The Swiss Catholics who don’t recognise the pope

Frank Bangerter, the new bishop of the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, is presented with the mitre during his episcopal consecration, which took place on September 14, 2024, at the Church of St Peter and Paul in Bern. Keystone / Anthony Anex

Switzerland loves being different. Its four national languages, referendums and the militia army are among the best examples. But there is another, much more low-key one: a Catholic church that doesn’t recognise papal authority.

Sometimes encountered while leafing through a document or a set of statistics, its name often intrigues; its very existence even more so. The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is, however, very real, even though many Swiss people have never heard of it. Although officially recognised in several cantons, it remains almost invisible within the Swiss religious landscape.

With some 12,000 to 13,000 members, it accounts for between 0.1% and 0.2% of the population. Such a modest proportion that it disappears even from official statistics: the Federal Statistical Office classifies it under the generic category of “other Christian communities”, alongside the Orthodox and the numerous Evangelical churches.

A rarity on a global scale

Globally, Christian Catholics constitute a tiny minority. They belong to the family of so-called Old Catholic Churches, which emerged in the 19th century following disagreements with Rome and are now grouped together within the Union of Utrecht.

The movement is present in only a few countries, mainly the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Yet, within this small religious community, Switzerland plays a far more significant role than its membership figures would suggest.

One might think of it as a little-known curiosity. Yet the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland has around 30 parishes, more than half of which are located in the cantons of Bern, Aargau, Solothurn and Basel. It also has its own bishop and ranks among the world’s leading Old Catholic communities.

The paradox is therefore very real: while most Swiss are unaware of its very existence, this small Church possesses structures that many larger organisations might envy.

A split dating back to the 19th century

To understand its origins, we must look back to a Europe in the midst of transformation. In both Germany and Switzerland, the young modern states were seeking to assert their authority against Rome.

In 1870, the First Vatican Council proclaimed, among other things, the dogma of papal infallibility and strengthened the pope’s authority over the entire Catholic Church. For many Catholics, this development posed no problem. Others, however, saw it as an excessive centralisation of religious power.

In Switzerland, the controversy quickly took on a political dimension. Against the backdrop of the Kulturkampf, which pitted liberal authorities against the Roman Catholic Church, priests and the faithful rejected Rome’s new direction and decided to go their own way.

The split was finally consummated. In 1871, the Christian Catholic Church was founded. At the time, there was no indication that this movement would endure for decades. Yet, more than 150 years later, it has survived disputes that most Europeans have long since forgotten.

A Catholic church with liberal leanings

Anyone attending a Christian Catholic service for the first time is likely to be surprised by what does not surprise them. The liturgy does indeed bear a strong resemblance to that of a Roman Catholic Mass. The prayers, the sacraments and a large part of the rites are familiar. At first glance, there is little or nothing to distinguish the two Churches.

The differences become apparent above all when one looks behind the altar. The bishop, for example, is not appointed by Rome. He is elected by the National Synod, where laypeople play an important role alongside the clergy. Christian Catholics also trace their lineage to the tradition of the Church of the first millennium and therefore do not recognise certain dogmas adopted later by Rome, notably that of papal infallibility.

In the Christian Catholic Church, the bishop is not appointed by Rome but elected by the National Synod. The delegates gathered in Aarau on May 24, 2024, to choose their new spiritual leader. Keystone / Urs Flueeler

But it is, above all, some of their reforms that have attracted attention. From the very beginning, the Church adopted national languages for the liturgy and permitted priests to marry. Divorced people may enter into a new religious marriage. Since 1999, women have been admitted to the priesthood. Since 2022, same-sex couples have also been able to enter into a religious marriage.

In 2000, Denise Wyss became the first woman to be ordained as a priest in Switzerland. Keystone

Not exactly what one would expect to find in a Church founded in 1871. Though small in numbers, the Christian Catholic Church has often proved more daring than institutions a hundred times its size.

Between Rome and the Reformation

Ultimately, the Christian Catholic Church’s originality lies in its unique position. It retains the liturgy, sacraments and episcopal structure inherited from the Catholic tradition, while placing great emphasis on the participation of the faithful and on reforms generally associated with the Protestant world.

This middle ground is reflected even in the training of its clergy. Future Christian Catholic priests study at the University of Bern, within the Institute of Christian-Catholic Theology, which forms part of a faculty historically shaped by the Protestant tradition. This situation sums up the identity of this Church rather well.

Christian Catholics are keen to foster dialogue with Protestants. When it comes to church decor, however, they have retained a distinctly Catholic style, as can be seen at Saint-Martin in Rheinfelden. Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

This openness is also evident in its relations with other Christian denominations. As a member of the Utrecht Union of Old Catholic Churches, it is in “full ecclesial communion” with the Anglican Churches. In layman’s terms, this means that ministries and sacraments are mutually recognised, a closeness that few churches can claim.

More than 150 years after its founding, the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland thus continues to occupy a unique place in the European religious landscape. Neither quite Roman nor truly Protestant, it has forged its own identity over time. In short, a Church too Catholic to be Protestant, but too independent to be Roman.

Translated from French, sub-edited by ts