INFORMATION PORTAL

THE ANGLICAN RITE OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

The Anglican Patriarchate and Imperial Roman Church - Successors of Pope Leo X
Above: The Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican, viewed from the dome, with the Chair of St. Peter in Rome visible

"Why do we maintain with great determination the traditions of the Pontifical States? It is, first, in our blood and our faith. Yet, the majority of the world, for better or worse, is no longer as it once was. In Christian tolerance and charity, we do not actively seek others to change to suit us. Our goal is not to achieve any particular temporal outcome, for ultimately the kingdom we represent on earth is not of this world. Nonetheless, by perpetuating the great and glorious legacy that is our sacred duty to maintain, of a society flawed in humanity, but centred on Christ and His Holy Church, we serve as an example to all people and all governments of the world today, no matter their form. In that way we serve in the best way we possibly can."

Archfather Papa Rutherford I

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LATINO-GERMANIC AND BYZANTINE-SLAVIC CULTURE 
ANGLICAN RITE CATHOLIC FAITH UNITING WEST AND EAST
(Find out more about Latino-Germanic & Byzantine-Slavic Culture.)

Follow this link for a Brief History of the Patriarchate

Historic Communion with the Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch and Alexandria

Learn About the Patriarchate and the Legacy of Christian Chivalry of King Peter II of Yugoslavia.

Patriarchal Constitution: Omnipotens Deus.

The Petrine Office, Leonine Office, and the Anglican Patriarchate.

The Anglican Patriarchate and the Anglo-Roman Rite - An Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Visit the site of the Stato Pontificio, the Secular and Historic Heritage of the Patriarchate

ABOUT THE ANGLICAN PATRIARCHATE

CUSTODIANS OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF SAINT MARK AT AQUILEIA

Our Lady (Holy Mother of God) of Kazan

The Anglican Patriarchate of Rome (Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church) is a soveriegn and independent Gallo-Russo-Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate with Anglican patrimony and is the temporal successor of St. Peter. It is Old Roman Catholic and Pontifical Orthodox of the Anglican Rite in heritage, tradition, and practice.

The Apostolic See of the Patriarchate is also successor to the legacy of Pope Saint Leo X and to the sovereign Margraviate of Tuscany in the Holy Roman Empire. Pope Saint Leo X, Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, and Bosone d'Arles, King of Lower Burgundy, Vice King of Italy are considered the founders of the modern Anglican Patriarchate of Rome, dedicated to its celestial patron, St. Stephen. By its joint Apostolic and secular heritage, it represents the traditional Gallo-Russo-Byzantine and Old Roman Catholic Anglican Rite in Italy and its other territories in the historical framework of the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Empire. The church is universal, both western and eastern in heritage. The Anglican Patriarchate of Rome descends from the ancient Roman Catholic See of Utrecht, granted autonomy by the Holy See in 1145. Additionally, the Patriarchal and Royal Household descends from Don James I, King of Aragón, Count of Gévaudan in a line to Berenguer Raimondo, Count of Provence and Gévaudan in the House of Barcelona, from which also the Merovingian title of Count of Sainte Animie, a personal title held by the Archfathers, also succeeds. The ancient House of Ivrea, to which the Anglican Patriarchate of Rome is successor in Imperial Italy, also succeeded to the thrones of Barcelona and Castile y León. Thus the Anglican Patriarchate maintains strong historical ties to Spain through France and Italy and is the heir to the Burgundian House of Arles and the Spanish Houses of Ivrea and Barcelona in Imperial Italy. The Patriarchate follows the calling of its celestial Patron, Saint Stephen the Deacon and Protomartyr with a specific mandate of mission work, service, and charity. It holds the thrones of Saints Mark and Stephen and the temporal throne of St. Peter the Apostle. The Apostolic See also constitutes a religious, ethnic, and cultural minority, a distinct ethnic blend of Latino and Teutonic cultures. Its people are those who identify with the Patriarchate through common heritage or purpose. The Imperial Roman Church 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 Imperial Roman Church need not be of the Anglican Rite, but may be of any traditional Catholic Rite. As the sole successor of Pope Saint Leo X and temporal successor of St. Peter the Apostle, 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 Papa-Prince (Anglican Patriarch and Coadjutor of Rome) with papal authority as temporal successor of St. Peter, and the Bishop of Rome as spiritual successor of St. Peter and de facto sovereign of the Vatican City-State.

