Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of “Jesus the King”
Encyclopedia
The Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of "Jesus the King" (Iglesia Católica Apostólica Carismática "Jesús Rey") is an independent international religious association of Catholic
origin and character, with headquarters and legal recognition in Munich
, Germany
.
It has been described as a derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church
(ICAB – Portuguese "Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira") founded by the retired Roman Catholic
Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa in 1945, but the group's development is more complex than this suggests. In recent years, the "Jesús Rey Church", as it is often known, reached the attention of the international media on account of controversial ordination
s to the priesthood of Roman Catholic women
, both lay and religious, resulting in their excommunication
by the Vatican
. This group is known as the Danube Seven
.
, Argentina
, where the movement’s founder, Bishop
Rómulo Antonio Braschi
, was born in 1941. Ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church
in 1966, he embarked upon the early years of his priesthood against the backdrop of the political turbulence and social upheavals of Latin America
in the 1960s and the repressive "National Security
" governments of the 1970s. The radical stance of Romulo Braschi and his companions dates back to this time, when they were associated with the Third World Priests Movement (Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer Mundo), itself boasting radical left-wing and Peronist factions. Braschi himself was arrested for political reasons during the "Dirty War".
In this context Father Braschi’s response to the message of the Second Vatican Council
, the 1968 Medellín
conference, and the growing Charismatic movement
was to try to introduce a new form of church mission unit, calling on his experience of the Base Communities – Comunidades de Base – associated with the Theology of Liberation
. An experimental church - Santa Ana - started in Buenos Aires
in 1975 became, in 1978, the Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of "Jesus the King." With this move, Father Braschi visibly distanced himself from the institutional Roman Catholic Church
, whose alleged or supposed collusion with the Argentine Military
Junta
was to become one of the most widely debated aspects of the "Proceso" (Dictatorship) between 1976 and 1983. Parts of the Church also formed the vanguard in the fight against repression, and subsequently endured the persecution, detention, torture and even assassination of their own "dissident
" members, such as the late Bishop
Enrique Angelelli
(born 1923), Bishop
of La Rioja
, in 1976.
, the Church achieved only modest success, due to the overwhelmingly conservative character of Argentine Catholicism
, but the toehold of a future mission in Salvador, Brazil was established, through friendship with Father - later Bishop - Roberto Garrido Padin
of the Independent Catholic Churches
there. The Church's missions would later spread to Zürich
, Switzerland
and Munich
, Germany
where Father Braschi eventually set up home in the 1990s. In 1998, in the Orthodox
Basilica
in Munich
, Father Braschi was consecrated Bishop
by Roberto Garrido Padin
of Brazil
and Bishop
Hilarios Ungerer of the Free Catholic Church
of Germany
. Bishop Braschi now divides his time between the various small communities in Europe
and Latin America
, with new fledgling mission outposts in the United States
, the United Kingdom
and Portugal
.
and fully Catholic
, maintaining the Seven Catholic
Sacrament
s and the Apostolic Succession
of its clergy
members. This characteristic of the churches broadly described as "Catholic
" effectively means that the Bishops ordain the clergy in a "family tree" traced back to the Apostles.
also in the sense that its members believe in God
's ongoing invitation to Christian
conversion
, made to all people, and the efficacy of the Sacramental life in responding to this call.
because its members emphasise the role and work of the Holy Spirit
in bringing people to awareness of God's call to unity in Jesus Christ
. The influence of the Charismatic movement is present in liturgy and prayer style, but not in the elements of "Charismatic theology" that could be considered contrary to traditional Catholic practice, such as "Baptism in the Holy Spirit."
, fostering relationships with all types of faith and religious groups, Christian and non-Christian. There is open cooperation and co-celebration with other small churches and missionary congregations, and there have been moves towards communion with the Episcopal Church
es in Europe. There is a special interest in the beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Latin America because the Church's founder, Romulo Antonio Braschi, has lived and worked among various Latin American peoples. While stopping short of pantheism
or theological pluralism, the Church believes that "essential truths" are deposited by God in all sincere and life–affirming religions and cultures, and that since human beings and their knowledge are, by nature, incomplete and flawed, it is nonsense to talk about superiority and inferiority or gradations of value and truth in comparative religion. All human–held belief systems, by virtue of being human–held, must therefore be partially reflective of truth (i.e. of God) and partially reflective of limitations (i.e. of people).
entering Brazil under Vatican passports.
