Doctrine
whoever
then relaxes one of the least of these commandments
and teaches men so, shall
be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but he who does them and
teaches them shall be called great in
the
kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you, unless your
righteousness
exceeds that of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter.
~
Matthew 5: 19-20
The Apostolic
Church of the Holy Grail adheres to the revealed truth in Holy Scripture and
the tradition and Faith of the early Church as formulated in the Ecumenical
Symbols and specified precisely by the unanimously accepted decisions of the
seven Ecumenical Councils and of the Fathers of the Church. All teachings that
have no substance in Holy Writ and were not accepted by the early Apostolic
Church are not received nor held as Articles of Faith by the Apostolic Church
of the Holy Grail (hereafter referred to as the Grail Church) whose
ecclesiastical jurisdiction (an entirely non-stipendiary ministry) is confined
to the British Isles with missions to the rest of the world.
The Grail Church
holds fast to all seven sacraments, including the doctrine of the Real
Presence. The presence of Christ is held to be in the Host under the appearance
of bread and equally in the Precious Blood under the appearance of wine. (For
the remainder of sacramental definitions see the Divine Grace page). The Grail Church, whose
Primate is a representative of Pax Christi, does not subscribe to the pagan doctrine of a just war (justum bellum) in
contrast to most of the remainder of mainstream churchianity. Our Lord’s words
(Luke 6: 27-36) make the prohibition clear. Augustine laid down the just war
theory which was then built upon by Thomas Aquinas. Churches would thence
become the great offenders in war and bloodshed over the centuries, making a
mockery of Christ’s teaching to “love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you.”
The Grail Church
is not simply an alternative to mainstream churchianity, but a living sanctuary
for Christians who cannot reconcile their Faith with the drift into modernism,
revisionism and error by the established institutions. Even some Old Catholic
jurisdictions, in England and on the Continent, have grown weak and fallen by
the wayside. The larger institutions, eg the Anglican and Roman folds, have
certainly embraced modernism to the detriment of Christianity and with the
inevitable decline in their number. At the time of the Second Vatican Council,
Cardinal Ottaviani, one of the ablest members of the Curia, asked: “Are we
seeking to stir up wonder, perhaps scandal, among the Christian people, by
introducing changes in so venerable a rite, that has been approved by so many
centuries, and is now so familiar? The rite of Holy Mass should not be treated
as if it were a piece of cloth to be refashioned according to the whim of each
generation.” But that is exactly how it was treated in the succeeding years.
From its pagan origins the Roman Church has returned to a more pagan religion
than obtained even in the dark ages. Its rite today is akin to a service in the
Church of England which itself, after the decision to accept women into its
priesthood, has now been relegated to the status of a sect, as predicted by
Bishop Seán Manchester (on a series called “The Hidden Spirit,” transmitted by
BBC Radio Four, 8 August 1993).
On 11 November 1992,
the General Synod of the Church of England voted in favour of creating
priestesses, an act that ended any notion of the Established Church belonging
to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Grail Church, in common with
the Latin (Roman Catholic), Uniate (Eastern Catholic) and Eastern Orthodox
Churches, permits only men to be ordained in the sacred office of the
priesthood. The tradition of only ordaining men to the ministerial priesthood
goes right back to the time of Jesus Himself, who chose only men to be His
apostles. The priest, especially in the Eucharist, represents Christ, who is
God become Man, not God become Woman. This does not mean that women are not
important in the Church. On the contrary, apart from Christ Himself, we believe
that the most important role of all in God’s plan was given to a woman, the
Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of God in her womb; a role, indeed, which
no man could have fulfilled.
However, the Grail
Church opposes the definition, held by many Roman Catholics, of the Virgin Mary
as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate and asserts that such mediation
belongs exclusively to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Neither does the Grail Church
accept the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception (1854) and the Corporeal Assumption
of Mary (1950) as Articles of Faith necessary to salvation. Neither dogma is
explicitly contained in Holy Writ. The Roman Church, therefore, cannot add to
the depositum fidei for even the Vatican is emphatic in proclaiming that there
can be no new revelation of divine truth.
Decrees
promulgated by the Roman Church in 1870 concerning the Infallibility and
Universal Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, the Pontiff or Pope, are rejected
by the Grail Church. The term “pontiff” formerly applied to any bishop, but
became corrupted when adopted by the “supreme pontiff” as Pontifex Maximus, an
exclusively pagan title. Many bishops employed the title “pope” (meaning
“father”) in the early Church. Pope Leo in the fifth century was the first to
use it officially. Pope Gregory in the eleventh century, by decree, reserved
the title for the Bishop of Rome.
Enforced celibacy
(foretold and warned against by Paul in 1 Timothy 4: 3) is unacceptable to the
Grail Church. It was introduced by the Roman Church in 1139 for those in holy
orders. Peter, on whom so much importance is placed by Rome, was married ~ as
were the first thirty-nine popes. Priests and bishops naturally had families of
their own, so the rule of celibacy was imposed to prevent Roman Church property
being inherited by anyone other than the Roman Church itself. Holy Scripture
warns against those who will “forbid marriage.”
The ordination of
homosexuals is forbidden within the Grail Church. Whilst acknowledging a need
for pastoral care of homosexual people, the Grail Church fully
recognises that homosexual acts must be unequivocally opposed by
all who follow Christ, observing what is set down in Holy Scripture as a
prohibition. Paul makes it quite clear (1 Corinthians 6: 9) that practising
homosexuals, along with other sinners, are excluded from the Kingdom of God.
This applies to both male and female homosexuals, a condition “contrary to
nature” (Romans 1: 26-27).
Freemasonry’s
intrusion into Christendom is not acceptable to the Grail Church. Many bishops
and clergy in the Anglican Communion have been Freemasons. Even some Old
Catholic jurisdictions in the past have been infiltrated. The Roman Church did
once resist Freemasonry and Canon 2335 made it clear that
such membership incurred instant excommunication. However, in 1983 the new Code
of Canon Law deposed the anti-Masonic Canon 2335 and replaced it with Canon
1374 which makes no mention of Freemasonry. It is now believed by a number of
respected Roman Catholics that Freemasons have significantly infiltrated the
Roman hierarchy, a process thought to have begun in earnest after the Second
World War. Freemasonry is unacceptable owing to it being a
pantheistic religion which embraces occult ceremonies that are incompatible
with Christianity.
The Grail Church
is the spiritual continuity of the Apostolic Church founded at Glastonbury by
Christ and developed by Joseph of Arimathea and those who accompanied him with
the Holy Grail after the Passion from Palestine to the western confines of
England. Its restored continuity is via the Old Catholic succession (and subsequently others,
notably Uniate Churches) which, unlike the Anglican Communion, possesses holy
orders and sacraments that are recognised as being entirely valid by most of
Christendom, including the Roman Catholic Church. All Old Catholic
jurisdictions in Britain are autocephalous. The Grail Church, therefore, is
independent of all other jurisdictions and shall foreseeably remain so in order
to retain its doctrinal and spiritual integrity. Its ministry is fully
sacramental, putting emphasis on the Eucharist, baptism, healing and exorcism.
Much more information about its early origin and latter-day restoration can be
found in The Grail Church book.
Ecclesia Apostolica Sancti Graal
An Autocephalous Jurisdiction within the One Holy
Catholic & Apostolic Church
Do not be afraid; I am the first and the
last,
and the living One; and I was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore …