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The Ecumenical Catholic Church United Kingdom |
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Who Are We? Many people ask whether the ECC is Catholic, Protestant or what? The answer is NEITHER. This is true in three fields, Faith, Canon Law and Liturgical Practice. FAITH The ECC holds true to the Faith Professed by the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH; The Church as it was before any of the splits that have wracked its historical development. We hold that faith described by Saint Vincent of Lerins as "That which has been believed always, everywhere and by everyone." Simply put that means that we believe everything defined by the first seven Ecumenical Councils and proclaimed in the Nicene Creed. Anything added or changed by any individual "Church" since the date of the Second Council of Nicea is not essential for the faithful to believe. Thus, if you want to believe in the Assumption of Mary (A pious Tradition from the earliest days) fine, but you do not have to. The same applies to legal strictures such as priestly celibacy imposed after that date, they cannot be held as universally obligatory. CANON LAW The ECC tries to keep legalism to as low a level as possible. We are guided by the wisdom of our sister churches over the centuries in giving guidelines for the good conduct of church affairs and also the good conduct of all ministers and employees of the Church. The law of this Church is above all the Law as expressed by Jesus Christ: "Love God and love your neighbour." All legislation must help people to achieve this - if it does not then it is a millstone rather than a touchstone. A full code of Canons will be published on this site soon. LITURGICAL PRACTICE In the primitive Church it was recognised that the Sacred Liturgy, especially the Eucharistic Celebration, had certain essential elements, which must be present. However, the words used and the gestures that accompanied them were left entirely to the discretion of the celebrating Bishop. As priests were added to the ranks of the clergy they were expected to celebrate the Eucharist according to their Bishop's ritual. This led to a plethora of rich and varied Liturgies, almost as many liturgies as Bishops. As time went on both Eastern and Western branches of the Church became more and more centralised and the Liturgy became more rigid in its structure. Some of the so-called "Independent" Churches attach themselves to a particular Liturgical Expression and denounce all others. We do not do this. Whilst our Bishop uses the reformed Roman Ritual of the Second Vatican Council; he has given permission for any Rite of the Eucharist (or other Sacrament) which is, or has been, promulgated by any of the greater Churches of East or West, to be used freely by clergy according to pastoral needs. So, if a community has come to us from an Anglican tradition they can continue to use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Those from Roman background may use either Tridentine or Reformed liturgy in the language of their choice. All Celebrations of Sacraments within the church take place under the leadership of an appropriate Minister (Bishop, priest or deacon) vested according to tradition for their role, and should follow closely the rubrics for the chosen rite. |
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