Do you consider yourself Roman Catholic?
No. St. Thomas More Parish and the Progressive Catholic Church is a valid expression of Catholicism outside of the Roman Church and the Vatican. We are not affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Are you the only community like this?
Not at all. Saint Thomas More Parish is part of the Progressive Catholic Church. We have parishes throughout the United States and Europe.
How are you similar to the Roman Catholic Church?
We share the following beliefs with the Roman Church:
• Radical monotheism of God
• Apostolic Succession
• Belief in the Trinity
• Nicene Creed
• Salvific Act of Christ
• Economy (i.e., plan) of salvation
• Ecclesiology
• Marian theology
• Seven Sacraments
How are you different than the Roman Catholic Church?
We are radically different as follows:
• Priesthood, ordained (married/women/LGBTQ+)
• Full sacramental participation by all
• LGBTQ+, fully-inclusive; gay marriage
• Family planning
• Disagreement regarding the absolute authority of the Pope
• Full implementation of Vatican II
• Respect and value of individual conscience
• Novus Ordo, Roman Missal, 2nd Edition
What is your position on other issues that often exclude people from the Roman Catholic Church?
Women Clergy: We embrace the wonderful gifts of women. We welcome the movement of God in the ordained ministry of women. The Roman Catholic Church forbids women to become priests, citing the Bible's record that Jesus only chose male apostles.
Married Clergy: We welcome married clergy knowing that their lived experience provides an invaluable gift for ministry. The Roman Church has forever closed the option of married clergy with its claim of divine intention and tradition.
Divorce and Remarriage: We empathize with the pain of a failed marriage and receive our divorced and remarried brothers and sisters as full members into our Church. The Roman Church maintains that marriage is indissoluble.
Family Planning: We support a couple’s decision regarding family planning believing that they are in the best position to decide their most appropriate option. The Roman Church only permits natural family planning.
Gays and Lesbians: We affirm the dignity and worth of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning persons recognizing in them unique gifts particular to our time. We are honored to officiate at sacramental gay marriages. The Roman Church teaches that homosexuality is “objectively disordered” and all same-sex acts as sinful.
What safeguarding procedures do you have in place?
Safeguarding within the Progressive Catholic Church is one of the most important issues that the church takes. All our bishops, priests, deacons, and safeguarding teams are trained and all have background checks done in order to keep all safe within all activities on and off church campuses.
Do your clergy have apostolic succession?
Yes. Our church follows a 2000+ year history and has valid succession. And, while we are inclusive and liberal in our views, we hold tight to the subscription of validity. Apostolic succession is a process that involves a priest being consecrated to the High and Holy Order of Bishop by the laying on of hands and the anointing with sacred Oil of Christ by a validly consecrated bishop. The consecrating bishop must be able to trace his succession through an unbroken line of bishops back to the original church founded by Jesus the Christ and his Apostles. Possessing undisputed lines of Apostolic Succession, the Progressive Catholic Church is first and foremost a member of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church that Christ had founded and commissioned to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:19) Therefore, the PCC shares in the common history of the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, and all other particular churches within the Universal Church. When studying the history of the many churches and jurisdictions within the Universal Church, one can study by examining the unbroken lines of Apostolic Succession. Some of the lines of Apostolic Succession within the Progressive Catholic Church include:
1. The Roman Catholic succession through Monsignor +Carlos Duarte Costa of Brazil
Click here for more information.
2. The Roman Catholic succession through Archbishop +Emmanuel Milingo
3. The Roman Catholic succession through Archbishop +Pierre Martin Ngo Dinh Thuc
4. The Old Catholic succession through Archbishop +Arnold Harris Mathew
5. The Old Catholic succession through Archbishop +Joseph Rene Vilatte
6. The Old Catholic succession through Bishop +Edwin Kreuzer (Old Catholic Church of
Germany Succession)
6. The Coptic Orthodox succession through Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (Azer Youssef
Atta)
7. The Russian Orthodox succession through Patriarch Alexei I (Sergey Vladimirovich
Simanskiy)
8. The Anglican and Episcopal succession through Bishop +Arthur Lea and Bishop
+Henry St. George Tucker
Are sacraments of the Old Catholic Church valid?
Yes. The Old Catholic Church, while not in full communion with the Holy See, holds valid apostolic succession. Therefore, its bishops have been validly ordained and they have retained the ability to ordain other bishops, priests and deacons. This was confirmed on January 3, 1987, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Prot. no. 795/68):
Among the churches which are in the same situation as the oriental churches named in can. 844 § 3 we include the Old Catholic churches in Europe and the Polish National Church in the United States of America.
The Catholic Church has recognized the sacraments of the Old Catholic Church as valid and in the same category as the sacraments of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.