(Work in progress!)
INTRODUCTION
This page attempts to briefly introduce the reader to several major original lineages of the historic tactile apostolic succession in the autocephalous church movement. Obviously, many lineages derive from these, individually and in combination.
By surveying these apostolic lineages, the reader may come to a better understanding of the complex nature of this sometimes bewildering myriad of churches and jurisdictions, and how they came to be. As The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Leach of The Anglican Church recently said of the autocephalous movement:
"... the issues raised by [episcopi vagantes] will not go away;
and we need a more thoughtful, less hostile, and more discriminating approach
to a subculture that, however odd and marginal,
serves to be treated with respect, compassion, and intelligence." [1]
The following lineages are listed in rough chronological order. Their order here does not imply that one is more important or valid than another.
The initial bishops consecrated by Utrecht for the autocephalous movement:
- Arnold Harris Matthew (1852-1919, consecrated in 1908).
- Franciszek Hodur (1866-1953).
- Johann Michael Kowalski (1871-1942, died at Dachau, consecrated in 1909).
Thumbnail: To be added.
Spread: Moderately disseminated.
Thumbnail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- Patriarch Joseph "Papa Joe" Vredenburgh of The Federation of
Saint Thomas Christians.
- Bp. David C. Strong of
The Apostolic Catholic Church in America (ACCA).
Spread: Very widely disseminated.
Concerns About Validity: Although for a long time there was concern about the validity of the Vilatte line, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, four events occurred in rapid succession to address and erase those concerns. First, The Roman Catholic Pope, John Paul II, publically came to the conclusion that the theology of The Mar Thoma Church of India was quite orthodox, and that any previous concerns about it were based on linguistic misunderstanding. Second, he entered into a partial intercommunion agreement with that church. Third, research demonstrated clearly that The Mar Thoma Church has always held that Saint Vilatte was a valid and respected bishop in their church. Fourth, at least one autocephalous jurisdiction entered into a full-intercommunion agreement with The Mar Thoma Church.
Web References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
Thumbnail: "In 1908, the See of Utrecht consecrated the Most Rev. Arnold Harris Mathew and appointed him to establish a non-papal Catholic presence in the United Kingdom. Bishop Mathew declared autonomy of the English mission from Utrecht in 1910.
"In 1914, Bishop Mathew consecrated Bishop Rudolph Francis Edward Hamilton de Lorraine-Brabant, Prince de Landas Berges, and appointed him to establish the a ministry in the United States. This ministry became the Old Roman Catholic Church.
"Shortly thereafter, Fr. Carmel Henry Carfora, a Roman Catholic Italian Franciscan Friar, was elected to succeed Bishop de Landes Berghes as Archbishop of the Old Roman Catholic Diocese of America." [2]
Some Bishops in This Line:
- Bp. Faccione of
- Bp. Vellone of
- Bp. Meri Louise Spruit of
The Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch--Malabar Rite ("Church of Antioch").
Thumbail: The Russian Revolution of 1917 canonically-stranded the Russian Orthodox missionary outposts in the United States, and things unraveled from there.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- To be added.
Spread: This line is shared with the "canonical", SCOBA-belonging >A HREF="http://www.oca.org">Orthodox Church of America. This line is widely spread.
Concerns About Validity: My personal take is that there are no known concerns about this line other some occasional simony (I won't name names here). HOWEVER, if one strictly reads The Rudder (the set of ancient Orthodox canon law), this line seems to be full of problems. But then again, many of the rules imposed by the Rudder are unscriptural, such as the prohibition of a married episcopate.
Web References:
Thumbail: Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa of Bocatu, Brazil publically denounced Vatican collusion with the Axis powers in the years prior to World War II. He also proposed possible pastoral and liturgical reforms, many of which did in fact occur at The Second Vatican Council. Pope Pius XI asked the Brazilian government to arrest and imprison Duarte Costa (effectively martyring him), and this they did. He was released in 1945 and broke with Rome.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- Patriarch Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez of Igreja Católica Apostolica Brasileira (ICAB).
- Bp. Ray Kelly of The Catholic Apostolic Church in North America (CACINA).
- The bishops of The National Catholic Apostolic Church in the USA (ICANUSA).
- Bp. of The Western Orthodox Church in America.
- Bp. Mark S. Shirilau of The Ecumenical Catholic Church.
- Bp. David C. Strong of
The Apostolic Catholic Church in America (ACCA).
Spread: Widely disseminated.
Concerns About Validity: None. As a matter of fact, one of the early bishops in the Duarte-Costa Succession, Salomão Ferraz, returned to Rome as an openly married bishop and actively participated in the Second Vatican Council, with wife in tow.
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- To be added.
Detail: To be added.
Spread: To be added.
Concerns About Validity: To be added.
Web References:
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- To be added.
Spread: To be added.
Concerns About Validity: To be added.
Web References:
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- Williamson et al.
Detail: To be added.
Spread: Tightly controlled, currently limited to about five bishops.
Concerns About Validity: None.
Web References: 1
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- To be added.
Spread: To be added.
Concerns About Validity: To be added.
Web References: 1
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- To be added.
Spread: To be added.
Concerns About Validity: To be added.
Web References: 1
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- Bp. Michael S. Melchizedek.
Spread: To be added.
Concerns About Validity: To be added.
Web References:
Thumbail: To be added.
Some Bishops in This Line:
- To be added.
Spread: To be added.
Concerns About Validity: To be added.
Web References: 1
FOOTNOTES
[1] 2000/03/17, Church Times: Oversight, but no see. The bishops ordained in Singapore are the latest in a long line of episcopi vagantes. The background issues won't go away, Kenneth Leech says.
[2] Historical Overview of The Old Roman Catholic Church in North America: A quick look at our past.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
