Catholic or Roman Catholic?

[SPH1]

I recently wrote a term paper on anti-Catholicism in America and was told by the teacher that I had to write “Roman Catholic” rather than “Catholic” as chuches like the Episcopal Church consider themselves the “one, holy, catholic” church.

This is an attempt by some Protestants to hijack the Catholic name.

Some Protestants may subscribe to the so-called “branch” theory, where the “Roman” Catholic Church is merely one branch of the Catholic Church.

Other Protestants who use the term “Catholic Church” do so in a way that EXCLUDES the “Roman” Catholic Church from the “true” Catholic Church.

 

[johnunningman39]

“Roman Catholic” is tends to be a secular title. Giving reason that it is an old Church in Rome albeit many do not really understand its history, Protestants and non-Christians. In general, it is the Catholic Church or Catholics because the Catholic Church as said before is universal and it encompasses many different rites- Roman, Anglican, Byzantine, Ambrosian, Mozarabic, etc. However the one that is most practiced and dominant is the Roman. The only time Roman Catholic would be smart to use, as said before is in a discussion with Catholics from other rites.

 

[Chipper]

Forgive me if I’m wrong but I think that officially it’s not Roman Catholic but to tell the difference from other catholic rites (i.e. Byzantine) it’s is referred to as Latin Rite. I’m pretty sure of this.

God bless ALL Catholic Rites is communion with The Holy See!:angel1:

I second this motion. I was taught that we are Latin Rite Catholics. I remember my parents telling me that when I was a child. And my pastor recently agreed with me, when I asked why the introduction states “Roman Catholic”. He agreed with me, but never changed the introduction.

Roman Catholic is just a way of telling the world that we follow the Bishop of Rome. There is no such thing as a Roman Catechism. It is a Catholic Catechism.

I guess we just tend to let the Protestant slang title, hang in there instead of arguing with everybody.

 

[threadkiller]

Check this link out at EWTN
How Did the Catholic Church Get Her Name?
ewtn.com/faith/teachings/churb3.htm
The term “Roman Catholic” is a relatively modern one (and one confined mainly to the English language). It was used by the Anglicans to differentiate themselves with the Church at Rome when they split off to indicate that it was somehow a branch of the Catholic Church.
Nowhere in its official documents does the Church refer to itself as “Roman Catholic”.
Who we are is simply stated in the title of the Catechism… “The Catechism of the Catholic Church”.
That’s who (and what) we are.

That says it all most excellent merlin. People who use the term “Roman Catholic” give assent to those who seek to denominationalize and undermine our, that is, His Church(Mat. 16:18) and embrace the spirit of error(Eph. 4:27). This is just “Threadkiller’s” humble opinion and if people don’t like it, they have every right to be wrong. Even so. Amen!

 

[Thing]

RC does not refer to the rite it comes down to us from a short period in English and Irish history when Catholicism was being eradicated violently by the English protestants. Roman Catholics, Romish C’s, Papists etc. were derogatory terms used by the protestants to insult and damage the body of the Catholic Church as much as possible. There was great resistance to protestantism by the English Catholics, at one point they raised an army 7 times greater than the Kings army and marched on London, but the were betrayed and the leaders were executed though they had been given guarantees of freedom.
Catholic priests both Irish and English were forbidden to enter or minister in England under pain of death, torture and death.
Irish priests were not allowed to train for the priesthood in Ireland so a seminary/university was established on the Continent to train men specifically to be priests for Catholics in England. As soon as they were ordained they were smuggled by ship to London. Because of numerous spies for the crown everywhere many if not most of these Catholic priests were arrested even before they disembarked from the ships in London, they continued to come though knowing they would be arrested and what their fate was.
Their fate, was to be imprisoned in the Tower of London then tied to a timber pallet and dragged, through the streets lined with mobs of Londoners hurling insults and missiles, to Tyburn the place where they would be executed. First the priest was hanged by the neck but while still alive he was cut free and tied to a bench their stomachs were slit open from navel to chest their intestines were pulled out but were not cut out rather they left them still attached to the person and threw the intestines onto a brazier of burning coals so that even the burning pain could be felt by the priest as well as the sight of his body burning beside him. Finally they cut the priests head off and impailed it on a spike or spear and placed it perhaps on London Bridge. The rest of the body was chopped into four quarters and boiled in oil befor being impailed on spikes around the Towere of London or elsewhere. This was designed as a deterrant but many joined the priesthood in the full knowledge of what awaited them.
These were brave man who gave their lives and were tortured to death under the intended slight of ‘Roman Catholic Priest’. I’m proud of what they did and I hope I’ll never be ashamed to say I’m Roman Catholic.

