Charism and Challenge: Old Catholic Ecumenism and the Appeal to the Early Church

Abstract

This paper explores the role of the appeal to the early Church in Old Catholic theology, describing how this appeal has been challenged and further developed through ecumenical dialogue in particular. Noting the various problems involved in this appeal and the manner in which they have been discussed within the Old Catholic (ecumenical) theological discourse, the paper highlights the process of discernment within the Union of Utrecht of Old Catholic Churches, and from that in particular the consultation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the subject, and analyses the role of the appeal to the early church in this setting. Notably, the hermeneutically reflected appeal to the early church paved the way for a theologically responsible manner of opening the apostolic ministry to women as well as men.