Free Catholic Church
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The Free Catholic Church is a German derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church.
[edit] Church background
In 1937, the Roman-Catholic Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa of Botucatu, Brazil, was forced to step down. In 1945 he accused the Vatican of having collaborated with the national socialists (Nazis) and fascists. He was excommunicated and that same year founded the Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira. In 1949 the church was brought to Germany by the future Archbishop Johannes Peter Meyer-Mendez, where it was registered as the Free Catholic Church ("Freikatholische Kirche").
After the death of the Archbishop, his successor Archbishop Hilarios Ungerer transferred the seat of the Archbishop, i.e. the principal seat, from Cologne to Munich, the capital of Bavaria. Archbishop Ungerer also was temporarily Conductor of the now vacant Kustodie der Mariaviten in Bayern - founded by Archbishop Maria Paulus Norbert Maas - until his successful bid for demission[1] of bishop's duties in 1978.
In September 1972, Bishop Hilarios Ungerer rented a shop for a "shop church"[2] in the Thalkirchner Str. 25 in Munich, as it was in fashion in big towns at that time.
During these 25 years he has successfully endeavoured to integrate marginal groups into the church. More than 35,000 people in Bavaria, mainly in Munich, were administered all Catholic sacraments or received pastoral care.
The Free Catholic Church also takes care of those Christians who have left the traditional churches, but nevertheless look for a church home, and who want to have a church wedding although their first marriage ended in divorce, who wish to have a church funeral, or who simply long for membership of a church community.
The Free Catholic Church has never received any state or municipal grants.
Today Munich also takes care of Manila/Philippines, and Los Angeles and Miami/USA. Every year the Archbishop makes pastoral trips to the above mentioned missions.
Permission
Posted by the Free Catholic Church, with copyright permissions for publication in Wikipedia. Questions: email us at: ordinariat@freikatholische-kirche.de
[edit] References
- ^ Maas' recording of agreement in Ungerers bid for demission from bishop's duties
- ^ View at the Free Catholic shop church
