Old Catholic Church of Austria

The Old Catholic Church of Austria (German: Altkatholische Kirche Österreichs) is the Austrian member church of the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches. It was nationally recognized in 1877, despite objections of the imperial dynasty and the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the formally pro-Vatican I state of Austria-Hungary.

Old Catholic Church of Austria
ClassificationCatholic
TheologyUltrajectine
GovernanceEpiscopal
LeaderHeinz Lederleitner
AssociationsInternational Old Catholic Bishops' Conference
RegionAustria
HeadquartersVienna
Separated fromRoman Catholic Church
Congregations14
Members11,500 (2007)[1]
Ministers15
Official websitealtkatholiken.at
[2][3]

In 1997, the church began ordaining women.[4] In 2007, the church elected Bishop John Okoro, a Nigeria former Roman Catholic priest, who became a member of the Old Catholic Church of Austria in 1999.[5] Prior to his election he had been the parish priest in Vorarlberg. He retired in 2015, and new Bishop Heinz Lederleitner was elected at the Synod meeting in Klagenfurt on 24 October 2015, and consecrated in Vienna on 13 February 2016.[6]

Within the Union of Utrecht, the Old Catholic Church of Austria also has delegated jurisdiction over the Old Catholic Church of Croatia, and other regions of former Yugoslavia.[7]

Old Catholic Bishops of Austria

The following bishops have governed the Old Catholic Church in Austria.

  • Adalbert Schindelaar (1925-1926)
  • Robert Tüchler (1928-1942)
  • Stefan Török (1948-1972)
  • Nikolaus Hummel (1975-1994)
  • Bernhard Heitz (1994-2007)
  • John Okoro (2008-2015)
  • Heinz Lederleitner (2016-)
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References
  1. ORF, Meldung vom 19. November 2007
  2. "Altkatholische Kirche: Johannes Okoro zum Bischof gewählt" [Old Catholic Church: Johannes Okoro elected as bishop]. religion.orf.at (in German). Vienna, AT: ORF Online and Teletext GmbH. 2007-11-19. Archived from the original on 2016-06-10.
  3. "Bischof". altkatholiken.at (in German). Vienna, AT: Altkatholische Kirche Österreichs. Archived from the original on 2016-01-17. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  4. "Wofür wir stehen: der lange Weg zur Frauenordination" [What we stand for: the long way to the ordination of women]. altkatholiken.at (in German). Vienna, AT: Altkatholische Kirche Österreichs. Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  5. Pink, Oliver (2007-11-19). "Interview: 'Wollte Priester bleiben und Ja zur Liebe sagen' " [Interview: 'Wanted to remain a priest and say yes to love' ]. diepresse.com (in German). Vienna, AT: Die Presse. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20.
  6. Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches (2016): New bishop consecrated in Austria
  7. Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches: Member Churches

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