Peter Paul Brennan (November 1, 1941 – August 1, 2016) was an American bishop. He was archbishop of the Old Catholic Confederation and primate of the Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of the Americas—presently named the Good Shepherd Companions. He was also a bishop of the African Orthodox Church, primate of the Order of Corporate Reunion, and president of Married Priests Now!—founded by excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop Emmanuel Milingo.[1][2][3]
The Most Reverend Peter Paul Brennan | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of the Old Catholic Confederation | |
 Brennan in 2014 | |
| Church | African Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of the Americas |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | September 24, 2006 by Emmanuel Milingo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 1, 1941 |
| Died | August 1, 2016 |
| Denomination | Independent Catholicism |
Biography
editBrennan was born on November 1, 1941, in New York State; in his adulthood, he attended St. John's Atonement Seminary, which closed in 1967.[4] He also attended St. Pius X Seminary and Immaculate Conception Seminary, and graduated with a M.A. in education from Manhattan College.[1][2] Leaving the Roman Catholic Church and pursuing ordination after marriage, Brennan was ordained a priest in 1972 through the Old Roman Catholic Church by Richard Arthur Marchenna.[2]
In 1978, he was consecrated as a bishop within the African Orthodox Church founded by George Alexander McGuire; he was then conditionally consecrated variously after.[2] By 1984, Brennan led the Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of the Americas which remarries divorced individuals, practices open communion, ordains women, and affirms and ordains lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals into holy orders.[5] The Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of the Americas would then become the Good Shepherd Companions, an Old Catholic network of house churches.[6]
In 2006, he was consecrated a bishop "sub conditione", with four other married priests including George Augustus Stallings, by Emmanuel Milingo—then Roman Catholic archbishop of Lusaka in Zambia. As these episcopal ordinations were done without papal approval, Milingo was excommunicated and eventually laicized.[7][8]
Regarding Brennan's consecration by Milingo, the Holy See Press Office declared in a carefully worded statement that: "While expressing hope for their conversion, the Church reaffirms what was declared on 26 September 2006, namely that she does not recognize these ordinations, nor does she intend to recognize them, or any subsequent ordinations based on them, in the future. Hence the canonical status of the supposed bishops remains as it was prior to the ordination conferred by Archbishop Milingo."[9]
This denial of canonical status meant that though Brennan had no authority to exercise any ministry in the Roman Catholic Church, he was still a valid bishop.[10] The Reverend Ciro Benedettini of the Holy See Press Office, who was responsible for publicly issuing the press conference communique on Milingo, told reporters that any ordinations or consecrations that the excommunicated Milingo had performed prior to his laicization were "illicit but valid", while any following would be invalid.[8][11]
On June 11, 2011, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts issued a statement about illicitly ordained bishops, pointing out the canons which provide for an automatic latae sententiae excommunication for both the ordaining bishop and those ordained. Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the council, explained that the statement applied to the bishops ordained by Milingo as well as to more recent cases in the Chinese Patriotic Association.[12]
After the resignation of Bertil Persson as leader of the Order of Corporate Reunion, Brennan succeeded as primate. Brennan died on August 1, 2016, and was subsequently succeeded by Michael Kline and John Kersey as disputed primates of the Order of Corporate Reunion.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b Weitekamp, Rossana (2016-08-23). "W.H. archbishop, advocate for a married priesthood, dies". Herald Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ a b c d Kersey, John (2016-08-08). "Death of Archbishop Peter Paul Brennan". The Abbey-Principality of San Luigi. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "Married former priests warn against Milingo's group". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "Rochester Churches - Montour Falls - St. John's Atonement Seminary". dorchurches.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ "Beliefs". Good Shepherd Companions. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ "About Us". Good Shepherd Companions. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ Pullella, Philip (2009-12-17). "Vatican defrocks exorcist archbishop who married". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ a b "The last act in the Milingo story?". National Catholic Reporter. 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "In Lingua Inglese, release by the Holy See's press office, 17 December 2009, retrieved 17 December 2009". Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Vatican: Archbishop Milingo and four others excommunicated". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
Though, by virtue of his episcopal status, Milingo is capable of validly ordaining the men, they are not considered Roman Catholic Bishops due to their schismatic act.
- ^ Frances D'Emilio (December 18, 2009). "Vatican dismisses defiant archbishop from clergy". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012.
- ^ Jesús Colina (June 14, 2011). "Vatican Calls China's Illicitly Ordained to Examine Hearts". ZENIT News Agency. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012.
- ^ "The Order of Corporate Reunion - Notice". Order of Corporate Reunion. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- ^ "Clarification on the OCR (July 7, 2023)". Order of Corporate Reunion. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
