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The Old Catholic Churches reject the doctrine of papal infallibility; thus they reject the dogmatic status of the teachings promulgated in the Roman Catholic Church by such means, namely the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary. While Old Catholics affirm the Real Presence of Christ in the eucharist, they do not emphasize transubstantiation as the sole dogmatic explanation for this presence. Old Catholics generally refrain from using filioque and deum de deo clauses in the Nicene Creed and also reject a dogmatic understanding of purgatory; however, they generally teach purification by Christ's grace after death and include prayers for the dead in their liturgy and devotions. They maintain some basic Roman Catholic practices such as baptism by sprinkling and the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist. Additionally, they have aspects in common with the Orthodox and Anglican rites, such as optional clerical celibacy. Old Catholic Churches tend to maintain a more liberal theological anthropology than the Roman Rite. Thus, many bishops ordain women to the priesthood and allow or even encourage the blessing of same-sex unions. The individual's primacy of conscience in ethical matters is stressed. Private confession is not mandatory, though it is practiced, and decisions regarding the use of artificial contraception are individual and discretionary. SOURCE: The Wikipedia

We must hold fast to the faith which has been held everywhere, always, and by all the faithful. Saint Vincent of Lerins In essentials, unity. In electives, freedom. In everything, love. Rupertus Meldenius Find out how much God has given you, and from it take what you need. The remainder is needed by others. Saint Augustine of Hippo If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Matthew 5:43-47

The Old Catholic Church traces its lineage through the primitive church of Holland. In the year 696, the bishop of Rome (Pope Sergius I) ordained a new bishop, Willibrord, and sent him to Europe’s northern lands, now called The Netherlands. When Willibrord arrived to begin converting people to Christianity, the bishop was astonished to find a Christian community already established, in what was called Frisia.

Like today’s Dutch, Christians in the ancient church insisted on being independent. Bishops were elected in Holland by Holland and for Holland, rather than being sent by Rome. This practice was acknowledged and confirmed by the Roman church in the year 1124 (fiat from Pope Eugene III) and again in 1215 (Fourth Lateran Council). One later pope went even further: Leo X ordered that no Dutch clergy or believer could ever be “tried” by a Vatican court.

But in the 1700s, popes began trying to force Roman rule over the Dutch church. In 1703, Pope Clement XI summoned a Dutch bishop to Rome over a philosophical disagreement. When the bishop asserted his long-held independence, the pope declared the Dutch See vacant. Rome sent its own bishop to Romanize Christ’s church in the north.

As you can guess, the Dutch didn’t stand down. From the 1700s, the ancient church called itself the Old Catholic Church to stress its belief that Christ’s teachings weren’t broken and didn’t need to be fixed.

In the 1800s, the Old Catholic Church spread throughout Europe due to more unilateral innovations taken in Rome. Without asking for input or consent from the Christian church as a whole, Rome declared its pope to be infallible in 1870s. The Roman pontiff, using his new powers announced that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born without Original Sin (the so-called “Immaculate Conception”). These modernisms were novel, but they drove many Europeans to the Old Catholic Church. The exodus continued in the 20th Century when Rome’s synod, called “Vatican Council II” threw out the ancient liturgies in favor of colloquial innovations containing unfortunate doctrinal errors.

Today’s Old Catholics guard the traditional liturgies as well as their independence, while honoring all Christian communities.