 

[ricko]

We call it the “Catholic Church” because that is its’ name. That should be the end of the discussion but as you can see by some of the previous posts some want to have it their way. If your name is Mike, I do not address you as Bill. Keating is right, EWTN is right, the Church is right, it is called the Catholic Church. Your opinion for any reason whatever to call it by any other name is wrong.

 

[Thing]

We call it the “Catholic Church” because that is its’ name. That should be the end of the discussion but as you can see by some of the previous posts some want to have it their way. If your name is Mike, I do not address you as Bill. Keating is right, EWTN is right, the Church is right, it is called the Catholic Church. Your opinion for any reason whatever to call it by any other name is wrong.

If your name is Mike and you decide to die a martyr we can call you Saint Mike not Bill. Embrace the old insult, lots of ancestors died under it. Its quite an honour actually to be called the same as them, it would be wrong to forget what they endured or to disregard their suffering or to be ashamed of being called Roman Catholic. Is it wrong or shameful for a martyr to be called Saint Mike.

 

[patrick457]

I saw Mr. Keating write that “Roman Catholic” is not the real name for the Catholic Church.

I recently wrote a term paper on anti-Catholicism in America and was told by the teacher that I had to write “Roman Catholic” rather than “Catholic” as chuches like the Episcopal Church consider themselves the “one, holy, catholic” church.

This I do not buy, but why not Roman Catholic when there are Byzantine Catholic, Polish Catholic, and other Orthodox branches within the whole Catholic Church?

What is wrong with this nomenclature?

IMHO, the term ‘Roman Catholic’ is a bit too specific (it brings to my mind the Latin, or the Roman Church as opposed to the other Eastern or Oriental Catholic Churches)/

So when describing the Church as a whole, I think it would be better that we should use ‘Catholic’ (since that is the official title); ‘Roman Catholic’ could be reserved as a specific description of the Latin Rite Church, notwithstanding its origins as a slur word against the Church and Her members.

 

[Nickkname]

I saw Mr. Keating write that “Roman Catholic” is not the real name for the Catholic Church.

I recently wrote a term paper on anti-Catholicism in America and was told by the teacher that I had to write “Roman Catholic” rather than “Catholic” as chuches like the Episcopal Church consider themselves the “one, holy, catholic” church.

This I do not buy, but why not Roman Catholic when there are Byzantine Catholic, Polish Catholic, and other Orthodox branches within the whole Catholic Church?

What is wrong with this nomenclature?

“Roman Catholic”, to the best of my knowledge, is a term secularists came up with to mock the Catholic Church. It’s meant to say the Church is the Whore of Babylon by referring to the Book of Revelation’s “Babylon”, which, in the time of the Apostles, was a code word for Rome. Babylon, in Jewish thinking, is the enemy of the People of God, and since Rome was the enemy of the Church, it received the code-name “Babylon”. The Church being referred to as the Whore of Babylon was something that came along with the Reformation; the Pope was also called the Antichrist, which refers back once again to the Book of Revelation, where the number of the beast - 666 - was a code in the time of the Apostles for the name of the Emperor of Rome. So you see the term “Roman Catholic” is meant to mock the one Flock of Christ and the Shephard which He appointed.

 

[dancny]

Wow,

There is ONE Catholic Church. That Church is united with Rome. In that church there are several rites, Chaldean, Latin, Byzantine, Coptic, etc. But the principal of all these rites is that they are in full union with Rome.

Should you find yourself in a place without a latin rite church and you went to a chaldean catholic church you would have fulfilled your Sunday obligation. You can receive communion there. You don’t need permission.

Anglicans, American Catholics et al are trying to say they are something they are not. In essence they are lying. They use the word Catholic to show that they are universal and to attract members, but in the connotation of union with Rome they will suddenly back up.

There is NO Roman rite. There is a latin rite called so because we used to use the latin language at mass.

There are no lesser members of the church. All of the rites are equal in their validity, licity and union with Rome. They are not denominations. We profess the same catechism, we just worship a little differently.

Roman Catholic was originally used as a derogartory term. It is not so much considered one anymore. I hope this helps.

newadvent.org/cathen/13121a.htm

 

[CatholicFireman]

Amen to that, my friend.