What is an "independent" Catholic Church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tamsulosin
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tamsulosin

Guest
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?I hope my confession is valid.
 
Tamsulosin said:
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?I hope my confession is valid.
Click to expand...
Most likely the confession is not valid because that church is not in union with the Diocese or Rome. Check your diocesan website to see if the church is listed there.
 
Generally this means that it is not affiliated with the Diocese of that area. This means that it could be a Sedevacantist chapel or recognize Benedict XVI as the Pope and just remain 'independent" of the Diocese. Was it a Traditional Tridentine Mass that was offered?
 
Tamsulosin said:
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?
Click to expand...
The word “independent” should be the first clue. Independent of what? If the sign says “independent” it’s 99.9999% sure the place is just that: independent of the Church. It might be a sede chapel or it might be something even more bizarre. My suggestion is to steer-clear.
Tamsulosin said:
I hope my confession is valid.
Click to expand...
As has already been pointed out, that’s highly doubtful.
 
Tamsulosin said:
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?I hope my confession is valid.
Click to expand...
Independent Catholic Church means independent of Peter and his successors. It means trouble, and I reckon it means you need to go to confession in your own parish just to be sure as the sacraments are unlikely to be valid at such a place.
 
It is “latin Rite”,Roman Catholic.I just looked it up and it is not listed in my diocese.
One of the noticeable differences was that all,and I mean all women wore very, very long skirts(mostly brushing the floor) and all wore a veil covering the head.No pants,sleeveless or short sleeves tops.Only long sleeves.At the entrance one must get a veil from a jar glass if one did not brorught one,and return upon leaving.
Instructions about modesty dressing" like Mary",are stipulated in flyers to take.
I believe the church was a previous house adapted to be a church, because for example,I had to ask where to go for confession since there were no booths to be seen .I had to go through an outside stair to a basement.In a room there are 2 standard booths.
I really enjoyed the experience.It was a humble place,not so rich looking like the one I attend with marble and gold, yet very reverential.
I still hope my confession is valid because I went today for communion to my local church.:shrug:It should be valid because it isROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH,right.:o
 
Tamsulosin said:
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?I hope my confession is valid.
Click to expand...
It means they are not in communion with Rome.
 
Tamsulosin said:
It is “latin Rite”,Roman Catholic.I just looked it up and it is not listed in my diocese.
One of the noticeable differences was that all,and I mean all women wore very, very long skirts(mostly brushing the floor) and all wore a veil covering the head.No pants,sleeveless or short sleeves tops.Only long sleeves.At the entrance one must get a veil from a jar glass if one did not brorught one,and return upon leaving.
Instructions about modesty dressing" like Mary",are stipulated in flyers to take.
I believe the church was a previous house adapted to be a church, because for example,I had to ask where to go for confession since there were no booths to be seen .I had to go through an outside stair to a basement.In a room there are 2 standard booths.
I really enjoyed the experience.It was a humble place,not so rich looking like the one I attend with marble and gold, yet very reverential.
I still hope my confession is valid because I went today for communion to my local church.:shrug:It should be valid because it isROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH,right.:o
Click to expand...
As an objective legal matter, your confession was probably invalid, because the priest, being independent, has no faculties to hear confessions.

However, since you were unaware of the illicit nature of the confession, it was probably valid for you in this case.

What that all amounts to is: you shouldn’t worry about having made a sacrilegious Communion, but you should reconfess your sins the next time you go to confession.

You also might want to see if there is a traditional Latin Mass offered in your diocese by a parish or priest in communion with your bishop and, if there is, go check it out.
 
Cider said:
It means they are not in communion with Rome.
Click to expand...
Many of the claim that they are in communion with the Pope, the one in our town even claims that Blessed Pope John II blessed his shrine. They are independent they are not in communion with the diocese, and for this reason they have no jurisdiction, and their confessions and witnessing of marriages are invalid. Except for special organizations like the Opus Dei, there is no communion with Rome w/o the diocese.

