Editing Old Catholic Church (section)

=== Apostolic succession ===
Old Catholicism values [[apostolic succession]] by which they mean both the uninterrupted laying on of hands by bishops through time (the [[Historical episcopate|historic episcopate]]), and the continuation of the whole life of the church community by word and sacrament over the years and ages. Old Catholics consider apostolic succession to be the handing on of belief in which the whole Church is involved. In this process the ministry has a special responsibility and task, caring for the continuation in time of the mission of Jesus Christ and his apostles.<ref name="utrechter-union1" />

According to the principle of ''[[ex opere operato]]'', certain ordinations by bishops not in communion with Rome are [[Validity and liceity (Catholic Church)|still recognised as being valid by the Holy See]], and the ordinations of and by Old Catholic bishops in the Union of Utrecht churches has never been formally questioned by the Holy See until the more recent ordinations of women as priests.<ref>{{cite web|title=Edward McNamara, "The Old Catholic and Polish National Churches"|url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur395.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622191447/http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur395.htm|archive-date=22 June 2019|access-date=22 January 2018}}</ref>