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Showing posts with the label Catholic History

The Days Rome Chose a Different Road: A Story from the First Vatican Council

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By ++Gabriel O. Obiano Historical fiction based on real events. The summer heat settled over Rome in 1870. Long before the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang across the Eternal City, bishops were already walking through its great halls. They came from every corner of the Roman Catholic world. Some wore simple black cassocks. Others arrived in flowing purple robes trimmed with scarlet. Their languages differed, but they all carried the same burden: the First Vatican Council. Outside, pilgrims admired the grandeur of the Vatican. Inside, something far more significant was unfolding. The corridors echoed with quiet conversations. Small groups of bishops gathered beneath marble arches. Some spoke confidently about the future. Others lowered their voices whenever unfamiliar footsteps approached. No one doubted that an important decision lay ahead. The question was whether the Church would remain as it had long understood itself, or whether it would define something entirely new. One eve...

A Modern Church or the Ancient Church? Understanding Old Catholic Identity

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By Dr. h.c. Miracle Gabriel-Ooc The Sacred Heart of Jesus Charismatic Old Catholic Church is part of a global Old Catholic communion—an Independent Catholic Church that is not affiliated with, nor answerable to, the See of Rome. Its mother church is in the United States, rooted in the movement of bishops who, after the First Vatican Council of 1870, separated from Rome in response to new doctrinal definitions, particularly papal infallibility. This Church does not submit to the jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, nor is it bound by the Canons or Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church. Its identity and validity do not depend on external validation from Rome or any other jurisdiction. Instead, it stands firmly on the foundation of Christ Himself, who is the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). While Old Catholics respect Rome as primus inter pares (“first among equals”), they do not subject themselves to Roman authority in matters of theology, faith, or practice. They hold to a unique ex...

Understanding Old Catholics: Separating Fact from Fiction

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