Nordic Catholic Church

The Nordic Catholic Church (Norwegian: den nordisk-katolske kirke) is a church body based in Norway of High Church Lutheran patrimony.[2] The Nordic Catholic Church is a member of the Union of Scranton.[2]

Nordic Catholic Church
Nordisk Katolske Kirke
TypeIndependent Catholic
ClassificationOld Catholic[1]
OrientationHigh church Lutheranism[1]
ScriptureHoly Bible
TheologyEvangelical catholic
PolityEpiscopal
Prime BishopRoald Nikolai Flemestad
AssociationsUnion of Scranton
Full communionPolish National Catholic Church
RegionEurope
FounderRoald Nikolai Flemestad
Origin2000
Oslo, Norway
Separated fromChurch of Norway
Official websitenordiccatholic.com

The Nordic Catholic Church was founded in 1999 by a group of traditional-minded people belonging to the “orthodox opposition” in the Lutheran state Church of Norway when they left the state church due to, for example, the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate.[2] During the process both the Free Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Anglican Forward in Faith organisation were kept fully informed. In Sweden it was paralleled by the foundation of the Mission Province of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. Bishop Roald Nikolai, with respect to the name of the denomination, emphasized that Lutherans have historically referred to themselves as "catholic":[3]

Luther himself maintained that his faith was catholic, and that he confessed the credal article of faith concerning the “Catholic” Church (WA 8. 96). Melanchton likewise emphasized that “we must all be catholic” (CR 24.399). In the Augsburg Confession of 1530 we also read that the doctrine of the Reformation “does not deviate from that of the Catholic Church (ecclesia catholica) in any article of faith, but only renounces a few misuses, that are new and have erroneously been included against the intention of church law”. When discussing papal innovations, Reformation theologians claimed to hold a doctrinal standpoint that “neither deviates from Holy Scripture nor the Universal Church nor the Roman Church as we know it from the Fathers”. (CA XXI:1)[3]

The "Statement of Faith" of the Nordic Catholic Church states that it adheres to its Lutheran heritage to the extent that it has embraced and transmitted the orthodox and catholic faith of the undivided church, therefore also embracing the Old Catholic faith as taught by the Polish National Catholic Church.[4]

The bishop of the Nordic Catholic Church in Scandinavia is Ottar Mikael Myrseth.

Along with the Polish National Catholic Church, the NCC is a member church of the Union of Scranton.[5]

Old Catholic Church in Italy (Nordic Catholic Church vicariate)

In 2011, a fraction of the Orthodox Church in Italy was organized as an association in memory of its deceased primate, Antonio De Rosso, under the name Association of Metropolitan Antonio (Italian: Associazione "Metropolita Antonio"). In 2013, the association was reorganized as the Old Catholic Church in Italy and in 2015 it became a vicariate of the Nordic Catholic Church.[6][7][8]

See also

References
  1. "About us". Nordic Catholic Church. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2021. Furthermore, the Nordic Catholic Church emphasises in its Statement of Faith that it adheres to its Scandinavian Lutheran heritage to the extent that it has embraced and transmitted the orthodox and catholic faith of the undivided church.
  2. "Scandinavian Lutherans form "Continuing" Church". Anglican Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 2006-06-01. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  3. Nikolai, Roald (18 January 2014). "What is the meaning of the word "Catholic"?". Nordic Catholic Church. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  4. "Statement of Faith: Doctrinal agreement of 8 April 1999 between the PNCC and the delegation to Scranton from the Lutheran Free Synod of Norway" (PDF). Nordic Catholic Church. 8 April 1999. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  5. "The Union of Scranton: a union of churches in communion with the Polish National Catholic Church". unionofscranton.org. Scranton, PA: Union of Scranton. Archived from the original on 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  6. "Comunicato stampa" (Press release) (in Italian). Chiesa Ortodossa in Italia, Associazione "Metropolita Antonio". 2013-11-20. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22 – via comunicati.net.
  7. "Un giorno importante per la Chiesa" [An important day for the church]. www.chiesavecchiocattolica.it (in Italian). Rome, IT: Chiesa Vecchio-Cattolica in Italia. 2015-02-28. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  8. "Clergy directory". nordiccatholic.com. Nordic Catholic Church. November 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.