Map of the Historic Territory of the Anglican Patriarchate of Rome

As a global missionary organization that witnesses to the spiritual and secular authority of the historic Roman Church in accordance with our mandate and organizational parameters, the mission of the Patriarchate is non-parochial. Except where special faculties have been granted, it operates independent of the Canonical jurisdictional limits of Sees established by both the Roman Catholic and Anglican Communions. The bishops, priests, and clerics of the ARRCC are traditional clerics who enjoy a flexible role, effectively creating a cadre of reserve clergy who provide sacraments and pastoral service as needed. Otherwise, they carry out the mandate of the Patriarchate of mission, service, and charity, in part typically through work outside of traditional parochial settings. Our clergy put faith in action through science, medicine, academia, the arts, service professions, and more.

The Anglican Patriarchate of Rome is also a Catholic continuation of the Anglican Church brought to Tuscany (Etruria) in the 16th century by the British. Since that time, Britannia has maintained a lasting relationship with that region of Italy. In fact, Britain maintained a regular presence in Italy since at least the medieval period. Italians have been in Britain since the Roman era, and they have maintained a constant presence ever since. Britain could even be called Roman islands based on 2000 years of heritage. The Etrurian region of Italy also has a centuries-old heritage with Old Roman Catholicism and a legacy of support for the ancient See of Utrecht. The unique convergence of spiritual and temporal patrimony within the Patriarchate includes historical links to Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire; the Latin Empire of Constantinople; conquests of Julius Caesar; and the Houses of Bar, Burgundy, Hapsburg, Lorraine, Medici, Naples, Sicily, and others. Today, the Patriarchate continues the legacy of Christian service.

The Anglican Patriarchate of Rome uses both the Anglican Rite and the Roman Rite in liturgy and follows traditional theology and practices of the Roman Church. The spirit of a true religion does not solely reside in man-made temples. Thus, the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church has few walls. We carry faith and sacraments to people wherever they are found; within existing facilities and among historic buildings of our Faith. Through its spiritual and temporal lineage, liturgy, and practice, the Apostolic See serves to preserve the chivalric and noble traditions, both spiritual and temporal, of the Holy Church.

Though the Anglican Ordinariate is unaffiliated with the Anglican Patriarchate of Rome, those Protestant Anglicans seeking a parochial program for the furtherance of their spiritual life through conversion to Catholicism are encouraged to consider joining the Anglican Ordinariate directly under the administration of the Holy Father (go to the external US Ordinariate website), which maintains an extensive network of parishes around the world that are Roman Catholic with Anglican Form.

If you are a man of faith and learning, married or single, and are contemplating the ministry through our specific mandate of service, mission, and charity, please visit the Patriarchate's vocations ministry by following this link. Service with this missionary jurisdiction constitutes service only within the Apostolic See and does not imply service within or communion with any canonically defined ordinary jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church or worldwide Anglican Communion. Those whose intention is parochial ministry should consider a vocation with their local Roman Catholic diocese or, for Anglicans, the Anglican Ordinariate.

Follow this link for a Brief History of the Patriarchate

Suggested Reading:
Basic Principles of Pontifical Orthodoxy
Patriarchal Constitution: Omnipotens Deus
Pope Saint Leo X on the Protestant Error
Pope Saint Pius XII on Holy Orders
Oath Against Modernism
Pope Leo XIII on Nature and Grace
Why Traditional Liturgy is Important
The Master Plan of the Devil - The Development of the Post-Modern Error
Communication with those of false religion
On the Roman heritage of the Anglican Church
On Freedom of Religion and the Sanctity of Life
On Church Unity
On Freedom and Religious Liberty
On Obedience to the Apostolic See
On the Purpose and Authority of the Patriarchal See

What is the difference between the Anglican Ordinariate,
the Continuing Anglican communities, and the Anglican
Patriarchate (Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church)?

Anglican Ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church:
The Anglican Ordinariate provides a means established by His Holiness Benedict XVI by which
Protestant Anglicans may convert to Catholicism and join the Roman Communion. These are
Catholics who are permitted to use Anglican-style worship within the modern Roman Communion.
It is otherwise known as Roman Catholic - Anglican Form.

Continuing Anglican Communities:
Groups that separated from the Anglican Communion, mostly in the late 1970s and later,
largely over the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and women's ordination,
but remain essentially post-Reformation Protestant communities.
They adopt varying degrees of Catholicism, usually in terms of liturgy, and widely-varying theology.

Anglican Patriarchate:
A restoration of the PRE-Reformation English Catholic Church made relevant to the modern era
without any compromise in faith and doctrine. It is both traditional Imperial Roman Catholic and Anglican. By its joint Apostolic and secular heritage, it represents the traditional Anglican Rite of the Catholic Church and its other territories in the historical framework of the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Empire.

Frequently Asked Questions