Catholics are christian

[GRod]

Hello everyone,

I have a protestant friend who said he used to go to catholic school when he was younger. He claims that the nuns would correct him when he would call himself Christian. He claims the nuns would say “your not christian your catholic”. He claims all the priests said the same thing. The school he attended celebrated the mass in latin and was a traditional catholic school.

He heard me call myself a christian and he told me the story about his encounter with the nuns and priest at his school. He claims that we JUST recently started calling ourselves christian and that prior to vatican 2 we didnt call ourselves christian.

Has anyone heard this before? What information can i show him to prove to him that catholics have been calling themselves christian since way before vatican 2?

 

[Stanz]

I would make two observations first. It is he who has the responsibility to provide evidence, since he is making the assertion. We can’t prove that those nuns didn’t say that.
Secondly, he sounds like he may be carrying a delusion, so you should be patient. He might not even appreciate evidence contrary.
He is also self-contradicting to claim that Catholics only started to claim we are Christian since 1965, while also maintaining that all priests and a superfluity of nuns claim that we aren’t.
I would start by challenging him on providing evidence for any of his claims on what “all priests” say.

Easy evidence otherwise would be to refer to our common practices. We speak the Nicene Creed at every mass, English or Latin or otherwise, and have done so since the 300’s. Show him the Latin Credo and it’s translation. And ask and explain to him Who we are worshiping all through the mass as well. It’s all 100% Christo-centric!
For evidence of what Catholics believed before Vatican II, just show ANY writing of any prominent Catholic prior. Take soon to be canonized St. John Henry Newman, and his
beautiful prayer Anima Christi:

Soul of Christ, be my sanctification;
Body of Christ, be my salvation;
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;
Water of Christ’s side, wash out my stains;
Passion of Christ, my comfort be;
O good Jesus, listen to me;
In Thy wounds I fain would hide;
Ne’er to be parted from Thy side;
Guard me, should the foe assail me;
Call me when my life shall fail me;
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy saints to sing Thy love,
World without end.
Amen.

You may also find the CCC helpful, but anything you’ll find will likely have be an edition compiled after Vatican II.

It’s possible that those nuns wanted him to use a specific language for a reason, but whatever the case is, those nuns worship Christ, and no other. That’s an unfortunate experience.
His claims, outside of his personal experiences which cannot be argued, are nonsensical and unfounded. Such absurd attacks can catch us off guard, but when you return to him, even if you can’t convince him, it is ultimately his global assertion that needs justification, not your faith.

 

[JimG]

Catholics are the original Christians.

 

[OKComputer]

right, just what I was going to say!

 

[Margaret_Ann]

If you look at any of the pre-VII encyclicals (especially Mortalium Animos), the Popes always referred to Catholics as “Christians” and baptized non-Catholics as “heretics” or “schismatics”. (Don’t flag the messenger - I’m just quoting!)

 

[Dan_Defender]

Your friend’s story, if true (BIG if), is something relatively recent. Before the 16th century protestant movement, Christian and Catholic were synonymous.