One of many churches that separated from the Catholic church in France in the nineteenth century the Gallican Catholic Church (GCC) established by the cleric Monseigneur Frangois Chattel (1795-1857) traces the history of the principles on which it is founded to the late eighteenth century and even further back. It endorses for example the Four Gallican Articles drawn up by the renowned preacher and bishop, Jacques-Benize Bossuet (1627-1704) in 1682 and agreed upon by the French clergy of the day. These articles reject papal dominion over temporal affairs, insist that the decisions of a General Council of the Church are more authoritative than those of the Pope, that papal judgments are reversible and that the ancient liberties of the French Church are inviolable. Clearly, therefore, by accepting these articles of what is considered to be ‘moderate’ Gallicanism the GCC adopted a position that is incompatible with post Vatican Council I (1870) which proclaimed the dogma of papal infallibility.
This notwithstanding, the GCC which likens its stance towards Rome to that of the Anglican church in sixteenth century England claims never to have deviated from the authentic teachings of Jesus nor to have abandoned the long established liturgical traditions of the Catholic church. It sees itself as having followed a middle way between the popular piety of the middle ages and the more secular outlook of Modernism which sought to bring Catholic belief into line with contemporary thinking in philosophy, history and science. This movement which was condemned by Pope Pius X in 1907 endorsed biblical criticism common among Protestant theologians and was persuaded that the Gospel message rather than residing in its original core was continually unfolding under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Gallican Catholic Church is presided over by a Primate and governed by bishops who have the authority to ordain priests. Its bishops, it claims, form part of the Apostolic succession and the validity of their ordination therefore cannot be denied. The GCC also insists that its teachings are also historically and doctrinally sound as they are based on all the dogmas of the Catholic church proclaimed since the Council of Nicaea (325) until Vatican Council 1 (1870).
Like other separatist Catholic movements in modern times including the Lefebvre Movement or order of St Pius X founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre the GCC does not accept what it describes as the sacrilegious decisions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-5), particularly those relating to the celebration of the liturgy and the administration of the sacraments. On the contrary. It continues to administer the sacraments according to the sixteenth century rites laid down by the Council of Trent (1548 and 1568). Moreover, GCC refuses to accept any other interpretation of the Eucharist than that of its being a non-bloody sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the Cross which he offered to God for the atonement of the sins of the world and also insists that its celebration must be carried in the traditional Tridentine way using what it defines as the sacred, universal language of Latin.
Its emphasis on tradition aside, certain of this Church’s practices might appear to many mainstream Catholics to be liturgical novelties. It has introduced for example a ministry for animals, which it allows into the church on special days to receive sacramental blessings. This practice and that of healing have been greatly encouraged by the present Gallican Catholic archbishop of Paris, Mgr Dominique Philippe (b. 1951) who resides at and presides over the cathedral parish of Saint Rita, built in the neo-Gothic style of the late nineteenth century.
The Church’s Gallicanism is expressed not only in its acceptance of the above mentioned Four Articles but also symbolically by the unfurling of the French national flag on the sanctuary of Saint Rita. The intention here, it is explained, is not to exclude anyone who is non-French from participation in its worship but to remind adepts that though open to all and ecumenical in spirit and outlook the GCC is French first. The Church though largely Caucasian (white) does have members from other racial background.
