DECLARATION ON THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN

The College of Bishops

of 

The North American Old Roman Catholic Church

has approved and adopted in the name of our Church, the following statement, originally issued by The International Old-Catholic Bishops Conference of the Union of Utrecht.

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THE NORTH AMERICAN OLD ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH in accordance with the ancient undivided church does not agree with the sacramental ordination of women to the Catholic, Apostolic ministry of Deacon, Priest and Bishop.

 The Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, through the Holy Ghost called twelve men to be his Apostles, in order to perpetuate his work for the salvation of mankind. The Catholic churches of the East and West have called men only to the sacramental apostolic ministry.

The question of the ordination of women touches the basic order and mystery of the Church.

The churches which have preserved continuity with the ancient undivided Church and its sacramental ministerial order should jointly discuss this question of sacramental ordination of women, being fully aware of eventual consequences resulting from unilateral decisions.

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(In addition to this statement, The North American Old Roman Catholic Church is in full agreement with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, that the entire and undivided Church Catholic does not possess the power or authority from God to alter or change this Divinely appointed precedent or element to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.)

THE SANCTITY OF THE COVENANT OF HOLY MATRIMONY

The College of Bishops

of

The North American Old Roman Catholic Church

has approved and adopted in the name of our church, the following statement, originally written and issued by the below named signatories. This statement has been adopted by numerous church bodies throughout the years, since it was first written and issued.

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As we celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, entering the third millennium, we pledge together to honor the Lord by committing ourselves afresh to God’s first institution—marriage.

We believe that marriage is a holy union of one man and one woman in which they commit, with God’s help, to build a loving, life-giving, faithful relationship that will last for a lifetime. God has established the married state, in the order of creation and redemption, for spouses to grow in love of one another and for the procreation, nurture, formation and education of children.

We believe that in marriage many principles of the Kingdom of God are manifested. The interdependence of healthy Christian community is clearly exemplified in loving one another (John 13:34), forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32), confessing to one another (James 5:16), and submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21). These principles find unique fulfillment in marriage. Marriage is God’s gift, a living image of the union between Christ and His Church.

We believe that when a marriage is true to God’s loving design it brings spiritual, physical, emotional, economic, and social benefits not only to a couple and family but also to the Church and to the wider culture. Couples, churches, and the whole of society have a stake in the well being of marriages. Each, therefore, has its own obligations to prepare, strengthen, support and restore marriages.

Our nation is threatened by a high divorce rate, a rise in cohabitation, a rise in non-marital births, a decline in the marriage rate, and a diminishing interest in and readiness for marrying, especially among young people. The documented adverse impact of these trends on children, adults, and society is alarming. Therefore, as church leaders, we recognize an unprecedented need and responsibility to help couples begin, build, and sustain better marriages, and to restore those threatened by divorce.

Motivated by our common desire that God’s Kingdom be manifested on earth as it is in heaven, we pledge to deepen our commitment to marriage. With three-quarters of marriages performed by clergy, churches are uniquely positioned not only to call America to a stronger commitment to this holy union but to provide practical ministries and influence for reversing the course of our culture. It is evident in cities across the nation that where churches join in common commitment to restore a priority on marriages, divorces are reduced and communities are positively influenced.

Therefore, we call on churches throughout America to do their part to strengthen marriage in our nation by providing:

Further, we urge churches in every community to join in developing policies and programs with concrete goals to reduce the divorce rate and increase the marriage rate.

By our commitment to marriage as instituted by God, the nature of His Kingdom will be more clearly revealed in our homes, our churches, and our culture. To that end we pray and labor with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

May the grace of God, the presence of Christ, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit be abundant to all those who so commit and be a blessing to all whose marriages we seek to strengthen.

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