Liberal Catholic Church

The Liberal Catholic Church is a form of Christianity open to theosophical ideas. It is not related to the Roman Catholic Church and has its own administration. The title also is applied to various separate and independent denominations throughout the world holding many theosophical ideas in common.

Church background

The founding bishop of The Liberal Catholic Church was J. I. Wedgwood of the Wedgwood China family, former priest in The Anglican Church, who became a theosophist and was ordained as a priest in the Old Catholic Church on July 22, 1913 by Arnold Harris Mathew. Archbishop Mathew was a resigned Roman Catholic priest who had been consecrated by Archbishop Gerardus Gul of Utrecht on April 28, 1908, and appointed as the first Old Catholic Bishop in England. Thus the Liberal Catholic Church claims to trace its apostolic succession going back to Rome. In the end Mathew came to cease all ties with the Utrecht Union of Churches, to vow allegiance once more to the Roman Catholic Church and to advise those of his flock who were theosophists to resign membership of the Theosophical Society Adyar. This advice was not taken seriously by many of the church's members. Wedgwood was consecrated to the episcopate on February 13, 1916 by Bishop Frederick Samuel Willoughby (who had been consecrated by Bishop Matthew), and started the organization that would later become the Liberal Catholic Church, of which Wedgwood became the first Presiding Bishop. Bishop Wedgwood published articles within the Theosophical Society on ceremonial work. These interested Charles Webster Leadbeater, an alleged clairvoyant and Anglican priest who was consecrated as a Liberal Catholic bishop in 1916. C. W. Leadbeater became the 2nd Presiding Bishop.

James I. Wedgwood-------------------------------------Charles Webster Leadbeater

Church Structure

The Liberal Catholic Church is governed by the "General Episcopal Synod" of all Bishops of the Church. The Synod meets formally every three years and it elects a Presiding Bishop from among their ranks as the chief executive officer of the Church. The current Presiding Bishop of The Liberal Catholic Church worldwide is the Right Reverend Graham Wale. The General Episcopal Synod also elects priests to the Episcopacy, with the approval of the Liberal Catholic parishes of their respective Provinces. The bishops of The Liberal Catholic Church may hold office until the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Each Province of The Liberal Catholic Church is governed by a Regionary Bishop who, in turn, may have one or more Bishops functioning as assistants under him. A Province may also have its own Clerical Synod of Deacons, Priests and Bishops. For the most part, these clergy are not compensated by the Church and hold secular jobs as a result. They also may marry and hold property.

Training for the clergy may vary from province to province. The Liberal Catholic Institute of Studies was created to standardize the program of studies for the development of future deacons and priests, but laypersons may follow the courses as well.

Basis of Teaching

According to church teaching, the Liberal Catholic Church draws the central inspiration of its work from an earnest faith in the living Christ. It holds that the vitality of a church gains in proportion as its members not only revere and worship a Christ who lived two thousand years ago, but also strive to affirm in their lives the eternal Christ of whom St. John (VIII,58) speaks: "Before Abraham was, I am." It is the Christ who ever lives as a mighty spiritual presence in the world, guiding and sustaining His people.

It regards these promises as validating all Christian worship, of whatever kind, so long as it be earnest and true. But it further holds that while the promise of the presence with individual believers is thus effective, Christ also appointed certain rites or sacraments, called 'mysteries' in the Eastern Church, for the greater helping of his people, to be handed down in the Church as special channels of power and blessing. Through these 'means of grace' The Liberal Catholic Church believes that Christ is ever present within His Church, in fellowship and Communion, guiding and protecting them from birth to death.

