Roman Catholic Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome: feelings of trust or affection felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor.

There is a real issue with how Autocephalous Catholics (or the ISM) interact with former Roman Catholic seminarians and clergy. This manifests itself in two possible ways which are discussed below.

First, the advanced seminarian or priest (hereafter cleric for both) wishes to leave the Roman Catholic Church. He wishes to marry, be in a relationship, or in the worst case scenario he was kicked out for malfeasance. He searches the internet and finds out about Independent Catholics. He may think "here are liturgical Christians with apostolic succession. I can be their savior!" This is natural, as he has advanced theological training and believes this places him in a superior position. He may join our movement to wax philosophical about what is wrong with it and how we need to be better educated in more unified. Ultimately, he will either accept the movement as it is or he will leave for a mainstream church.

I don't wish to portray that this is every former Roman Catholic cleric. I have met many who are gracious and humble about receiving the chance to continue ministering. But there are others who believe that they are God's gift to our movement. The rationale is that because of their training and background in a "real" church we should kneel to them in deference. 

The second issue is with jurisdictions who actively solicit former Roman Catholic clerics as their savior. They also exhibit faulty logic. They think "here is someone who is already trained, so we do not need to do it. They will integrate well because of their background." Again, I have seen this happen where former Roman Catholic clerics integrate well into a jurisdiction and add to it. However, there are also those who do not. Perhaps they still question if being in the ISM is "real." Or perhaps they think that since they have already committed ecclesiastical disobedience it no longer matters. Whatever the case, it can be frequent that former Roman Catholic clerics simply aren't a good fit. Our way of life is often too fluid, too unfamiliar for them to adjust.

In these ways a kind of Stockholm Syndrome is created where jurisdictions don't want to be Roman Catholic but view their former clergy as "real" and "truly trained." They eagerly solicit them because they, too, believe somehow that they can be the savior of the jurisdiction. It creates unhealthy expectations for both the jurisdiction and the cleric. The cleric, with an elevated sense of self, never feels like he is involved in something truly worthwhile. 

I think there is a middle way. We should welcome former Roman Catholic clerics. And I encourage them to eagerly seek out our movement. But it must be on our terms. Just as you do not demand to wear your shoes into someone's home in China, a former Roman Catholic cleric has to adapt to our way of life. If they refuse to, ultimately everyone will be unhappy. It can only be achieved by proper catechesis on our history and the realization that independence is part of our charism. Similarly, there has to be the understanding that ours is a difficult life. Gone are the accolades for being a priest and the expectation of remuneration. Here we work hard to minister, often while being derided as fake or worse.

It is up to the jurisdiction accepting the cleric to give them proper formation. This does not need to be a formal program mimicking mainstream seminaries. But it must be rooted in the history of our movement-- answering why is it that we were formed and why we exist. There must be knowledge about Utrecht and Brazil and Duarte Costa and Mathew and Thuc and all the people who conveyed apostolic succession to us. From there it is important to emphasize how communities continued and if/how they developed their own charism (because, frankly, most who don't do not continue). What is it that makes us ourselves? It's not all dressing up, as the detractors allege. 

Only then will we come into ourselves and provide the kind of welcome and expectations that those leaving Rome deserve. I was lucky to be baptized and confirmed in this wacky, crazy movement. But it is one I've come to love deeply, and I want others to love it too.

To go to Rome is little profit, endless pain; the master that you seek in Rome you find at home or seek in vain. - Sedulius of Liege