Calling the RCC just "Roman Church"

[adamhovey1988]

Well, you’re still Catholic as far as I (and the church) are considered. Episcopalians, however, are not. Why Anglicans all the sudden think of themselves as “Catholic, but no Roman Catholic”, is beyond me, given, that, historically, Anglicans considered themselves Protestant. Not to mention, not all Catholics are “Roman” Catholics. The Latin church is not the only body that recognises the authority of the Pope. I am a Catholic Christian, that belongs to the Latin church, that uses the Roman rite. “Roman Church” is a phrase that a lot of anti-Catholics use.

 

[GKMotley]

It dates back, ultimately, both to the Tractarian movement and the Ritualist movement, in the Church of England, so around 200 years. No one expects you or other RCs or any other Catholics, to agree. And some Anglicans don’t follow suit.

But that last statement is true of most anything, re: Anglicans.

 

[HopkinsReb]

Every Protestant denomination that accepts the Nicene and Apostles Creeds would say that they’re catholic but not Roman Catholic.

I think the case is absolutely silly in all Protestant denominations except the Anglican Church.

It may or may not be untenable in the Anglican Church. I don’t presume to know right now, but I’m doing my best to answer it well enough for myself. My conclusion will largely determine whether I remain Anglican.

 

[GKMotley]

Keep us advised.

 

[DisorientingSneeze]

When I hear someone say “Roman Church” instead of “Roman Catholic Church” I assume one of two things:

1. It is a secular historian who doesn’t hide their bias very well.

or

1. They come from a protestant faith background that does still recite the creed and they think of themselves as part of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Referring to our church as Catholic becomes an issue of identity.

It could be neither of these things, it’s just what my gut reaction is when I hear it.

 

[Emeraldlady]

Emeraldlady:

I’ve been told that in the US Catholics refer to themselves as Roman Catholics and many Churches and Schools are title Roman Catholic to distinguish between the different rites.

This is true. It’s not uncommon to find a Roman Catholic Church, a Greek Catholic Church, a Ukrainian Catholic Church etc. all in the same city. All Catholic and in communion with Rome, but obviously each one is attracting a different group of people and there will be differences in the worship styles. The Anglican/ Episcopal are also not a dominant group here, nobody thinks of them as Catholic, and few people are familiar with all the British history behind the use of the term “Catholic” in England.

Anglicans who have elected to reconcile with the Catholic Church but desire to retain their culture and services are part of what is known as an ‘ordinariate’. Pope Benedict XVI established this ‘Way’. In England they come under the patronage of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. In Australia and New Zealand; Our Lady of the Southern Cross. In the US and Canada; the Chair of Saint Peter. These are whole parishes of Anglicans that have en mass, reconciled to Rome and submitted to papal authority.

 

[AlNg]

I assume one of two things:

1. It is a secular historian who doesn’t hide their bias very well.

or

1. They come from a protestant faith background that does still recite the creed and they think of themselves as part of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Referring to our church as Catholic becomes an issue of identity.

It could be neither of these things, it’s just what my gut reaction is when I hear it.

Dear Mr. DisorientingSneeze:
I have heard Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics use the term Roman Church.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Anglicans who have elected to reconcile with the Catholic Church but desire to retain their culture and services are part of what is known as an ‘ordinariate’. Pope Benedict XVI established this ‘Way’. In England they come under the patronage of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. In Australia and New Zealand; Our Lady of the Southern Cross. In the US and Canada; the Chair of Saint Peter. These are whole parishes of Anglicans that have en mass, reconciled to Rome and submitted to papal authority.

We are not talking about the Ordinariate. I’m quite familiar with them and have been to their services on the East Coast.

I was speaking of Anglicans in the USA, as in members of the Anglican Church, and also members of the Episcopal Church. My hometown in USA for example has both an Anglican Church and an Episcopal Church. Neither is associated with the Ordinariate and in fact my entire US state doesn’t have an Ordinariate parish. Many US states don’t. See map here, there are very few Ordinariates in USA:

https://ordinariate.net/communities

In places where there is an Ordinariate, the people who worship at the Ordinariate parish are considered Catholics, and often the word “Anglican” is not even used; it’s often called the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter, or just the “Ordinariate”. If the word Anglican was used, I suspect many US Catholics unfamiliar with the Ordinariate would think it was a Protestant church.

With respect to the normal Anglican and Episcopal church (not Ordinariate), they’ve never been the least bit associated with Catholics here, and in fact historically they wouldn’t have wanted to be associated with Catholics. For many decades of US history (19th and early 20th century), Episcopalian was considered to be a prestigious faith, while Catholic was a church for poor immigrants and ethnic groups that the wealthy social climbers didn’t want to be associated with. They didn’t want anything to do with Catholics and certainly didn’t want to use the word “Catholic” to refer to themselves.

 

[BartholomewB]

1. They come from a protestant faith background that does still recite the creed and they think of themselves as part of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Referring to our church as Catholic becomes an issue of identity.

Whenever I hear someone use, in conversation, the expression “the Roman Church”, which isn’t often, it’s usually a case of your #2 category. Anglicans point out that they recite the same Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church …”

 

[GKMotley]

And, in their varying ways, Anglicans can understand differing things by the word “Catholic” in the creed. Some reading simply Christian therein. Some meaning Catholic, though not in Communion with Rome. As one may refer to Orthodox, similarly. The first likely will lie on the reformed end of the Anglican spectrum. The latter on the Anglo-Catholic side.

Me, I can’t remember ever hearing Roman Church except as a hasty shorthand reference for RCC.

 

[Maximilian75]

Will Snap Mackerel for Food

Of all the ‘slurs’ (if they can be called as such) directed to us, I like this one the most. My mother and her 3 brothers were raised Methodist, and she and one of her brothers later converted. The joking, loving term for the ‘catlicks’ in the family is the ‘mackerel-snappers’, IE, ‘The mackerel-snappers are going to the 11am Mass, so we can get together after that’. It’s a good time.

Roma locuta est, causa finita est.

 

[steve-b]

Dear Episcopalian:

There is the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox churches. There are a few others that are all Catholic churches, including the Greek Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church is that Catholic church headed by the pope in Rome. The Eastern Orthodox church (if I’ve got its correct title) serves Russia and other Eastern European countries and is headed by a different pope. These two churches remain connected but physically separated lovingly many centuries ago because the expanses of Europe and Asia were too vast for one Pope to pastor. Their church culture look different during Mass but the faith is the same, As an Episcopal you should know this and you could go to your priest or minister to confirm. So yes, use RCC for the Roman Catholic Church.

that describes all the errors mentioned HERE and HERE and HERE