The Church’s commitment to the ordination of women
led, in 2002, to the much–commented excommunication of seven Roman Catholic women by (then) Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI
) of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
. Bishop Braschi ordained the seven women, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger
, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris Muller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White, priests on Saturday, June 29, 2002 (a date on which priestly ordinations are traditionally held) aboard a boat on the River Danube
in Austria
. The women are sometimes referred to as the Danube Seven
. The official warning – "Monitum" (reprimand) – came from the Vatican on July 10, demanding repentance
and threatening excommunication. The women, among their number some noted and acclaimed theologians
, defended their position, and the threatened decree of excommunication duly arrived dated 5 August 2002, "with all the effects established by canon 1331 of the Code of Canon Law
". The ordinations, or "simulations" of ordinations, according to the Vatican declaration, were considered null, void, and invalid by Rome, not on account of their holding Bishop Braschi to be a "schismatic", but because, as explained in Pope John Paul II
's Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
, "the church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women" (n.4). In the Roman Catholic Church, in other words, the attempted ordination of women is invalid.
in the vernacular and greater discretion to liquidize church assets if the material needs of the faithful demanded it. None of Duarte Costa's demands ever received satisfaction from Rome (at least not in his lifetime).
Bishop Duarte Costa consecrated Salomao Barbosa Ferraz
on 15 August 1945. Barbosa Ferraz (1880–1969) had been ordained an Anglican priest in 1917, and on 17 June 1928, he founded the non–denominational Order of San Andres. He called a "Free Catholic Congress" in 1936, establishing the "Free Catholic Church
". The Order of San Andres and the Free Catholic Church
(of Brazil
) would eventually be merged, in the 1960s, into the Independent Catholic and Apostolic Church of Brazil (Igreja Catolica Apostolica Independente do Brazil. Salomao Barbosa Ferraz
was eventually received into the Roman Catholic Church
, which recognised his Episcopal consecration as valid, and he – and his wife – attended the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
(1962–1965).
Bishop Barbosa Ferraz consecrated Manoel Ceia Laranjeira
on 29 June 1951 in São Paulo
, Brazil
, assisted by an Anglican
Bishop
and a Bishop of a branch of the Old Catholic Church
. He reorganised various factions of the Brazilian Church, shaken by Bishop Barbosa Ferraz's submission to Rome, and united them under the new legal title of Independent Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil (Igreja Católica Apostólica Independente do Brasil).
Bishop
Manoel Ceia Laranjeira
consecrated Roberto Garrido Padin
on 2 May 1989 at the Church of Santa Barbara in Salvador, Brazil, as diocesan
bishop
.
Bishop
Roberto Garrido Padin
consecrated Rómulo Antonio Braschi
at the Greek Orthodox Basilica
in Munich
, Germany
, in October 1998. Bishop Garrido Padin was assisted by Bishop
Hilarios Karl-Heinz Ungerer
of the German Free Catholic Church
, formerly of the Old Catholic Mariavite Church
, who was consecrated by Bishop
Norbert Maas in 1976.
Bishop Braschi has since consecrated Father Ferdinand Regelsberger, a former Benedictine
monk
.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
origin and character, with headquarters and legal recognition in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
It has been described as a derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church
Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church
The Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church is an independent Catholic church established in 1945 by Brazilian bishop Dom Carlos Duarte Costa, a former Roman Catholic Bishop of Botucatu.The ICAB has 58 dioceses and claims five million members in 17 countries...
(ICAB – Portuguese "Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira") founded by the retired Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa in 1945, but the group's development is more complex than this suggests. In recent years, the "Jesús Rey Church", as it is often known, reached the attention of the international media on account of controversial ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
s to the priesthood of Roman Catholic women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
, both lay and religious, resulting in their excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. This group is known as the Danube Seven
Danube Seven
The Danube Seven are a group of seven women from Germany, Austria and the United States who were ordained on a ship on the Danube on 29 June 2002 by Rómulo Antonio Braschi, an Independent Catholic bishop whose own episcopal ordination was considered 'valid but...
