The Old Catholic Churches are those on mainland Europe which broke with Rome; in The Netherlands in 1724 over the question of who should appoint bishops; in other countries the break came after the declaration of Papal Infallibility in 1870. The churches, which are autonomous, joined together in the Union of Utrecht in 1889. The Archbishop of Utrecht is regarded as Primate.

There are Old Catholic Churches in Austria, The Czech Republic, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland with a tiny congregation in Bosnia Herzegovina. There is also a congregation in Milan.