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Archbishop Carlos Duarte Costa South America's Apostle to the Poor
Biography of Saint Charles of Brazil ( 1888 - 1961 )
Archbishop Carlos Duarte Costa, originally ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on April 1, 1911, founded the National Catholic Apostolic Churches (Igreja Catolica Apostolica Nationales). The resulting branches of his Church spread to other places around the world through subsequent ordinations and consecrations. In the United States and elsewhere, many Independent Catholic churches and Episcopal Jurisdictions can trace their Apostolic lines back to Archbishop Duarte Costa. The Apostolic Succession of our Presiding Bishop and Founder can be traced back to the Episcopal lines proceeding from Archbishop Duarte Costa and to preceding Apostolic lines dating back to Pope Leo XIII of the Latin Rite and also Bishop Dionisio's Jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church, the See of Saint Mark (Alexandria/ Greek Orthodox Rite).
Archbishop Duarte Costa was consecrated as the Roman Catholic Diocesan Bishop of Botucatu, Brazil, on December 8, 1924, until certain views he expressed about treatment of the Brazil's poor, by both the civil government and the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil, caused his removal from the Diocese of Botucatu. Archbishop Duarte Costa was subsequently named Titular Bishop of Maura by the late Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, formerly Vatican Secretary of State until 1939, under Pope Pius XI).
Archbishop Duarte Costa had been a strong advocate in the 1930's for reform of the Roman Church; he challenged many of the key issues that the Second Vatican Council would later thirty-five years take action upon.
Archbishop Duarte Costa's criticisms of the Holy See, particularly about Vatican foreign policy during World War II toward Nazi Germany, were not well received at the Vatican, and he was eventually separated from the Roman Church by Pope Pius XII. This action was taken only after Duarte Costa's strong and repeated public denunciations over the fact that the Vatican Secretariat of State was engaged in the issuance of Vatican Passports to some very high ranking German ex-Nazis, a practice referred to as the "Ratline."
These former Nazi officials were among some of the most notorious of war criminals, such as, the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Commandant Adolf Eichmann and the infamous, Dr. Josef Mengele, the "Angel of Death," both of whom traveled after the War on officially issued Vatican Passports. Such criminals were in flight from trial to South America in 1945.
The Brazilian Government came under the criticism of
Archbishop Duarte Costa for collaboration with the Roman Church over these passports. Duarte Costa espoused liberal church positions on divorce, challenged mandatory celibacy for the clergy, and publicly stated his contempt regarding abuses of papal power, including the concept of Papal Infallibility, which the
Archbishop considered a misguided and false dogma. Archbishop Duarte Costa left the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church on July 6, 1945. He immediately founded the independent Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira (ICAB) on that same date and remained Primate until his death in 1961.
Archbishop Luis Castillo Mendez of Brazil, Patriarch of the National Catholic Apostolic Churches (Igreja Catolica Apostolica Nationales) was consecrated by and succeeded the late
++Archbishop Duarte Costa as Primate in 1961. Archbishop Luis Castillo Mendez is still leading the worldwide spiritual confederation of the National Catholic Apostolic Churches founded by the late Archbishop Duarte Costa. These national churches are now estimated to have a combined worldwide membership which exceeds 12 million members. According to the ancient practice of the early Church and among many Orthodox Christian bishops, such
Catholic apostolic churches exist in their countries, functioning both as autonomous and independent Particular Churches.
In addition to ICAB in Brazil, there are sister apostolic branches in thirteen other countries in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Pacific and in Asia, including: Argentina (ICAA), Chile, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Australia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. While bound by a common origin from Archbishop Duarte Costa's apostolic line, each bishop or bishops are autonomous, being completely independent and self governing, while adhering to doctrinal precepts of Orthodox Christianity.
Bishop Salomao Ferraz who was a former Roman Catholic Priest, was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Carlos Duarte Costa for the Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira (ICAB) in 1945, and was eventually reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church in 1958 during the late pontificate of Pope Pius XII. Bishop Ferraz was named by the Holy See to be Titular Bishop of Eleuterna on May 12, 1963. Although still married, Bishop Ferraz was later appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rio de Janeiro by Pope John XXIII. Bishop Ferraz was later called by Pope Paul VI to serve on a working commission of the Second Vatican Council and addressed the Council Fathers in session.
It is notable that Bishop Ferraz was never re-consecrated by the Roman Catholic Church, even conditionally (sub conditione), and later was buried with the full honors accorded Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Church by accepting Bishop Ferraz in this manner, without any re-consecration, affirm de jure and de facto the sacramental validity of the Duarte Costa Apostolic Succession lines of what is commonly known as the "Rebiba Apostolic Succession."
For additional information about Archbishop Carlos Duarte Costa and our lines of Apostolic Succession, please go to our Frequently Asked Questions page and click the URL links you'll find there.
