Holy Catholic Church—Western Rite
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The Holy Catholic Church—Western Rite (HCC—WR) is a Continuing Anglican church. It is represented in the United Kingdom, Latin America, the United States of America, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Rome and Spain. It originated with a separation of a group of bishops of the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) led by Bishop Thomas Justin Kleppinger, Bishop McNeley, Bishop Seeland, Bishop Leslie Hamlett and Bishop Victor Cruz-Blanco, who were concerned about what they considered to be the ACC's doctrinal comprehensiveness and moral relativism. In 2005 Bishop Leslie Hamlett was deposed and Bishop Wright was later elected as Metropolitan. He held that position until his death in 2009. In a recent unity move, the Holy Catholic Church—Western Rite, while also maintaining its name where represented by it currently, united with the Holy Catholic Church Western Rite under Metropolitan Archbishop Thomas Kleppinger.
The HCC—WR adheres to the doctrines of the undivided church of the first millennium. It believes those doctrines to be embodied in the Orthodox churches, which in their belief have never added to or subtracted from the "holy tradition". While identifying totally with the Catholic and Orthodox churches in matters of faith, the HCC—WR Diocese of Europe uses the ancient Western liturgy of the Mass - hence the term "Western Rite". The HCC—WR Diocese of Europe (but not the HCC-WR itself) is a member of the Anglican Church International Communion (ACIC).
