The establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1834 granted limited religious toleration to non-Roman Catholics, and consequently led to the opening of an Anglican chapel in Lisbon. A second chapel was opened in 1868. The Anglican mission coincided with the growing influence of the Old Catholic movement in Portugal. Congregations were created from Catholic priests and laypeople who refused to accept the dogmas of the infallibility and universal ordinary jurisdiction of the Pope, as defined by the First Vatican Council in 1870. The Lusitanian Church was formed in 1880 as representatives of these congregations met at a synod presided over by H.C. Riley, bishop of the newly formed mission in Mexico. The synod resulted in a constitution and a decision to abide by the doctrinal and liturgical standards of the Anglican Communion. In 1884, a Portuguese Book of Common Prayer was created, incorporating elements of Anglican, Roman, and Mozarabic liturgies. From the beginning the church was assisted by a Council of Bishops presided over by Lord Plunket, at that time Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath, and years afterwards there were some American Episcopal Bishops who provided Episcopal ministrations and pastoral care, particularly Bishops in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, until the consecration of the first Lusitanian Bishop in 1958. Under the terms of the Bonn Agreement, the Lusitanian Church established full communion with various branches of the Anglican and Old Catholic Communions. Full integration into the Anglican Communion occurred in 1980 when the Church became an extra-provincial diocese under the metropolitical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As an Episcopal denomination, the church is governed by a bishop. The Lusitanian Church is a diocese with two archdeaconries, for the North and South of Portugal, and 14 parishes. It also has missions. The bishop has his episcopal see at Lisbon, where his throne is located in St Paul's Cathedral. The administration of the diocese is centred at Oporto.
Worship and liturgy
The Lusitanian Church embraces three orders of ministry: deacon, priest, and bishop. Increasingly, an emphasis is being placed on these orders working collaboratively within the wider ministry of the whole people of God. A Portuguese language Prayer Book is the basis of the Church's liturgy. In the early days of the church, a translation into Portuguese from 1849 of the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer was used. In 1884 the church published its own prayer book based on the Anglican, Roman and Mozarabic liturgies. The intent was to emulate the customs of the primitive apostolic church.
