxy, laid down by old by the Fathers and
Councils of the East and West alike, having been departed from in
various particulars by certain sections of Old Catholicism, these
departures, instead of being checked and repressed, are, at least
tacitly, tolerated and acquiesced in without protest, by the
Hierarchy of the Church of the Netherlands.
In order
to avoid misapprehension, we here specify nine of the points of
difference between Continental Old Catholics and ourselves:
[1]
Although the Synod of Jerusalem, held under Dositheus in 1672, was
not an Ecumenical Council, its decrees are accepted by the Holy
Orthodox Church of the Orient as accurately expressing its belief,
and are in harmony with the decrees of the Council of Trent on the
dogmas of which they treat. We are in agreement with the Holy
Orthodox Church, regarding this Synod. Hence, we hold and declare
that there are Seven Holy Mysteries or Sacraments instituted by Our
Divine Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, therefore all of them necessary
for the salvation of mankind, though all are not necessarily to be
received by every individual, e.g. Holy Orders and Matrimony. Certain
sections, if not all, of the Old Catholic bodies, reject this belief
and refuse to assent to the decrees of the Holy Synod of Jerusalem.
[2]
Moreover, some of them have abolished the Sacrament of Penance by
condemning and doing away with auricular confession; others actively
discourage this salutary practice; other, again, whilst tolerating
its use, declare the Sacrament of Penance to be merely optional,
therefore unnecessary, and of no obligation, even for those who have
fallen into mortal sin after Baptism.
[3] In
accordance with the belief and practice of the Universal Church, we
adhere to the doctrine of the Communion of Saints by invoking and
venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary, and those who have received the
crown of glory in heaven, as well as the Holy Angels of God. The Old
Catholics in the Netherlands have not yet altogether abandoned this
pious and helpful custom, but, in some other countries, invocation of
the Saints has been totally abolished by the Old Catholics.
[4]
Although it may be permissible and, indeed, very desirable, in some
countries, and under certain circumstances, to render the Liturgy
into the vernacular languages, we consider it to be neither expedient
nor tolerable that individuals should compose new liturgies,
according to their own particular views, or make alterations,
omissions and changes in venerable rites to suit their peculiar
fancies, prejudices or idiosyncrasies. We lament the mutilations of
this kind which have occurred among the Old Catholics in several
countries and regret that no two of the new liturgies composed and
published by them are alike, either in form or in ceremony. In all of
them the ancient rubrics have been set aside, and the ceremonies and
symbolism with which the Sacred Mysteries of the Altar have been
reverently environed for many centuries, have, either wholly or in
part, been ruthlessly swept away. The Rite of Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament has also been almost universally abolished among
the Old Catholics.
[5] In
accordance with the primitive teaching of the Church of the
Netherlands, which prevailed until a very recent date, we consider it
a duty of the part of Western Christians to remember His Holiness the
Pope as their Patriarch in their prayers and sacrifices. The name of
His Holiness should, therefore, retain its position in the Canon of
the Mass, where, as we observed at our consecration in Utrecht, it
was customary, and remained so until a recent date in the present
year [1910], for the celebrant to recite the name of our Patriarch in
the usual manner in the Mass and in the Litany of the Saints. The
publication of a new vernacular Dutch Liturgy in the present year
causes us to regret that the clergy of Holland are now required to
omit the name of His Holiness in the Canon of the Mass. Happily, only
a small number of other alterations in the text of the Canon have, so
far, been introduced. These include the omission of the title, 'ever
Virgin' whenever it occurs in the Latin Missal. Such alterations pave
the way for others of an even more serious nature, which may be made
in the future, and, as we think, are to be deplored.
[6]
Following the example of our Catholic forefathers, we venerate the
adorable Sacrifice of the Mass as the supreme act of Christian
worship instituted by Christ Himself. We grieve that the Old Catholic
clergy, in most countries, have abandoned the daily celebration of
Mass, and now limit the offering the Christian Sacrifice to Sundays
and a few of the greater Feasts. The corresponding neglect of the
Blessed Sacrament, and infrequency of Holy Communion, on the part of
the laity, are marked.
[7] In
accordance with Catholic custom and with the decrees of the
Ecumenical Councils, we hold that the honour and glory of God are
promoted and increased by the devout and religious use of holy
pictures, statues, symbols, relics, and the like, as aids to
devotion, and that, in relations to those they represent, they are to
be held in veneration. The Old Catholics have, generally speaking,
preferred to dispense with such helps to piety.
[8] We
consider that the Holy Sacraments should be administered only to
those who are members of the Holy Catholic Church, not only by
Baptism, but by the profession of the Catholic Faith in its
integrity. Unhappily, we find persons who are not Catholics are not
admitted to receive Holy Communion in all Old Catholic places of
worship on the Continent.
[9] The
Old Catholics have ceased to observe the prescribed days of fasting
and abstinence, and no longer observe the custom of receiving Holy
Communion fasting.
For
these and other reasons, which it is unnecessary to detail, we, the
undersigned Bishop, desire, by these present, to declare our autonomy
and our independence of all foreign interference in our doctrine,
discipline and policy. In necessáriis únitas, in dubiis
libertas, in ómnibus caritas.
+ Arnold
Harris Mathew
29 December,
1910
The
Feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury
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