Christianity: Details about 'Independent Catholic'
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Independent Catholic is a term used by many small groups who are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church or other traditional Episcopally governed Churches such as Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Anglican or Old Catholic; all of whom function as small (frequently tiny) episcopally-governed Church bodies in many parts of the world. Their largest concentration, however, is in North America. The term Independent Catholic carries a wide array of meanings for different people. Some use the term to indicate those who are more progressive in social and moral teachings such as supporting gay and lesbian marriage, abortion, and birth control, for example. But there has always been and there is an increasing number of more conserative bodies within this "movement." So, those who use the term as a catch-all for anyone claiming to be "Catholic" but who are not in communion with Rome, Constantinople, Canterbury or Utrecht are probably more accurate in their usage. A more detailed examination of this phenomenon can be found at the articles "Episcopi Vagantes" and "Independent Catholic Churches." See also
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