.
History
The Church traces its origins to Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where the movement’s founder, Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Rómulo Antonio Braschi
Rómulo Antonio Braschi
Rómulo Antonio Braschi is an Argentine Independent Catholic bishop, not in communion with the Vatican.Born in Buenos Aires, and ordained a Roman Catholic priest in August 1966, he was associated with members of the worker-priest movement in Argentina and the Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer...
, was born in 1941. Ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in 1966, he embarked upon the early years of his priesthood against the backdrop of the political turbulence and social upheavals of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
in the 1960s and the repressive "National Security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
" governments of the 1970s. The radical stance of Romulo Braschi and his companions dates back to this time, when they were associated with the Third World Priests Movement (Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer Mundo), itself boasting radical left-wing and Peronist factions. Braschi himself was arrested for political reasons during the "Dirty War".
In this context Father Braschi’s response to the message of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, the 1968 Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
conference, and the growing Charismatic movement
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
was to try to introduce a new form of church mission unit, calling on his experience of the Base Communities – Comunidades de Base – associated with the Theology of Liberation
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
. An experimental church - Santa Ana - started in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1975 became, in 1978, the Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of "Jesus the King." With this move, Father Braschi visibly distanced himself from the institutional Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, whose alleged or supposed collusion with the Argentine Military
Military of Argentina
The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, in Spanish Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina, are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief and a civilian Minister of Defense...
Junta
Military junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
was to become one of the most widely debated aspects of the "Proceso" (Dictatorship) between 1976 and 1983. Parts of the Church also formed the vanguard in the fight against repression, and subsequently endured the persecution, detention, torture and even assassination of their own "dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
" members, such as the late Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Enrique Angelelli
Enrique Angelelli
Enrique Ángel Angelelli was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina, killed during the Dirty war for his involvement with social issues....
(born 1923), Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of La Rioja
La Rioja Province (Argentina)
La Rioja is a one of the provinces of Argentina and is located in the west of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Catamarca, Córdoba, San Luis and San Juan.-History:...
, in 1976.
Expansion
In its early years in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, the Church achieved only modest success, due to the overwhelmingly conservative character of Argentine Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, but the toehold of a future mission in Salvador, Brazil was established, through friendship with Father - later Bishop - Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin is a bishop of the Independent Catholic Church, based at the church of Santa Barbara in Salvador de Bahia, Northern Brazil....
of the Independent Catholic Churches
Independent Catholic Churches
Independent Catholic churches are Catholic congregations that are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church or any other churches whose sacraments are recognized by the Roman Catholic Church...
there. The Church's missions would later spread to Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where Father Braschi eventually set up home in the 1990s. In 1998, in the Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Father Braschi was consecrated Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
by Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin is a bishop of the Independent Catholic Church, based at the church of Santa Barbara in Salvador de Bahia, Northern Brazil....
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Hilarios Ungerer of the Free Catholic Church
Free Catholic Church
The Free Catholic Church is a German derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church.-Church background:In 1937 the Roman Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa - and his diocese of Botucatu, Brazil - severed ties with the Vatican. The bishop was excommunicated in 1945 after he accused...
of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Bishop Braschi now divides his time between the various small communities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, with new fledgling mission outposts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Christian
The Church holds itself to be fully ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and fully Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, maintaining the Seven Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s and the Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
of its clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
members. This characteristic of the churches broadly described as "Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
" effectively means that the Bishops ordain the clergy in a "family tree" traced back to the Apostles.
Catholic
The Church is considered CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
also in the sense that its members believe in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's ongoing invitation to Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
, made to all people, and the efficacy of the Sacramental life in responding to this call.
Charismatic
The Church is considered CharismaticCharismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
because its members emphasise the role and work of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
in bringing people to awareness of God's call to unity in Jesus Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. The influence of the Charismatic movement is present in liturgy and prayer style, but not in the elements of "Charismatic theology" that could be considered contrary to traditional Catholic practice, such as "Baptism in the Holy Spirit."
