The Origins of the IAAF
The International Working Group for Old Catholicism Research (IAAF) was founded on 9 October 1998, when a group of theologically and historically interested men and women from the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland met in Bonn at the invitation of the Old Catholic Seminary to discuss existing and desirable projects for research into Old Catholicism. Today, the IAAF includes members from Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. The working group is open to people with a related university degree.
The primary goal is the preservation and recording of source material - at the local, regional and national historical levels, but also regarding the mutual relationships between the churches united in the Union of Utrecht - as well as generating catalogs for archive collections and libraries. The materials lend themselves to build smaller projects and various research questions. The aim is also to intensify systematic theological reflection on Old Catholic concerns. A first joint book project is the bio-bibliographical lexicon on Old Catholicism: ‘Old Catholic Biography’ (AKBi). In addition to the provisional list of persons included in this ‘work in progress’, individual contributions have been written and included.
The IAAF also endeavors to document relevant theological publications written by members of the Old Catholic Church, as well as works on Old Catholicism by non-Old Catholic authors (see ‘Publication lists’). A list of publications is compiled each year with this in mind, although the selection criteria vary. Please send any additional releases to one of the three contact persons listed below or to Prof. Dr Angela Berlis directly.
Contact persons
- Prof. Dr. Angela Berlis, Theologische Fakultät der Universität Bern, Institut für Christkatholische Theologie, Unitobler, Länggassstrasse 51, CH-3012 Bern
- Anja Goller, Alt-Katholisches Seminar der Universität Bonn, Adenauerallee 33, D 53113 Bonn
- Prof. Dr. Peter-Ben Smit, Universität Utrecht, NL
