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This page last updated 21 May 2020  

In Full Communion

THIS PAGE LISTS CHURCHES that are 'In full communion' with the See of Canterbury, as defined by the 1958 Lambeth Conference, but which are not culturally or denominationally Anglican. Provinces or national churches that are not in communion with the See of Canterbury are listed on the Not In Communion page.

Most of the churches listed here are Old Catholic churches, with which the Anglican Communion entered into full communion by ratifying the Bonn Agreement of 1931.

Note that a member Province or national church of the Anglican Communion can be in full communion with a non-Anglican national church, without having the entire Anglican Communion share that relationship. While from a mathematical standpoint this means that 'in communion with' is not an equivalence relation, it is an important category of ecumenical relations. We list some important examples of such relationships, provided that they have some online presence.


Church of North India and Church of South India
The Church of North India and the Church of South India are full members of the Anglican Communion. We mention this here only because people often look for them here.

Churches in Full Communion with the Anglican Communion

Altkatholische Kirche Österreich
Old Catholics in Austria. Site in German.

Die Alt-Katholiken in Deutschland
Old Catholics in Germany.

The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Eglise catholique-chrétienne de la Suisse maintains its own separate website in addition to the one already in place for the German-speaking portions of this church. (Union of Utrecht)

Christkatholischen Kirche der Schweiz
The Old Catholic Church of Switzerland, Utrecht Union. Site in German.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente
It traces its formal organization to 1902 when Roman Catholic clergy and laypeople separated from Rome during that country's struggle for independence. It is a church both catholic and reformed--maintaining many traditional doctrinal teachings while repudiating control from Rome or by any other foreign bishops. Because no bishops separated with them, it lost the historic episcopate, but maintained a presbyteral transmission of the three-fold ordained ministry, until 1948, when the Episcopal Church in the United States approved the request from the IFI to transmit the historic episcopate by the consecration of three IFI bishops, who then ordained every other person holding the office of bishop, priest, and deacon. From 1961, full intercommunion was agreed upon by a joint document approved by both churches. The IFI is also fully in communion with all other churches in communion with the see of Canterbury. Additionally, IFI bishops attend Lambeth Conferences.

Kosciól Polskokatolicki
The Old Catholic Church in Poland, Utrecht Union. Site in Polish. This is not the Polish National Catholic Church, an American and Canadian denomination formerly in full communion with the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Union of Utrecht. However, the Polish Old Catholic Church retains cultural and internet links with the Polish National Catholic Church. [MIDI attack]

Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India
The Mar Thoma Church 'forms part of the ancient Syrian Church of Malabar. Being a Church resorted to the fundamental principles of the Reformation Movement for its reformatory efforts it has been widely acknowledged that it is a reformed Church. Here we recognize an amicable blending of two characteristic tracts, namely, the eastern Church features and reformation ideals. This nature of the Church points to its uniqueness when compared to other Churches. Thus the Church finds its place among that family of the Lesser Eastern Churches. But this position and status of the Church never hinder the Church from entering into friendly contest with the Protestant Churches and other Christian denominations. The autonomous nature of the Church has been well guarded by its democratic constitution.'

Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites
admitted to the Union of Utrecht in 2013.

Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands

Old Catholics in Südtirol
German- and Italian-language website for churches of the Union of Utrecht in the Southern Tirol region of German-speaking northern Italy.

Starokatolická církev v CR
Old Catholics in the Czech Republic.

Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches
This site in German and English provides news and information about this worldwide communion.

Local Ecumenical Agreements between Anglican churches and other churches

Porvoo Agreement
The Common Statement of the Porvoo Agreement governs ecumenical relations among the Church of England, Scottish Episcopal Church, Church of Ireland, Church in Wales, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Estonia, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Iceland, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Lithuania, the Church of Norway, the Church of Sweden, and the Church of Denmark.

The Anglican Church of Canada is in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

The Episcopal Church USA is in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating Committee carries on the work of full reception of this agreement.

The Episcopal Church USA is also in full communion with the Northern Province and the Southern Province of the Moravian Church in North America. The Moravian-Episcopal Coordinating Committee encourages this relationship.

Beginning in 2015, the US Episcopal Church has acknowledged a communion relationship with the Church of Sweden.

Resources

Partner sein / Être Partenaires / Partners. Aid agency of the Old Catholic Church of Switzerland, founded in 1970.

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