The Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic (Czech: Starokatolická církev v České republice) consists of the Czech parishes in full communion with the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches. The church is also a member of the National Ecumenical Council, the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches. The official publication of the community is Communio.
Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic | |
---|---|
Classification | Catholic |
Theology | Ultrajectine |
Governance | Episcopal |
Leader | Benedikt Pavel Stránský |
Associations | International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference |
Region | Czech Republic |
Headquarters | Prague |
Separated from | Roman Catholic Church |
Congregations | 16 |
Members | 2,700 (2006)[1] |
Ministers | 22 |
History
editIn 1991, Bishop Dušan Hejbal was elected to head the church. He was consecrated on September 27, 1997. In 2003, under his leadership, the church began ordaining women to the diaconate.[2] He retired in 2015 and was succeeded by Benedikt Pavel Stránský in 2016.
Since 2006's 2,700 members, as of 2021, the Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic has declined to 672 members.[3]
Bishops
editThe following bishops have governed the Old Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.
- Aloisa Paszka (Alois Paszek, 1924-1946)
- Augustin Podolak (1968-1972)
- Jan Heger (1972-1991)
- Dušan Hejbal (1997-2015; elected in 1991 but not consecrated until 1997)
- Benedikt Pavel Stránský (2016–present)
References
edit- ^ Quelle: Christian Flügel: Die Utrechter Union und die Geschichte ihrer Kirchen; Verlag Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2006, ISBN 3-8334-6069-5; S. 58–60. Nach anderen Angaben hat sie 1.605 Mitglieder
- ^ Radio Praha: Bericht vom 30. Oktober 2003.
- ^ "Náboženská víra". Sčítání 2021 (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-07-20.