Old Catholic Church celebrates 150th anniversary in Bonn, Germany

The Old Catholic Church in Germany marks its 150th anniversary this weekend, with celebrations on Friday and Saturday in Bonn. Members have long debated the name of their community, and at last year’s synod some spoke passionately about changing it. Several said the term “old Catholic” causes misunderstanding.

The church differs in several ways from the Roman Catholic Church, its larger sister. Pastors and bishops are elected by church members, and priests may marry. Women have been admitted to the priesthood since 1994. Divorced people may remarry and are not excluded from the sacraments, and the blessing of homosexual partnerships is not a problem, according to the report. The church is synodally organized, and clergy and laypeople both take part in the Synod, its highest decision-making body.

The Old Catholic churches separated from the Pope’s church at the end of the 19th century in protest against the decisions of the First Vatican Council (1869/70). That council established papal infallibility in matters of faith and morals, along with the supreme authority of the Pope. Critics at the time saw this as a break with the old Catholic faith, which gave the movement its name. After the council, many believers, priests and theology professors left the Roman Church. The first Old Catholic congress met in Munich in September 1871, and a second followed in Cologne in 1872. Joseph Hubert Reinkens was consecrated the first bishop on 4 June 1873 in the Cologne church of St. Pantaleon. Pope Pius IX excommunicated him immediately. The movement did not grow much beyond its early successes.

Currently about 15,400 people and about 130 clerics in 100 congregations belong to the “Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany,” which has been based in Bonn since 1873. In 2022 the diocese recorded a record increase of 540 new members, 440 of them from other denominations. The church said that many Roman Catholics were converting to it. The number of withdrawals also reached a record level, rising from 164 in 2021 to 238 in 2022.

Bishop Matthias Ring said the church has little reason for great celebration. Despite the many departures from the two major churches, he analyzed, the growth of the Old Catholic diocese is negligible. The church also has to contend with a shrinking sense of church bonds.

Ring described the relationship with the Roman Catholic Church as a non-relationship for decades, though he said it has improved in recent decades. In 2014 Old Catholic bishops met Pope Francis for the first time. The report notes international dialogues and ecumenical cooperation in Germany, and it notes that the Old Catholic Church has been in communion with Protestant Christians since 1985. Historical milestones included the first Old Catholic women priests, ordained in 1996 under Bishop Joachim Vobbe, and the switch to German for services in 1885. Here the church’s call to reconciliation stands in view (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Ring said a few years ago that the church had done well even without a head of the church. The question of a different name is expected to return at the next Synod in 2024. The debate, however, made clear that the church must first communicate what it wants to stand for in content and program.

Source: Read the original report (translated from German)