Venezuelan Catholic Apostolic Church
| Venezuelan Catholic Apostolic Church | |
|---|---|
| Iglesia Católica Apostólica Venezolana | |
| Classification | Western Christian |
| Orientation | Independent Catholic |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Patriarch | Guillermo Antonio Pacheco Bornacelli |
| Region | Venezuela |
| Founder | Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez |
| Origin | 8 March 1947 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Separated from | Catholic Church |
The Venezuelan Catholic Apostolic Church (ICAV - Iglesia Católica Apostólica Venezolana) was a short-lived politically inspired Independent Catholic church in Venezuela.[1] It was revived in the twenty-first century after a hiatus of over fifty years and is currently led by Guillermo Pacheco Bornacelli, who serves as Apostolic Administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Juan Bautista.[2]
The church was initially created in 1947 by Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez and three church members. Castillo Mendez had previously been expelled from Roman Catholic seminary after only one term and jailed for impersonating a priest.[3] He was never recognized as a Roman Catholic priest.[4] The new church adopted pearl-gray clerical dress in contrast to the Catholic Church's black, made Spanish the liturgical language instead of Latin, and permitted its clergy to marry; this resulted in formal excommunications of the highest degree.[5] The ICAV secured political backing by supporting the anti-Catholic agenda of the Democratic Action and Communist parties in Venezuela, and subsequently began to dissolve with the collapse of the 'Adeco' government.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Inicio". Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
- ^ "IGLESIA CATÓLICA APOSTÓLICA NACIONAL VENEZOLANA: Obispo Protector". icanven.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-22.
- ^ Jarvis, Edward. God, Land & Freedom: The True Story of ICAB, Apocryphile Press, Berkeley CA, 2018, pp.98-103
- ^ Jarvis, Edward. God, Land & Freedom: The True Story of ICAB, Apocryphile Press, Berkeley CA, 2018, pp.102-103
- ^ "Venezuelan Schism Hit: Archbishop Declares Excommunication of 4 Priests in Move", New York Times, March 9, 1947, p.5
- ^ Conde Tudanca, Rodrigo. ‘Un Incidente Olvidado del Trienio Adeco: La Creacion de la Iglesia Católica, Apostólica, Venezolana’ (A Forgotten Incident of the Adeco Period: The Creation of the Venezuelan Catholic Apostolic Church), Boletín CIHEV No. 8, Yr. 5, Semester Jan.-June 1993, pp.41-81