Bangerter consecrated as new bishop of the Christian Catholic Church
Published: Saturday, Sep 14th 2024, 16:40
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Frank Bangerter was consecrated as the new Bishop of the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland in a solemn service in the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Bern on Saturday afternoon. The ceremony was attended by members of the synod and the clergy as well as numerous foreign dignitaries.
As the Christian Catholic Church wrote in a press release, the bishops of the International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference traveled to Bern for the consecration, including the main consecrator, Archbishop Bernd Wallet of Utrecht. Representatives of other churches and several government councillors were also invited to the ceremony.
The episcopal see of the Christian Catholics had been vacant since the resignation of Harald Rein in November 2023. The then 66-year-old Rein relinquished the office after 14 years. In May, 61-year-old Bangerter was then elected as the new bishop by the Swiss National Synod. It took five rounds of voting for the Zurich priest to be elected.
After his election, Bangerter promised that he would stand up for a courageous church. The Christian Catholic Church has two characteristics with undisputed potential: the ordination of women and marriage for all. It is a liberal church in the Catholic tradition.
The new bishop lives with his partner in Grenchen. According to its own figures, the Christian Catholic Church in Switzerland had over 12,000 members in 28 parishes at the end of 2023.
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