Thursday, July 06, 2006
THE VILATTE SUCCESSION - THE EVANGELILCAL CATHOLIC CHURCH
Yet another entry on the list - The Evangelical Catholic Church traces its Apostolic Succession through Vilatte, but also Carlos Duarte Costa, another heretical line of succession commonly cited. They also use several Byzantine and Orthodox Church lines of succession.
They welcome back inactive deacons, priests, bishops and religious:
The Evangelical Catholic Church is well aware of the existence of many fine inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious who have been either pastorally orphaned, discarded or forced into inactive status. Not only has such shameful unprofessional behavior and attitudes deprived our sisters and brothers from experiencing the grace of their vocations, it has also robbed the People of God of highly qualified pastoral care and support.
We, the Bishops of the Evangelical Catholic Church, wish to extend an invitation to those Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious, who are without a sacramental and vocational home, to consider continuing their sacramental and vocational life with us. Such institutional malpractice must not be permitted to deny our sisters and brothers their sacramental and vocational lives. This Catholic jurisdiction was consecrated and mandated to reach out to all who have been pastorally disenfranchised and this includes inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious.
If you are an inactive Deacon, Priest, Bishop or Religious who is currently inactive for reasons other than being convicted of felonious sexual abuse or sexual assault, our Catholic family would like to talk with you.
Our Catholic jurisdiction receives calls from people asking us to please establish new parish missions in their communities and we simply do not have enough qualified clerics or religious to respond to their pastoral needs. Maybe you are currently living in a community that would welcome a reformed Catholic jurisdiction establishing a mission right there. You could once again be that pastoral or religious presence uniting or reuniting the People of God with the gift of the Sacramental and Liturgical Life of Catholicism in an unconditionally welcoming environment.
I hope they have a lie detector machine ready and good liability insurance!
Apparently this has not worked out completely satisfactorily:
The following individuals named below are suspended, resigned, terminated or laicized clergy or vowed religious who no longer have faculties to function as clerics or religious within the IECCA. In each case the Church has followed all protocols of the Code of Canon Law in its decisions to either suspend, terminate or laicize a cleric or religious and it followed all protocols of the Code of Canon Law when accepting the resignation of a cleric or religious.
There are nine names on the list. One is specifically identified as formerly Roman Catholic:
Canizares, Brother Frank OSF of Chicago Illinois, Canonically Professed Membership and transferred Solemn Vows from the Roman Catholic Church into the IECCA on September 16, 2000 before the Presiding Bishop of the IECCA in Chicago. Request for dispensational laicization of vows and leave from religious life made in February of 2001 and granted by the Presiding Bishop.
The Evangelical Catholic Church is listed among the Supporters of Same Sex Marriage by Marriage Equality USA.
The Templar Cross symbol used by this church is interesting.
