Non Catholic Catholics???

[osohappy]

Hi!

I’ve tried to find out about an outfit that calls itself Catholic, but doesn’t appear to be in reality. It’s called the International Catholic Churches International. I tried to go to its website, but it is no longer active. (www.independentcatholics.org)

The reason I’m trying to find out about it is that a guy that claimed he was a bishop in this church had a funeral service at the Baptist I grew up in back in my hometown. It seems that he was a regular attendee at my old Baptist church for several years (this was after I moved to another town, so I’m getting this info from family members), then he moved out of town. Next thing they heard was that he was in this Catholic Church.

I know this outfit is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic church because, among other things, his widow has the title of bishop also! I don’t know a whole lot about RCC, but I KNOW that is not what y’all believe.

Why he did not have a burial service with the church he “bishop” of is beyond me.

Please give me any info you have on this, uh, denomination. :whacky

That includes any other websites or books I can get more info from, too.

Many thanks!

 

[bengal_fan]

i consider myself a protestant catholic. i am not affiliated with the roman catholic church, but i (as a Christian) am a member of the catholic (which just means universal or one) church made up of all Christians.

 

[vocatio]

osohappy…first…it’s not Roman Catholic Church it’s really just the Catholic Church… Or Church of Christ. But I know where you’re coming from… There are many schimatic groups with legitimate ordained priests…but not necessary all. For exampl, woman priests will never happen for real…can’t make an apple an orange. We can pretent the apple is an orange, but it’s really still an apple. Same with other schimatics.

Right before I came back home to the Catholic Church I kept running accross all these different websites…I kept asking our priest about them and he kept telling me to stick to the USCCB wabsite because there are a lot of bogus sites that teach a lot of wrong stuff. It took a while…but I finally figured out what’s what…I’m sort of scared to go beyond without checking out sites I come across now. Best thing is to just stay on the sites you know are right.

 

[bengal_fan]

osohappy…first…it’s not Roman Catholic Church it’s really just the Catholic Church… Or Church of Christ.

no, it’s the roman catholic church. it is the catholic church whose leadership is based in rome. even the eastern rites that are in communion with rome have their leadership (ultimately) based in rome. therefore, it is the roman catholic church.

the catholic church includes all Christian denominations.

 

[Harpazo]

no, it’s the roman catholic church. it is the catholic church whose leadership is based in rome. even the eastern rites that are in communion with rome have their leadership (ultimately) based in rome. therefore, it is the roman catholic church.

the catholic church includes all Christian denominations.

Correction, Eastern Churches in union with Rome, and Rome in union with them. Many, if not all of them operate autonomously of Rome, appointing their own Bishops, priests, organizing Eparchies, etc.

The Catholic Church includes those under Jesus Christ, who is the head, and the body of believers in union with the Pope and the other Patriarchs and Bishops with him. Sorry, this is how it is.

What you are saying is not biblical or historical. How can you justify it? Just curious.

Al-Masih qam!

Andrew

 

[Hesychios]

Correction, Eastern Churches in union with Rome, and Rome in union with them. Many, if not all of them operate autonomously of Rome, appointing their own Bishops, priests, organizing Eparchies, etc.

Autonomous means they have a name to themselves. Sui Iuris means that they are governed according to their own particular law, either given to them or approved for them. Neither actually indicates an independence of will. Traditionally in the church that is referred to as autocephaly.

For Eastern Catholic churches, even those with Patriarchs, outside of their own “home” territories the bishops are appointed by Rome, Rome also erects their eparchies outside of these home territories. This is actually a rather new development for the Patriarch of Antioch of the Melkites, since Vatican II. For the Ruthenians it has always been this way since Uzhorod.

For the Melkites I believe Lebanon and Syria are home territories, for the Maronites possbly the same, or possibly just Lebanon. For the Caldeans Iraq would be the home territory. The Armenian Catholics have Armenia and possibly Turkey. The Coptic Catholics have Egypt only.

The UGCC has Ukraine for a home territory. It seems to have demonstrated an intent to erect eparchies in some former Soviet states, like Kazahkstan (I think) but I don’t know if they ever succeeded at that. It is possible that Rome may have erected something for them. I have not kept up with this.

The Ruthenians (aside from the UGCC in Ukraine which is also part of the Ruthenian Recension but has a Major-Metropolitan of it’s own) do not seem to have a home territory at all, and in Europe and America alike (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, USA etc.) all of the bishops are named by the Pope.

The Russian Catholic Sui Iuris church has no hierarchy at all, Rome declining to raise any bishops for them since their last bishop died. They are all under the care of local Ordinaries, all Latin.

Eastern Catholic churches altogether account for about 16,300,000 people, or roughly 1.4% of the world Catholic population.

Michael