International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference

The International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference or International Bishops' Conference (IBC) is the synod of bishops of Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches (UU) member churches.[1]

International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference
Internationale Altkatholische Bischofskonferenz
AbbreviationIBC
FormationSeptember 24, 1889 (1889-09-24)
Founded atUtrecht, Netherlands
HeadquartersUtrecht, Netherlands
Region
Europe
President
Archbishop Joris Vercammen
Main organ
Conference
Parent organization
Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches

Background

The International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference was founded in 1889 by the bishops of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, the Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany, and the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland. It is analogous to but not a metropolia.[2] It is similar to the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion. Like the Lambeth Conference, it is not a legislative body.

According to the UU, the responsibilities of the IBC include:

  • maintaining community between member churches of the UU
  • "tak[ing] a stand in controversial questions of faith and related ethical behaviours as well as in church order"
  • making formal authoritative UU statements about faith and principles [3]
  • regulating ecumenical "relationships with other churches and religious communities" [4]
  • accepting churches into the UU
  • accepting bishops into the IBC

The archbishop of the Old Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht is ex officio president of the IBC. [5]

The bishops of UU member churches meet yearly.

References
  1. Smit 2011, p. 3; UU & IBC.
  2. Smit 2011, p. 95.
  3. Smit 2011, p. 38; UU & IBC.
  4. Smit 2011, p. 98; UU & IBC.
  5. Smit 2011, p. 177.
  • "IBC". utrechter-union.org. Utrecht, NL: Utrechter Union der Altkatholischen Kirchen. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  • Smit, Peter-Ben (2011). Old Catholic and Philippine independent ecclesiologies in history: the catholic church in every place. Brill's Series in Church History. 52. Leiden: Brill (Brill European History and Culture E-Books Online). doi:10.1163/ej.9789004206472.i-548.19. ISBN 9004206477.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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