Are Episcopalians Catholic?

Question

I really like a church around here, but I am not sure if Episcopalian means Catholic. If I were ever to get married in it, would we have to be Catholic?

Answer 1

No.

If you are new to this church, you may be confused by the use of the word "catholic" in the creeds, and the fact that many Episcopalians consider themselves "catholic." This use of the word "catholic" refers to the whole Christian Church throughout history, as it confesses the wholeness of Christian doctrine.

Answer 2

It is not Roman Catholic, that is to say it doesn't not answer to the Pope. It is a Protestant denomination, although is called Anglican Catholic is some areas. Catholic really is a word that means "Universal". The Episcolpal Church used to be associated with the Methodist Church but they separated. It has some similarities to the Catholic church, which makes it a little different than many Protestant churches but it is still more Protestant (priests may marry, no prayer to saints, no confession, for example) than Roman Catholic You wouldn't be Roman Catholic to be married in the Episcopalian church, but you might have to be Episcopalian.

Answer 3

Episcopalians are Anglicans.

You would have to marry in the Catholic Church in order for your marriage to be Catholic.

Answer 4

My take is that the Anglican church is Catholic, that it is a part of the Catholic Church which, though it broke away from Rome and became independent Roman authority, remained apostolic, liturgical and eucharistic. However, the Anglican tradition has grown to allow a freedom of thought, identity and conscience which does not quite exist within the Roman Catholic Church. Individual Anglicans therefore have the freedom to think of themselves as either Catholic or Protestant. In contemporary times, those who identify as Protestant have turned the paradigm upside down and have treated the Anglican Church as as Protestant Church which nevertheless grudgingly allows individual members to identify as Catholics independent of Roman authority. These are treated however largely as outliers and atasvists. In reality, regardless of what anyone says, the Anglican Church is both Catholic and Protestant.

The Anglican Church as a corporate and legal entity came into being only when the Elizabethean Religious Settlement was approved by Parliment in 1559. Because the events which led to the creation of the Church of England and the subsequent development of its different factions are placed under the rubric of the English Reformation, it might be assumed therefore that the Anglican Church must therefore be Protestant. But that is playing with words. What makes the Anglican Church Protestant, to the extent it is, is the religious positions taken by its adherents. What makes it Catholic is its origins, liturgy, and corporate structure as an apostolic church.

Recently, there has been a schism in the Anglican Church, which had led some congregations and entire diocese to break away from the Worldwide Anglican Communion over the issue such as the ordination of women, the sanctioning of same sex marriage and the consecration of bishops in same sex relationships. In America, those congregations which have broken away from the Episcopal Church call themselves Anglican. Whether they are able to maintain the apostolic tradition or merely become liturgical Protestant churches remains to be seen.

These are my personal opinions. Do not let my deftness in writing historical synthesis make you think that what I have said here is holy writ. The research is limited, so do your own thinking.





The development of the Anglican Church had its beginning with the Henry VIII opportunistic split with Rome. That he could contemplate taking the English Church away from Rome had much to do with fact the Protestant Reformation already was underway and had put in the air the idea of a national church. But the Anglican Church came into being only later

Answer 5

The Episcopal Church in the USA is not Catholic.

They are actually a part of the Anglican Communion which includes:
+ The Church of England
+ The Church of Wales
+ The Church of Ireland
+ The Scottish Episcopal Church

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/index.cfm

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

the episcopalian movement is the american (and the scottish) branch of the church of england.

the church of england is neither truly protestant nor properly catholic. when king henry viii of england wanted to divorce his queen catherine of aragon, but was refused by the pope. he decided to found a new church with himself at the head of it.

king henry viii rejected almost all the ideas of mainstream protestantism, and in fact the only real difference between his church and real catholicism was that king henry was at the head of it instead of the pope.

(during king henry's time masses were still said in latin, and the doctrine of substantiation was acknowledged as part of the anglican confession).

catholics don't accept the church of england as catholic, but then most proper protestants don't accept it as protestant either.

it's kind of a compromise, as recommended in revelation 3:16.

Answer 7

It is the American Church of England, in England it is called Anglican and they are the ones who translated the King James Bible. They are like Catholics but don't honor the pope, they have the arch bishop of cantubury.

Answer 8

No, Episcopalians are the American offshoot of the Church of England, and therefore 100% Protestant.

Answer 9

No, they're not Catholics, but I still like to call them drinking Catholics... they're not completely unlike the other, but Episcopalians are awesome because they drink!

Answer 10

They're not Roman Catholic, but many of them do belong to the catholic faith.