Sacraments and Apostolic Succession

According to the Liberal Catholic Church's Statement of Principles,"The Liberal Catholic Church recognizes seven fundamental sacraments, which it enumerates as follows: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Absolution, Holy Unction, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders.It claims an unbroken apostolic succession through the Old Catholics, and claims that its orders are 'acknowledged as valid throughout the whole of those Churches of Christendom which maintain the Apostolic Succession of orders as a tenet of their faith." The LCC International has modified their Statement of Principles to read "it (the LCC Church) has preserved an Episcopal succession that is valid, as understood throughout the whole of those Churches in Christendom that maintain the Apostolic Succession as a tenet of their faith."

Unity of All Religions

The Liberal Catholic Church believes that there is a body of doctrine and mystical experience common to all the great religions of the world and which cannot be claimed as the exclusive possession of any. Moving within the orbit of Christianity and regarding itself as a distinctive Christian church it nevertheless holds that the other great religions of the world are also divinely inspired and that all proceed from a common source, though different religions stress different aspects of the various teachings and some aspects may even temporarily be ignored. These teachings, as facts in nature, rest on their own intrinsic merit. They form that true Catholic faith which is catholic because it is the statement of universal principles. Well did St. Augustine say: "The identical thing that we now call the Christian religion existed among the ancients and has not been lacking from the beginnings of the human race until the coming of Christ in the flesh, from which moment on the true religion, which already existed, began to be called Christian." (Retract I. XIII,3). And the same principle was in reality involved in the well-known declaration of St. Vincent of Lerins: "That let us hold which everywhere, always and by all has been believed: for this is truly and rightly catholic." The Liberal Catholic Church, therefore, does not seek to convert people from one religion to another.

First Schism

In 1941, there was a schism in the Liberal Catholic Church in the United States, surrounding a controversy involving Bishop Charles Hampton, who, while he was himself a theosophist, wished to keep adherence to theosophical tenets optional for the clergy. This was in keeping with what was taken to be the original intent of the church's founders, who, although they were theosophists, wanted the church to remain primarily Catholic and to be open to everyone. While some branches of the church place more esoteric, lifestyle and dietary restrictions on the clergy, the church as a whole did not, and still does not, require membership in the Theosophical Society.

Legal battle

The controversy surrounding Bishop Hampton led to a legal battle in the United States which eventually split into two different divisions, both of which claimed to be the Liberal Catholic Church. Frank W. Pigott, the church's 3rd Presiding Bishop in England, who held to a more theosophical ideal for the church, removed Hampton and then ordered the confiscation of certain church property at the Regionary headquarters in California and forced the resignation of those clergy under Hampton who refused to support his new episcopal replacement. At the time, the majority of Liberal Catholics in the United States supported Hampton and saw his removal from the office of Regionary and the other subsequent precedings as a breach of canon law and a violation of some of the laws of California under which the church had been incorporated in America. These clergy continued on their own and won the right to be called the Liberal Catholic Church in the U.S. (while being called the Liberal Catholic Church International in the rest of the world). Those who followed Bishop Pigott in England became known in America as TheLiberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America. Both divisions have similar structures of government and administration.

After Frank W. Pigott retired as the Presiding Bishop, and after attempts at a reconciliation, some of the clergy in the LCCI returned to TheLiberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America. Bishop Hampton died before the litigation was settled. While some clergy wish for more cooperation between the two Divisions, they still exist independently.

Other "Reforms"

In 2003 the issue of the limitation of the right of a Bishop to ordain candidates of his choice gave rise to a schism into two major groups: a 'conservative' and a more 'liberal' one. The ordination of women into the Holy Orders was the primary point of conflict. The parishes in the Dutch, Belgian and Canadian provinces elected their own Episcopal Synod under the presidency of the Rt. Rev. Tom Degenaars. They still claim use of the name The Liberal Catholic Church as they regard their movement as a Reform. In 2002 the 'conservative' wing opened 'The Order of Our Lady' as an alternative for women seeking ordination - a lay order. Since both groups call themselves The Liberal Catholic Church, distinguishing between the two is confusing. In 2003 the 'liberal' Episcopal Synod declared that women may be ordained. In 2007 the 'liberal' wing is represented in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Cameroon, and both Congos, and Sweden.

