The House of Bishops consists of bishops who, charged with the ministry of apostolicity, receive the fullness of the teaching authority of the Church and therefore it remains in the sole purview of the House to define matters of faith for the Communion and to oversee the sacraments.
The House of Bishops is responsible for a number of tasks which also include:
The following texts are pastoral letters issued by the Communion's House of Bishops since its inception.
The House of Bishops is responsible for a number of tasks which also include:
- Taking the necessary decisions in all organizational and disciplinary matters concerning the maintenance of communion and the implementation of joint projects.
- Taking a stand in controversial questions of faith and related ethical behaviors as well as in the order of the Communion.
- Making statements and pastoral letters on faith and principles of Old Catholicism and of the Communion, if required.
- Providing episcopal oversight and guidance for the Institute of Old Catholic Studies (IOCS), an educational outreach ministry of the Communion.
- Nurturing and ordering relationships with other churches and religious bodies.
- Accepting a local church into the Communion and thus a bishop into the House of Bishops.
The following texts are pastoral letters issued by the Communion's House of Bishops since its inception.
| Reimagine and Rebirth Declaration.OCC.25January2022.pdf |
| Letter to TEC Presiding Bishop.OCC.November2024.pdf |
| Justice Lived in Compassion and Care. OCC. January2025__transgender and nonbinary persons.pdf |
| Treatment of Immigrant Persons.OCC.February2025.pdf |
