By: Rev. Fr. Jerome Salavador, SSW
(Servant General of the Societas Sancti Willibrordi)
The Old Roman Catholic Church (ORCC), descending from the historic Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, remains a faithful custodian of apostolic succession and sacramental integrity. The ORCC preserves the essential elements required for valid Holy Orders according to Catholic doctrine: apostolic lineage, proper matter and form, and the intention to do what the Church does. This document offers a doctrinal, historical, and theological defense of the ORCC’s sacramental validity, grounded in authoritative Catholic sources and magisterial teaching. The goal is not polemical, but ecumenical and clarifying: to affirm that, where apostolic succession and the Eucharist are preserved, the presence and action of Christ in His Church endure—validly and efficaciously.
I. Doctrinal Foundations of Valid Sacramental Ordination
The Roman Catholic Church has consistently maintained that the validity of the sacraments—especially Holy Orders—requires proper matter, form, and intention, as well as valid episcopal consecration (Council of Trent, Sess. 23, can. 4; Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], nos. 1572–1574).
Pope Leo XIII, in Apostolicae Curae (1896), affirms:
“Whenever there is no appearance of simulation on the part of the minister, the validity of the sacrament is sufficiently certain.” (Apostolicae Curae, n. 33)
This reflects the Church’s doctrinal stance that the intention to do what the Church does suffices for the valid administration of the sacraments (cf. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 1955, p. 458).
II. Recognition by the Holy See of Old Catholic Orders
The Holy See has historically acknowledged the validity of episcopal orders in the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, from which the Old Roman Catholic Church (ORCC) descends (cf. Acta Apostolicae Sedis [AAS], 1907, vol. 40, pp. 710–713).
In his authoritative work, The Administration of the Sacraments, Rev. Nicholas Halligan, O.P., explains:
“Ordinations conferred by dissident Oriental bishops, Jansenists and Old Catholics are generally valid, because of a validly consecrated hierarchy.” (Halligan, 1963, p. 393, fn. 19; citing Pope Pius IX, Etsi Multa, 1873)
Further confirmation is found in a 1987 statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
“Among the churches which are in the same situation as the oriental churches named in can. 844 § 3 we include the Old Catholic churches in Europe and the Polish National Church in the United States of America.” (Prot. No. 795/68, Jan. 3, 1987; AAS 79 [1987]: 1365)
This position is echoed in canonical commentaries, such as those by Provost and Orsy, who affirm the recognition of sacramental validity in these communities (Canon Law Society of America Commentary, 1985, pp. 910–912).
III. Apostolic Succession in the Old Roman Catholic Church
The Old Roman Catholic Church traces its apostolic succession through Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew, consecrated in 1908 by Archbishop Gerardus Gul of Utrecht—then in communion with the Union of Utrecht. This lineage, considered valid by the Holy See, is well documented (cf. C.B. Moss, The Old Catholic Movement, 1948, pp. 230–234).
The succession continued through Archbishop Carmel Henry Carfora, a pivotal figure in the American Old Roman Catholic tradition. A notable verification of this succession occurred in 1962, when Archbishop Frederick Gilbert Linale (ORCCGB) received favorable Roman evaluation of his orders. At the request of Archbishop Romolo Carboni, then Apostolic Nuncio to Italy, Msgr. Annibale Ilari compiled a report in 1983 affirming:
“[Linale’s succession] truly links him to the See of Peter.” (Ilari Report, 1983, Vatican Archives; private copy cited in ORCC documentation)
This reliance on historical and documentary verification aligns with canonical and theological practice, as seen in the Responsa ad Dubia of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Prot. N. 1601/00/L, 2001), which prioritizes form, matter, and intent over ecclesial affiliation in assessing sacramental validity.
IV. Contemporary Roman Catholic Endorsements of Validity
Additional affirmation of ORCC sacramental validity is found in a letter dated May 6, 2002, from Cardinal Édouard Gagnon regarding Bishop André Letellier, consecrated by Archbishop André Barbeau (a successor in the Carfora–Brearley line). Cardinal Gagnon stated:
“Nothing allows me to doubt the validity of episcopal ordination of Mgr André Letellier… The ordinations of the ‘Old Catholics’ are generally considered to be the same as those of Orthodox bishops.” (Gagnon, Private Correspondence, 2002, Archives of the ORCC in France)
This assessment is consistent with the theological perspective offered by canonist H. Bermejo:
“Validity is judged by the historic line of ordination and proper form, not by ecclesial communion.” (Sacramental Theology and Ecclesial Communion, Gregorian University Press, 1992)
Conclusion
The Old Roman Catholic Church, through its historic connection to the See of Utrecht, maintains an unbroken apostolic succession, employs the proper matter and form in ordinations, and acts with the requisite intention. These essential elements, combined with longstanding Roman recognition of Old Catholic orders, confirm the sacramental validity of ORCC Holy Orders within the Catholic tradition (cf. CCC 1127–1129; Joseph Ratzinger, The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood, 1960, pp. 87–88). The Church’s consistent application of sacramental theology affirms that validity rests not on communion with Rome, but on fidelity to apostolic norms.
Therefore, as taught by the Second Vatican Council and reaffirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
“There exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him. The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the (Roman) Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches. Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches…” (Dominus Iesus, 2000, n. 17)