As for our on the archdiocese asked for 7 years him to show his credential (almost certainly he was validly ordained in India). He did not complained, he is officially suspended. He claims some connection with the CMRI.

If a church which claims to be catholic is not listed on the homepage of the diocese it is most likely not Catholic: i.e.in communion with the Church.
 
Cider said:
It means they are not in communion with Rome.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Many of them report to bishops who are in communion with Rome but the priests operate (under local contracts and whatnot, as their chapels are not owned by the Church) in a different diocese. Their Masses are probably valid; their confessions doubtful unless the local bishop grants them faculties or at least doesn’t remove them.
 
Tamsulosin said:
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?I hope my confession is valid.
Click to expand...
Either a schismatic group or outright invalid group feigning legitimacy by calling themselves Roman Catholic. They do everything according to Roman Catholic rituals and traditions, but since they are not in communion with Rome, and at other times they are not even valid clergy.

Everytime you see an “independent” attached to a description of a Catholic Church, run out as fast as you can :eek:
 
ProVobis said:
Not necessarily. Many of them report to bishops who are in communion with Rome but the priests operate (under local contracts and whatnot, as their chapels are not owned by the Church) in a different diocese. Their Masses are probably valid; their confessions doubtful unless the local bishop grants them faculties or at least doesn’t remove them.
Click to expand...
Every “independent” church I’ve come across are either schismatic or outright invalid. I have never seen anyone call themselves “independent” who are in communion with Rome, regardless of how they are run or to which Bishop they report to.
 
Why wouldn’t confession in an independent catholic church be valid.A priest is still consecrated to God.
 
franny50 said:
Why wouldn’t confession in an independent catholic church be valid.A priest is still consecrated to God.
Click to expand...
The ordination probably wasn’t valid, so he couldn’t have valid orders.

Unless, the Priest WAS Catholic, left the Church, and joined a schismatic or Old Catholic group…

Maybe the church was an Old Catholic church? Or some other splinter group? Usually sedevacantist churches do not have “independent” written before Catholic, well, that I know.
 
franny50 said:
Why wouldn’t confession in an independent catholic church be valid.A priest is still consecrated to God.
Click to expand...
Because some Sacraments require, in addition to Holy Orders, faculties from the local Ordinary (the Bishop). Holy Matrimony and Confession are the two Sacraments that can not be administered validly without the proper faculties. An "independent’ Catholic Church that is not associated with the diocese has almost no chance of having a priest who has valid faculties for Confession and Holy Matrimony.
 
Even valid priests with valid orders cannot give a valid confession unless he is granted faculties by the Church. In the case of SSPX, who give a valid Mass, the priests are considered “suspended” and without faculties, so you cannot benefit from confession with such a priest. “Independent” Catholic churches not in communion with Rome do not have faculties and should be regarded as suspect until they can be verified with the diocese.
 
Corki said:
Because some Sacraments require, in addition to Holy Orders, faculties from the local Ordinary (the Bishop). Holy Matrimony and Confession are the two Sacraments that can not be administered validly without the proper faculties. An "independent’ Catholic Church that is not associated with the diocese has almost no chance of having a priest who has valid faculties for Confession and Holy Matrimony.
Click to expand...
This is true even of diocesan priests. Not all have faculties to hear confession. But even amongst priests who have the faculties, there are things like certain excommunications that the bishop has reserved to himself or to the Vatican to absolve.
 
Tamsulosin said:
I went to a new Roman Catholic Church near my home,(one) because in about 30 years I had never stepped in it and I was curious,two, because I found their confession times convenient.
In some ways, it was different than the one I attend regularly.When I came out I looked again at the sign and saw it said “independent” Catholic Church.:confused:
What does that mean?I hope my confession is valid.
Click to expand...
  1. it is NOT a Roman Catholic Church:dts:
  2. It might be one of those on this list…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Independent_Catholic_Churches

Avoid avoid avoid.:tsktsk:

And your confession was NOT valid:nope:

FYI We have an Old Catholic Church here in Carson, California, and our Church bulletins frequently have to remind parishiners that this is not a valid ROMAN Catholic Church:(
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top