Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church

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The Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church (La Iglesia Española Reformada Episcopal) is the representative of the Anglican Communion in Spain. It was founded in 1880 by dissident members of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain and is in full communion with the Old Catholic Churches.

[edit] History

The Bishop of Meath consecrated the first Bishop in 1894 and the Church of Ireland was placed as the metropolitan authority over the IERE. Later in 1980 it became an extra-provincial diocese under the metropolitical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The IERE was formed in Gibraltar in 1868, by Juan Bautista Cabrera, former Roman Catholic priest, joined other ex-Catholic priests and Reformed ministers. For a while Juan Bautista Cabrera remained in the Iglesia Evangélica Española, but he left it and in 1878 requested the Church of England to consecrate a bishop. And the Episcopal Church in the United States send the missionary-bishop of Mexico H.C. Riley to visit Spain and Portugal. In 1880, he visited Spain and Portugal and helped to organize the congregations into the IERE and the Lusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church, each with its own synodical government. In 1883, however, Bishop Riley's episcopal functions were brought to an end in Spain and Portugal due to a disagreement with the American Board of Missions.

At the Synod of 1880, Cabrera was elected the first bishop of the Spanish Church under pastoral care of Lord Plunket, Bishop of Meath and later Archbishop of Dublin, had been interested in the two Iberian churches and determined to act to consecrate a bishop in Spain. The church remained without a bishop after Cabrera passed away and was under control of the Church of Ireland and suffered persecution during the regime of Franco.

In 1954 Santos M. Molina was consecrated bishop and the church experienced a regrowth.

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 legally accepted non-Roman denominations and granted full freedom of Worship.

As of 2001, the IERE has 1 Diocese, 22 licenced priests, serving 20 parishes. The IERE is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches.