The
Worldwide Communion
of
Catholic & Apostolic Churches
The Worldwide Communion of Catholic Apostolic Churches (WCCAC; Spanish: Comunión de Iglesias Católicas Apostólicas Mundiales, CICAM) is a communion of independent Catholic churches connected to the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (ICAB). The Worldwide Communion of Catholic Apostolic Churches was founded around 2008 in Guatemala.
The WCCAC adhered to a conventional Catholic Christian faith, though with openness to other beliefs that they perceive do not contradict the Catholic faith. Similarly, the WCCAC understanding of church structure and hierarchy, sacraments, and holy orders essentially did not differ from conventional Catholicism, but dissolution of marriage by a bishop was allowed.
While the founding bishops' gave the statement that "We do not accept any ordination of women into the Holy Orders...", the current leaders have opened the door to the ordination of women, seeing that there has been no theological hindrance, only historical blockades on an undiscussed and understudied topic.
The WCCAC was intended to be governed by an International Bishops Council. For organizational purposes, the communion had a board of directors, an honorary advisory committee, and an executive secretariat. The International Bishops Council aimed to meet every two years. The council of the communion formed at San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, August 12–18, 2008.
Through the worldwide communion, institutions of learning such as Saint Benedict Seminary and Wolsey Hall School of Theology were established, though many have gone dormant due to past neglect.
Member churches were formed in different countries. The WCCAC founding members have included:
Argentina: Argentine Catholic Apostolic Church
Brazil: the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil or Brazilian National Catholic Church (ICAB)
Mexico: Mexican Catholic Apostolic Church or Mexican National Catholic Church (MNCC)
Venezuela: Venezuelan Catholic Apostolic Church
One September 8th, 2015, the Worldwide Communion of Catholic Apostolic Churches received into full communion and fellowship the Most Reverend Trevor 'Elihu' Greene as a standing member of the College of Bishops with full voting rights, canonically recognizing his place as Primate of Trinidad and Tobago, signed by the Most Reverend John Parnell, then-President, and the Most Reverend Daniel Clay, then-Chancellor. This would be one of the last canonical acts of Archbishop John Parnell as President and Archbishop Clay as Chancellor.
After the departure of the Brazilian Church, and a sad combination of years of negligence leaving the Council to lay dormant and the denunciation and excommunication of the former Archbishop John Parnell by his consecrators the Brazilian Church, the role of President of the WCCAC and task of resurrection and movement now rests in the hands of His Beatitude Patriarch Trevor 'Elihu' Greene.