Annual North American Meeting between the Polish National Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches

The North American dialogue between the Polish National Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church held its 2019 meeting at the PNCC’s Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Lancaster, New York, from May 13 to 15. It was co-chaired by Bishop John E. Mack of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese of the PNCC, and by Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.   

Several topics were discussed at this meeting as part of an effort to discern what differences in the theology and praxis of the two churches are truly church-dividing. With this in mind the members discussed the meaning of indulgences and the process of canonization of new saints. In both cases the members did not find any church-dividing issues. The meeting also included a wide-ranging discussion based on the 2018 document of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith entitled, “Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church.” The PNCC members also reported on the decisions made at their church’s recent General Synod.

The 2020 meeting is to take place in February, hosted by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami.