The Anglo-Catholic Union

Saint Jerome, Confessor and Doctor

29 September, A.D. 2025

Principles

 These, then, are the general guidelines within which The Ango-Catholic Union (hereinafter referred-to as The Movement) will operate.

I

Authority

 There are only three sources of Authority for The Movement. These are Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition, and Reason. Though these are ranked in-order of primacy, Holy Tradition lays as close to Holy Scripture as it is possible to do, without exceeding it.

Holy Scripture as we know it was not fully Received for several centuries after our Lord’s Crucifixion and Resurrection. Thus, the teaching and praxis of Holy Church ~ Holy Tradition ~ plays a vital role, further informing us as-to what should be our right relationship with God. Reason is the employment of our God-given gifts in the pursuit of that relationship, which is only defined by Him, not by men.

II

Holy Scripture

 The Holy Scriptures are considered to be the inerrant word of God. They contain all things necessary for Salvation. They consist of the New- and Old Testaments, plus those books styled Deuterocanonical. These latter are not of the same force as the ‘Testaments, but are illustrative of the principles contained within them, and are never to be excised from the Bible.

III

Theological Foundations

All theological questions shall be dealt-with from the perspective of the Undivided Church. This is defined as that Church which existed until the Great Schism of 1054 A.D., and includes the Seven Great Councils. The use of- or reference to any theological position or doctrine developed after that time will be discouraged.

IV

The Councils

Within this framework, the decisions / decretals of the Seven Great Councils are normative for The Movement. These include any derived from the First Council at Jerusalem. Thus, for our purposes, the Eight Great Councils.

V

Reason

Whilst these ‘Councils will be the strong pillars of the Movement, that frequently over-looked leg of the Anglican Tripod, Reason, must ever be employed. For example, certain of the Administrative Canons of the ‘Councils ~ the wearing of beards, dining in restaurants ~ will not be considered as binding.

VI

Apostolic Succession

 One of the immovable principles of The Movement must- and shall be the strenuous safeguarding of the Apostolic Blessing given to those in Holy Orders. We must be absolutely clear that there are no lines of succession in the Anglican expression in this Country that are above criticism. None. Even the oft-vaunted Chambers Succession is open to some question.

 This having been said, we must work with the materials that we’ve been given. Both Charitas, and the ‘Eastern notion of Oeconomeia should be essential elements in the investigations concerning ‘Succession. Though it is one of our great goals, perfection is attainable only by God, leaving to us the exercise of Grace as we walk the path that leads to the former.

VII

Holy Orders

 Holy Orders have ever been, and shall ever be, a male-only institution. A male shall be considered as one born with XY chromosomes. No variation in this policy will be tolerated within The Movement.

VIII

Dioceses ~ Nature and Government

 The Movement is to be composed only of Dioceses. Inasmuch as there will be no National Canons, per se, each Diocese must have, and abide-by, their own Canons. The Dioceses will be fully autonomous, within the bounds set by Ancient Catholic doctrine and practice.

 A Diocese has ever been held to be composed of a fixed, geographic territory. Non-geographic Dioceses were unknown in the Ancient Church, and would, indeed, have been considered anathema, contributing by their very nature confusion to the Greater Church, and Her faithful. Save in the instance of a Diocese being composed not of Parishes (military or other chaplaincies perhaps being one possible exception), all such are to be forbidden. In the event of a non-geographic Diocese being accepted-into The Movement, it shall not hold Parishes, though its Clergy may serve in Parishes, in the Diocese in which they live, with the permission of both Bishops.

As it was in the Ancient Church, there will be no authority higher than that of a Bishop Ordinary, operating lawfully within his own Diocese. Other than in a very few instances ~ three Bishops required for Consecration, Episcopal trials, record-keeping, insuring the integrity of the faith once-delivered ~ derived-from practical concerns, this premise, and the principles embodied by it, shall never be excepted.

IX

Bishops Ordinary

 All Bishops Ordinary of The Movement meeting in one body shall become The Council. The Council will serve to guide and support, never to rule. As-noted above, their specified functions are few, and are limited to those demanded by circumstance.

X

No National Church

There shall never be formed a National Church, nor shall the offices usually appertaining to such (Pope, Patriarch, Metropolitan, Archbishop, et cetera) ever be instituted. The Movement exists to worship only the Christ. We must do all that we can to prevent man, and his ego, from interfering with the same, so help us God.

It is our belief and hope that once the so-called higher elements of the Church are removed, Bishops will be constrained to no longer gaze upwards at preferment, but to look down, into the hearts and lives of the Clergy and Laity that they have been called to lead ~ to lead not unto themselves, but further, to the most holy Trinity, and the salvation that awaits there, and there only.

XI

Protestantism

 We must ~ and shall always ~ be open to assist our protestant brothers in their conversion to the Catholic Faith. While their means are flawed, it devolves to us to consider their heart-aims as genuine, or not. They are separated from us, but generally by mistakes made by men centuries dead. It shall be our greatest aim, short of saving those who have no faith, to add them to our number.