Eclesia Católica Cristiana

The Eclesia Católica Cristiana is a Spanish-speaking Spiritualist church operating in the Bronx, New York. It was founded in 1956 as the Spiritualist Christian Church by Delfin Roman Cardona (b. 1918). The church was reorganized and renamed in 1969 to keep down any confusion between it and other Spiritualist centers. Cardona was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Raised a Roman Catholic, he was introduced to Spiritualism in his teens and gained some renown on the island because of his healing abilities. After moving to the United States, he founded the church to combine Roman Catholic and Spiritual-ist emphases. The Roman Catholic element is most evident in the development of a hierarchy that includes cardinals, bishops, and lay members.

Spiritualism in Puerto Rico derived from Brazil, which in turn derived its Spiritualist beliefs from the French spiritism of Allan Kardec, differentiated by its early acceptance of rein-carnation. It has added elements of science (parapsychology ) and Theosophy to create what it considers to be universal Christianity. The resulting synthesis of thought, termed the Delfinist Thought, places great emphasis on the virtues of love, comprehension, compassion, justice, humility, and faith.

Cardona has taught that women and men are equals in the spiritual as in the material world. Following the example of ancient Atlantis and the ancient Druids, the church ordains females and welcomes them into the bishopric. The first woman cardinal, Rev. Mother Olga Roman, was elevated in 1974.