Petite Église

Petite Église ( " Little Church" ) is a collective term for Catholic communities that developed in the French -speaking world from the conservative opposition to the Concordat of 1801 and have remained outside the church communion with the Pope of Rome.

Origin

The carried out with the Concordat between Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII from July 11, 1801, and the state - French Organic products from 1802 reorganization of the Catholic Church after the French Revolution came within French Catholicism on resistance, which has been strongly encouraged by some in emigrated abroad bishops of the ancien régime who refused their requested by Pius VII resignation.

The resistance focused on two areas, on the one hand the West ( Deux -Sèvres, Vendée, Maine -et -Loire, Morbihan, Sarthe) and North West ( Normandy ) France and Belgium, on the other hand, the South East ( region of Lyon, Isère, Hautes -Alpes, Provence ). An active propaganda Cell worked in London.

Motives of the opposition were attachment against the executed king, the bishops and priests who had remained loyal during the Revolution Pope and the Church, especially but the impression in the wake of the Concordat the inherited Catholic religion is changed by innovations, so by eliminating or laying of festivals (eg Corpus Christi) and resolution of historical dioceses and parishes.

Especially in the area around Lyon of here coined by Jansenists resistance was strengthened by reports of visions and private revelations and turned against the pope. In some circles, Pope Pius VII was because of the Concordat as schismatics and heretics, the Chair of Peter, therefore, considered vacant since 1801 (see today's sedevacantism ).

Development

The approximately forty antikonkordatären groups included the early 19th century, some 100,000 members. With the restoration, almost all surviving bishops of the resistance of the papal request submitted to the resignation. The only exception, Alexandre de Lauzières Thémines, Bishop of Blois, ordained neither priests nor a bishop. Therefore, the clergy died within the dissident groups over time, and the recruitment of fallen priests of the United Church of disappointed expectations. This was followed in 1840: ( a) the establishment of church leadership in the hands of laymen, (b ) the organization of Catholic worship without priests. An attempt by the Union not bound to Rome " Roomsch Katholieke Kerk van de Oud- Bisschoppelijke Clerezie " in Utrecht failed around 1850. An appeal to the Vatican I, to heal the crime committed by Pius VII wrong, remained without response. In the 1950s sought on behalf of Pope Pius XII. Reported from China French missionary bishop Alexandre Derouineau (* 1898, † 1973), with moderate success around the Rekonziliation the dissidents. In the wake of the 2nd Vatican Council, a small group (150-200 believer ) took full communion with the Pope in Rome again. The Petite Église are classified today as 10,000 to 20,000 members. Exact figures are unknown.

Steve nesting

The Belgian Petite Église Apostolique the "Steve nesting " goes back to an anti-revolutionary group led by the canons Corneille Stevens. After this in 1814 was reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church took over the priest Gilles -François Theys ( until 1816 ) and Philippe Winnepenninckx ( 1820-1837 ) the line, then that of the Gallican " Église Catholique Française " of Ferdinand François Châtel (1795 -1857 ) sent Bishop Julien Lerousseau. Beginning in 1866, the Steve nesting community was the " Père spiritual " ( = clergyman father), a lay led. A 1957 by Pope Pius XII. Rekonziliationsversuch, undertaken under appointment of a special pastor, Titular Bishop Louis Marin of Enos, his goal is not reached, it reinforced, celebrate desire all the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and receive messages. The 13th Père spiritual, Aimé Bausier, 1969 could be a priest in 1971 and ordained bishop by Charles Brearley, Archbishop - Primate of the Old Catholic Church of England, which dates back to Arnold Harris Mathew and not part of the Union of Utrecht. Bausier issued in 1979 episcopal ordination the bishop today, Christian Vestraet. To document the connection to the Old Catholicism, the Church now calls Petite Église Vieille Catholique Apostolique or Small Apostolic Oud Katholieke Kerk - van Belgie. Bishop Christian Vestraet inaugurated on April 25, 2004 Jean Ndjewel bishop of Superior since 2000 working in Cameroon " Congregation des Pères Stévennistes ", in turn, 24 November 2007 the member of his congregation Bernard Mengoumou granted episcopal ordination.

In Gits and Leerbeek persist Groups priest loser " Steve nesting " with church services in the manner and in the spirit of the historic Petite Église.

Weblink

• Het Stevenisme

• Church Catholic tradition
• Christianity in France