At their General Episcopal Synod in 2004 the Liberal Catholic Church International (LCCI) also decided to allow the ordination of women up to and including the Order of Bishop.

In 1982 Ernest W. Jackson had resigned from Liberal Catholic Church (Province of Canada) and started a group called The Liberal Catholic Church - Theosophia Synod. On May 15, 2005, Presiding Bishop John Schwarz III vacated his leadership of the Liberal Catholic Church -Theosophia Synod and joined with the 'liberal' branch of the LCC. None of the other Bishops and few of the parishes followed him. Bishops James Lippert of Minnesota, and Judson Saas of Chicago remained with the Liberal Catholic Church - Theosophia Synod. The Theosophia Synod remains active and strives to maintain the vision of their first Patriarch, Rt. Rev. Ernest W. Jackson, to restore The Church to the Spirituality of founders Rt. Rev. C.W. Leadbeater and James I. Wedgwood.

In the UK another Liberal Catholic community exists under the leadership of Bishop Richard Palmer. This community is known as the 'The Reformed Liberal Catholic Church (Old Catholic)'. Bishop Palmer was consecrated to the episcopate in the 'conservative' wing in 1997. Bishop Richard Palmer consecrated Professor Elizabeth Stuart to the Episcopate on the 10th of April, 2003 at the chapel of Royal Holloway, Egham assisted by Bishop Jonathan Blake and Bishop Michael Wilson. Subsequently Bishop Stuart has been appointed the Archbishop for the British Province of the Liberal Catholic Church International.

Another Schism

In 2006 yet another schism resulted in the formation of a new group called The Young Rite. The past Presiding Bishop of the "mother" Liberal Catholic Church, Johannes van Alphen, who had resigned from the LCC in 2002, had consecrated Mario Herrera (in 2002) who in turn had consecrated Benito Rodriguez (in 2005). These three bishops consecrated Markus van Alphen, a former priest of the Dutch Liberal Catholic Church, in June 2006 in Hilversum, The Netherlands. Bishop Markus started the Young Rite as an autocephalous group operating within the Liberal Catholic tradition, yet separate from any of the Liberal Catholic Church organisations. Although the Young Rite shares many beliefs and customs with the Liberal Catholic Church and derives its Apostolic Succession from it, they are not affiliated with any of the Liberal Catholic Church organisations. The major difference between the traditional LCC and the Young Rite lies in the abolition of the separation between clergy and congregation. Everyone is allowed to request and receive ordination up to and including the priesthood. The Young Rite operates in the Netherlands, Nigeria, Slovenia and South Africa.

Differences of various Branches

The General Episcopal Synod of The Liberal Catholic Church worldwide requires its clergy to believe in such theosophical tenets as reincarnation and the ascended masters. It encourages its priests and its bishops to have a vegetarian diet and to refrain from using tobacco as well as alcohol. Significantly it also continues to require deacons, priests and bishops to be male. In this regard, The Liberal Catholic Church follows the same practise as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Liberal Catholic Church International does not as a group require any belief in theosophical tenets, while it continues to accept them if they are the personal choice of the individual. Since 2004, the Liberal Catholic Church International opens the ordination of women to all Holy Orders up to and including bishop. The reformed movement in Liberal Catholic Church (Dutch, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Sweden), retains the emphasis on the tenets defined by the founders of the Liberal Catholic Church, but practices ordination of women to the Holy Orders, including the Episcopate. (http://TheLiberalCatholicChurch.org)

The Liberal Catholic Church International holds that they are the only one Liberal Catholic Church in The USA with legal right to that name. All other Branches should actually be called synods to eliminate confusion. However, The Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the U.S.A. also holds a similar claim and further owns this latter title as a legally registered trademark for the United States in the State of Maryland (legally incorporated in 1919; trademark renewed in 1964). [1] Either claim is legally valid with respect to their registered names.

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