Catholicos of the West Grants Perpetual Charter

Catholicos of the West Grants Perpetual Charter to Ancient Apostolic Catholic Church

King's Lynn, England – In a landmark affirmation of canonical authority, the Catholicos of the West has formally granted a perpetual charter to the Ancient Apostolic Catholic Church (AACC), elevating it to an autocephalous Catholic jurisdiction under the primatial leadership of Archbishop Felix Gibbins OSB Cam. This charter, issued by virtue of the Catholicos’s ancient plenary and legal powers, marks a decisive step in establishing the AACC’s lawful and spiritual foundation.

Key Strengths of the Charter

• Unassailable legal foundation under Rule XIV of the Catholicate of the West and Act XXI of 1860

• Autocephalous status, fully released from external jurisdiction

• Plenary powers vested in the Primate to govern with clarity and unity

• Continuity of apostolic succession tracing back to the mid-twentieth-century Catholicosate

• Explicit adherence to the doctrine and precepts of the first-millennium ecumenical councils

The AACC’s Synod of Bishops convened in plenary session prior to the charter to ratify a Declaration of Founding Principles. This Declaration reaffirms fidelity to the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon and codifies teaching on Holy Tradition, sacramental life, and pastoral care. It also formally established the role of Primate Archbishop, culminating in the unanimous election of Archbishop Felix Gibbins OSB Cam as the Church’s first Primate, whose mandate now receives ratification by the Catholicos’s authoritative charter.

The Catholicate of the West

The association with the Catholicos of the West brings historical and ecclesial weight to the AACC. The line of succession originates in Hugh George de Willmott Newman, the inaugural twentieth-century Catholicos of the West, ensuring an unbroken link to the historic Catholicate tradition. By linking Archbishop Gibbins’s primacy to this venerable lineage, the charter confers immediate legitimacy and sacramental validity in the eyes of ancient-minded Catholics and wider Orthodox-Catholic observers.

In practical terms, the charter empowers the AACC to:

• Establish diocesan structures, seminaries and missions without external approval

• Ordain clergy, consecrate bishops and administer sacraments with full plenary faculties

• Engage in ecumenical dialogue and covenant partnerships as a self-governing body

This robust juridical framework positions the AACC to meet twenty-first-century challenges while remaining rooted in apostolic and patristic tradition. The Church’s website describes its mission as “renewed for a changing world,” blending academic rigour with pastoral apprenticeship to form clergy equipped for modern ministry.

The immediate effect of the charter releases the AACC from all prior oversight, ushering in full self-determination under Archbishop Gibbins’s pastoral care. In a statement, the Catholicos of the West imparted his “Patriarchal Benediction,” invoking the grace of Almighty God upon the Church and its members. Archbishop Gibbins responded with gratitude, pledging to “honour the legacy entrusted to us and to shepherd this new jurisdiction with fidelity to the Gospel and service to all.”

As the Ancient Apostolic Catholic Church embarks on its independent journey, the formal recognition by the Catholicos of the West cements its standing among global Catholic and Orthodox bodies. With a clear charter, a united Synod, and apostolic succession intact, the AACC stands ready to bear witness to Christ’s enduring faith in the modern age.