Is the Anglican Communion Protestant or Catholic?
A. If by “Protestant” you mean “not Roman Catholic,” the churches of the Anglican Communion are Protestant. If by “Catholic” you mean a church which has been continuously a part of the same Church established by Jesus Christ and has been continuously faithful to the apostolic teachings on faith and doctrine, the Anglican Church is fully and completely Catholic. Churches in the Anglican Communion have maintained the historic Apostolic Succession, the unbroken chain of Christ’s authority, passed down by the laying on of hands, from the Apostles of Jesus Christ through each bishop, in turn, until today. Generally speaking, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics and Anglicans are considered the three pillars of the historic Catholic Church and these churches are in “Apostolic Succession.” The Anglican Communion has, as its ordained ministry, bishops, priests and deacons, as do the Orthodox and Roman Catholics. We acknowledge the Seven Sacraments of the historic Catholic Church. They are (1)
