The Free Church of England to Join the Unreformed Catholic Union of Scranton?

By Robin G. Jordan

Upon further investigation it appears that the Free Church of England’s ongoing talks with the Nordic Catholic Church and the Polish National Catholic Church are more than a flirtation. In September 2012 the International Catholic Bishops Conference of the Union of Scranton authorized Bishop Roald Nikolai Flemestad of the Nordic Catholic Church “to begin a dialogue with the Free Church of England on behalf of the Union of Scranton based upon the 'Requirements for Communion with the Polish National Catholic Church' (October, 2010) with the eventual goal of membership in the Union of Scranton.”

This description of the Union of Scranton is taken from the preamble of the Statutes of the Union of Scranton:

“The Union of Scranton is a union of Churches – and their bishops governing them – that is determined to maintain and pass on the Catholic faith, worship, and essential structure of the Undivided Church of the first millennium. The Union of Scranton finds its origins in the development of the Union of Utrecht established on September 24, 1889, in Utrecht, Holland There a determination was made and recorded in three documents that formed the Convention of Utrecht: the 'Declaration,' the 'Agreement,' and the 'Regulations' (Statutes).The full communion of the Churches found its expression and was evident in the bishops uniting to form a Bishops’ Conference, which other bishops later joined. Since the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) continues to hold the Declaration of  Utrecht as a normative document of faith, the development of the Union of Scranton follows a similar design.”

In an official statement issued after a February 2013 meeting between bishops of the Polish National Catholic Church, the Nordic Catholic Church, and the Free Church of England the International Catholic Bishops Conference of the Union of Scranton stated:

“In light of this meeting the International Catholic Bishops Conference anticipates being able to work with the Free Church of England to build up a Catholic jurisdiction in the United Kingdom.”

For readers who may not be familiar with the Polish National Catholic Church, the PNCC is an independent Catholic Church that is not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church but which seeks full communion with the Holy See. The PNCC was founded in 1897. From 1907 to 2003 the PNCC was a member of the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht. In 2003 the PNCC was expelled from the Union of Utrecht due to its opposition to women’s ordination.

According to its website,” the Nordic Catholic Church was established in Norway in 2000 under the auspices of the Polish National Catholic Church.” The NCC was formed from “a group of Catholic-minded people” who left the Lutheran Church of Norway over such issues as ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate. The NCC describes itself as an Old Catholic Church.  The NCC became a Member Church of the Union of Scranton in June 2011.

In its Statement of Faith the Nordic Catholic Church makes this following declaration:

“In that we worship the one, true God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we affirm that in that we hold the orthodox and catholic Faith of the Undivided Church and we adhere to our Lutheran heritage to the extent that it has embraced and transmitted that Faith, therefore we embrace the Catholic Faith of the Polish National Catholic Church and do fully accept without reservation or qualifications all of these doctrines: Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition of the Church; the Catholic Symbols: the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Councils of the Undivided Church; the Fathers of the Church, East and West, the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass (messen som eukaristick offer)* and the Seven Sacraments; and the essential praxis of the Catholic Church as affirmed by the Polish National Catholic Church, and the authority of our lawful bishop, and furthermore we will be known as the Nordic Catholic Church.”

According to its website the Nordic Catholic Church has “parishes and communities in Norway, Sweden, Germany and France” and new works in Hungry, Italy, and England.

During the same time period the Free Church of England has also been engaging in talks with the Anglican Association.  According to its website the Anglican Association seeks “to uphold traditional values and, in particular to promote the Catholic Faith as Anglicans have received it and, as loyalists, have cherished it.” It is a supporter of the Church of England’s General Synod’s Catholic Group.

The rot that infects the Reformed Episcopal Church also infects the Free Church of England. “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness” (Proverbs 26:11, HCSB). Another name for that rot is faithlessness—faithlessness to the Bible and to the gospel. As the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion remind us, every man “is of his own nature inclined to evil” and “the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit.” Likewise, men are drawn to the errors and superstitions of the past and to unbiblical innovations in doctrine and worship.

Also see
The Free Church of England on the Same Trajectory as the Reformed Episcopal Church?
The Free Church of England Plays with Fire

The photo shows the end of the road at the edge of the abyss.