Wandering Bishops

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gmcbroom

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Hello all I apologize if this is the wrong forum to ask this question but I didn’t know where to post this. What or who are the wandering bishops? And do they have wandering priests as well? if this order or group does exist, are they apolostolic ie valid? It’s alot of questions I know but I heard the term wandering bishop and wanted to know more.
 
The information I could find about “wandering bishops” was related to the “Gnostic Catholic Church” which is part of the Ordo Templi Orientis, an occult group previously led by Satanist Aleister Crowley. It is not something you will want to know much about except to avoid being involved with it in the least bit.
 
Really Crowely? I had no idea the first thelemite would be behind the Gnostic Catholic Church. Oh well if their not Apolostolic, I wouldn’t follow them anyway. 🙂 Thank you.
 
I wonder if the OP is referring to episcopi vagantes. Don’t know much about them, but from a little reading it appears that some of these men have legitimate succession, while others do not. The key point seems to be that they are not in communion with Rome.
 
I think the Latin term is something like epsicopus vagranti often translated as vagrant bishops. I think these are valid bishops who have broken their relationship with the Church, and wander the world starting their own heresies. They are especially dangerous since they perform valid, though illicit, ordinations which speed the spread of error.

I have seen the term at times that suggest the preceding. I don’t have enough data to guarantee its accuracy.
 
There are also ‘flying bishops’ (properly ‘provincial episcopal visitors’) in the Church of England. From Wikipedia: ‘A provincial episcopal visitor (popularly known as a PEV or a flying bishop) in the Church of England is a bishop assigned to minister to clergy, laity and parishes who do not in conscience accept the ministry of women priests.’ Of course, as CofE, they do not have valid apostolic succession.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_bishop
 
I think the Latin term is something like epsicopus vagranti often translated as vagrant bishops. I think these are valid bishops who have broken their relationship with the Church, and wander the world starting their own heresies. They are especially dangerous since they perform valid, though illicit, ordinations which speed the spread of error.

I have seen the term at times that suggest the preceding. I don’t have enough data to guarantee its accuracy.
It’s “episcopi vagantes.” They’re called “wandering bishops” not because they wander the world starting heresies (though some of them do), but because their episcopate isn’t tied to a stable geographical region and church structure. For the most part, their orders are through Old Catholic jurisdictions, and most of their churches are ridiculously small, usually with names like “The Holy Old Catholic Roman Orthodox Communion” and a total membership of 9, 5 of whom are bishops, 3 of whom are priests, and one of whom is somebody’s grandmother. The consecrations may or may not be valid, but the real concern is obviously the burning desire of a seriously kooky person to be a bishop.

Most are probably incapable of doing any legitimate church any harm. The bright side is that they help to keep C.M. Almy and Whipple’s in business.
 
There are also ‘flying bishops’ (properly ‘provincial episcopal visitors’) in the Church of England. From Wikipedia: ‘A provincial episcopal visitor (popularly known as a PEV or a flying bishop) in the Church of England is a bishop assigned to minister to clergy, laity and parishes who do not in conscience accept the ministry of women priests.’ Of course, as CofE, they do not have valid apostolic succession.
It’s “episcopi vagantes.” They’re called “wandering bishops” not because they wander the world starting heresies (though some of them do), but because their episcopate isn’t tied to a stable geographical region and church structure.
My memory could well be faulty here, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that there were itinerant bishops in the Middle Ages (at least in Medieval England) who were actually legitimate. What sticks in my memory is that they were non-territorial and traveled around to minister and preach, much like mendicant friars. Is there any truth to that or is this but a phantom memory in my old brain?
 
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