Progressive
Also, as the Spirit’s mysterious work proceeds without hindrance and without discrimination, the Church believes, both men and women, married or not, can be called to serve in all levels and offices of the ministry and priesthood, as can people of alternative gender identity and lifestyle choices.Macro–Ecumenical
The Church maintains an active commitment to macro–ecumenismEcumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
, fostering relationships with all types of faith and religious groups, Christian and non-Christian. There is open cooperation and co-celebration with other small churches and missionary congregations, and there have been moves towards communion with the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
es in Europe. There is a special interest in the beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Latin America because the Church's founder, Romulo Antonio Braschi, has lived and worked among various Latin American peoples. While stopping short of pantheism
Pantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
or theological pluralism, the Church believes that "essential truths" are deposited by God in all sincere and life–affirming religions and cultures, and that since human beings and their knowledge are, by nature, incomplete and flawed, it is nonsense to talk about superiority and inferiority or gradations of value and truth in comparative religion. All human–held belief systems, by virtue of being human–held, must therefore be partially reflective of truth (i.e. of God) and partially reflective of limitations (i.e. of people).
Controversy
From some conservative Catholic standpoints, the Church is controversial enough by its very existence, being a breakaway religious movement born in the bosom of the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, its founder and leader, ordained a Roman Catholic priest, has been consecrated Bishop "validly but illicitly" in the Episcopal lineage of Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa, who founded a separate Brazilian Catholic Church in 1945 in protest partly to the number of escaped NazisNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
entering Brazil under Vatican passports.
The Church’s commitment to the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
led, in 2002, to the much–commented excommunication of seven Roman Catholic women by (then) Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
) of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
. Bishop Braschi ordained the seven women, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger
Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger
Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger is a teacher and former Benedictine nun who was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church when she and six others were allegedly, though not canonically or validly, ordained as priests by an Independent Catholic Bishop in 2002, called herself a Roman Catholic priest...
, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris Muller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White, priests on Saturday, June 29, 2002 (a date on which priestly ordinations are traditionally held) aboard a boat on the River Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The women are sometimes referred to as the Danube Seven
Danube Seven
The Danube Seven are a group of seven women from Germany, Austria and the United States who were ordained on a ship on the Danube on 29 June 2002 by Rómulo Antonio Braschi, an Independent Catholic bishop whose own episcopal ordination was considered 'valid but...
. The official warning – "Monitum" (reprimand) – came from the Vatican on July 10, demanding repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
and threatening excommunication. The women, among their number some noted and acclaimed theologians
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, defended their position, and the threatened decree of excommunication duly arrived dated 5 August 2002, "with all the effects established by canon 1331 of the Code of Canon Law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
". The ordinations, or "simulations" of ordinations, according to the Vatican declaration, were considered null, void, and invalid by Rome, not on account of their holding Bishop Braschi to be a "schismatic", but because, as explained in Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
's Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is an Apostolic Letter issued from the Vatican by Pope John Paul II on 22 May 1994, whereby the Pope expounds the teaching of the Catholic Church's position requiring "the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone." In its clear proclamation that "the Church has no...
, "the church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women" (n.4). In the Roman Catholic Church, in other words, the attempted ordination of women is invalid.
Apostolic Succession
As mentioned above, and very widely documented elsewhere, a retired Roman Catholic Bishop called Carlos Duarte Costa (1888–1961) founded the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira) in 1945, informally referred to as the Brazilian Church or the Brazilian National Church. Bishop Duarte Costa was in favour of greater local autonomy for Catholic churches, an end to obligatory celibacy, MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in the vernacular and greater discretion to liquidize church assets if the material needs of the faithful demanded it. None of Duarte Costa's demands ever received satisfaction from Rome (at least not in his lifetime).
