At its meeting of the International Bishops’ Conference held on April 1, 2014, the Bishops stated that they are ready to re-admit the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites in Poland to the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches. Herewith the following agreement has been reached:
Agreement about the readmission of the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites to the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches
The Bishops of the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches announced their readiness to re-admit the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites in Poland to the Union. By doing this they draw upon the statements and recommendations of the Dialogue Commission, which during the years 2007 – 2014 examined the possibility of the readmission, and upon the following three assurances of the Mariavite Church:
In the course of the dialogue the Church of the Mariavites made clear, that she is prepared to follow the agreement from the 1980’s and to remove the filioque clause from the Creed.
The Church of the Mariavites expresses its readiness, in the course of the current review of it’s Statute, to remove the passage about the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
The Church of the Mariavites is prepared to convene a Synod, which would also give the laity the right to vote. At the same time it is prepared to introduce the new provisions about the Synod in the course of the above mentioned revision of the Statute.
These assurances imply that the Mariavite bishops can without any reservations accept the Statute of the International Bishops’ Conference of 2001, which includes the Utrecht Declaration of 1889.
Although the Church of the Mariavites is comprised of more than one diocese and more than one bishop, in light of the Statute of the International Bishops’ Conference the Church will be regarded as a one diocese, because at the moment the General Chapter is the only decision making body in the church. Therefore the membership, with all rights and duties, is granted only to the Prime Bishop. The other bishops are nevertheless welcome at the meetings of the International Bishops’ Conference as guests.
The membership of the Prime Bishop begins with a signing of the Statute of the International Bishops’ Conference during a solemn ceremony on a date to be announced.
Until then the bishops of the Mariavite Church and of the Union of Utrecht are asked to sign this agreement.
Wislikofen / Switzerland, April 1, 2014