Diocese offers direction on identifying valid Catholic priests

Occasionally, people of the Diocese of Columbus may encounter some who assert that they are validly ordained priests but who are members of alternate “Catholic” churches. With this in mind, the Diocese of Columbus wishes to offer some guidance in matters of this sort.

Church law states that only a validly ordained priest who is not canonically impeded validly and licitly celebrates a Catholic Mass. Those who present themselves as priests and who are part of these alternate churches or splinter groups are not in full communion with the Catholic Church under the authority of the Pope nor with any legitimately constituted particular church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

There are a number of these splinter groups that claim to be Catholic but are in fact not recognized as such by the Church. These groups use a variety of names, using adjectives like “reformed,” “American,” and so forth. They may even claim to be successors of the Apostles, and in addition to attempting to offer Mass, these individuals may try to teach or preach in the name of the Catholic Church or administer other sacraments, claiming to hold papers from the Vatican validating their ordination.

Religious freedom under the U.S. Constitution allows Americans to establish their own religious sects, including alternative “Catholic sects,” but religious freedom in the United States does not grant individuals the right to claim they are functioning validly within the Catholic Church itself if such is not the case. Such claims are, in fact, fraudulent.

If anyone has any question about a Catholic cleric’s authenticity, they may contact the Chancery Office in the Diocese of Columbus for verification (614-224-2251).

Canon Law states that visiting priests who are unknown to a parish pastor should present a letter of introduction from his bishop or the superior of a religious order, issued at least within the year unless it can be judged prudently that he is not impeded from celebrating. In addition, the current practice is also to have testimonial letters sent from a bishop or religious order’s leadership to the local bishop a month or more in advance.

Catholic priests in good standing in the United States are listed in the Official National Catholic Directory.