I received this message through the Italian magazine Aristarchus. It came in Italian, and below is a Google translate version.
The Old Catholic Church are a very interesting body. They originated among those who rejected some of the teachings of the First Vatican Council, mainly around the supreme authority of the Pope, and Papal Infallibility. We could learn some things from them today in our own Church.
The Old Catholic Christian Church expresses its solidarity with the Congregation of Redemptorists and in particular with the Rev. Fr. Tony Flannery regarding the refusal by the Church of Rome to readmit the aforementioned presbyter to the active ministry unless after signing four proposed affirmations by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the ordained ministry of women, homosexual relationships, civil unions and gender identity, issues that are in reality still debated among theologians and between churches.
Regrets that while we talk about respect for the person and dialogue between different instances and cultures, constraints are still imposed on freedom of research, thought and expression, to the point of pretending that a presbyter cannot publicly discuss his opinions just because he is not theologian by profession.
It reaffirms that the search for truth and evangelical coherence is the task of the entire ecclesial community, albeit with respect for the competences of each believer and each ecclesial body.
He hopes that the sad story will be resolved with the full readmission of Rev. Fr. Tony Flannery to ministerial service without the imposition of ideological prejudices and that individual theologians and Churches will reach full collaboration in formulating truly evangelical responses to today’s demands and in the to bear witness to Paul’s words “Examine all things, keep what is good” (1Th 5:21).
For the Old Catholic Christian Church