Bishop Duarte Costa consecrated Salomao Barbosa Ferraz
Salomão Barbosa Ferraz
Salomão Barbosa Ferraz was a Brazilian priest and bishop whose career took him through membership of several Christian denominations from the Presbyterian Church through to the Roman Catholic Church....
on 15 August 1945. Barbosa Ferraz (1880–1969) had been ordained an Anglican priest in 1917, and on 17 June 1928, he founded the non–denominational Order of San Andres. He called a "Free Catholic Congress" in 1936, establishing the "Free Catholic Church
Free Catholic Church
The Free Catholic Church is a German derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church.-Church background:In 1937 the Roman Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa - and his diocese of Botucatu, Brazil - severed ties with the Vatican. The bishop was excommunicated in 1945 after he accused...
". The Order of San Andres and the Free Catholic Church
Free Catholic Church
The Free Catholic Church is a German derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church.-Church background:In 1937 the Roman Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa - and his diocese of Botucatu, Brazil - severed ties with the Vatican. The bishop was excommunicated in 1945 after he accused...
(of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) would eventually be merged, in the 1960s, into the Independent Catholic and Apostolic Church of Brazil (Igreja Catolica Apostolica Independente do Brazil. Salomao Barbosa Ferraz
Salomão Barbosa Ferraz
Salomão Barbosa Ferraz was a Brazilian priest and bishop whose career took him through membership of several Christian denominations from the Presbyterian Church through to the Roman Catholic Church....
was eventually received into the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, which recognised his Episcopal consecration as valid, and he – and his wife – attended the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(1962–1965).
Bishop Barbosa Ferraz consecrated Manoel Ceia Laranjeira
Manoel Ceia Laranjeira
Manoel Ceia Laranjeira was a rebel Brazilian Bishop of the Independent Catholicism movement.-Biography:Born in Brazil in 1903, he was still active as a Bishop until the early 1990s....
on 29 June 1951 in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, assisted by an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and a Bishop of a branch of the Old Catholic Church
Old Catholic Church
The term Old Catholic Church is commonly used to describe a number of Ultrajectine Christian churches that originated with groups that split from the Roman Catholic Church over certain doctrines, most importantly that of Papal Infallibility...
. He reorganised various factions of the Brazilian Church, shaken by Bishop Barbosa Ferraz's submission to Rome, and united them under the new legal title of Independent Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil (Igreja Católica Apostólica Independente do Brasil).
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Manoel Ceia Laranjeira
Manoel Ceia Laranjeira
Manoel Ceia Laranjeira was a rebel Brazilian Bishop of the Independent Catholicism movement.-Biography:Born in Brazil in 1903, he was still active as a Bishop until the early 1990s....
consecrated Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin is a bishop of the Independent Catholic Church, based at the church of Santa Barbara in Salvador de Bahia, Northern Brazil....
on 2 May 1989 at the Church of Santa Barbara in Salvador, Brazil, as diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
.
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin
Roberto Garrido Padin is a bishop of the Independent Catholic Church, based at the church of Santa Barbara in Salvador de Bahia, Northern Brazil....
consecrated Rómulo Antonio Braschi
Rómulo Antonio Braschi
Rómulo Antonio Braschi is an Argentine Independent Catholic bishop, not in communion with the Vatican.Born in Buenos Aires, and ordained a Roman Catholic priest in August 1966, he was associated with members of the worker-priest movement in Argentina and the Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer...
at the Greek Orthodox Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in October 1998. Bishop Garrido Padin was assisted by Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Hilarios Karl-Heinz Ungerer
Hilarios Karl-Heinz Ungerer
Hilarios Karl-Heinz Ungerer is a German Bishop based in Munich, where he currently heads the Free Catholic Church, though his routes trace back through other independent European churches...
of the German Free Catholic Church
Free Catholic Church
The Free Catholic Church is a German derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church.-Church background:In 1937 the Roman Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa - and his diocese of Botucatu, Brazil - severed ties with the Vatican. The bishop was excommunicated in 1945 after he accused...
, formerly of the Old Catholic Mariavite Church
Mariavite Church
The Mariavite Church is an independent Christian church that emerged from the Catholic Church of Poland at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy. After a conflict with Polish bishops, it became a separate and independent...
, who was consecrated by Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Norbert Maas in 1976.
Bishop Braschi has since consecrated Father Ferdinand Regelsberger, a former Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
.