Differences between Catholicism

[Roblox84]

What are the main differences in Catholics vs. Roman Catholics? I wrote a post not too long ago and someone posted that because of my beliefs or what we preached in my Church, that I go to an “Old Catholic” Church and not a “Roman Catholic” Church.

I’ve seen some pages on this site about the differences but there was just too much to ingest at one time. So any help on this will be gladly accepted.

 

[Monica4316]

What are the main differences in Catholics vs. Roman Catholics? I wrote a post not too long ago and someone posted that because of my beliefs or what we preached in my Church, that I go to an “Old Catholic” Church and not a “Roman Catholic” Church.

I’ve seen some pages on this site about the differences but there was just too much to ingest at one time. So any help on this will be gladly accepted.

Hi,

I’m not really sure what you mean…

there is one Church, the Catholic Church. It has various rites… Roman (Latin) - which is where we get the term Roman Catholic, there are also others like Byzantine, Melkite, etc. Most people you’d meet here are Roman Catholic (that is they belong to the Latin rite, as does the Holy Father).

The “Old Catholics” are not in communion with the Church. They do not believe in the Pope, I think? (I might be wrong…) here’s more info about them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church
So you can see that they split from the Holy See (the Vatican).

If you belong to a parish like this… the parish is not in communion with the Catholic Church. I’m not sure if it would have valid Apostolic Succession or Sacraments.

If this is the case I suggest finding a Catholic parish in communion with the Holy See, whether Roman or of an Eastern rite

Hope this helps… I’m sorry if this is confusing/upsetting… maybe you can check with your parish if they’re “Old Catholic” or “Catholic”.

God bless!

 

[Roblox84]

Hi,

I’m not really sure what you mean…

there is one Church, the Catholic Church. It has various rites… Roman (Latin) - which is where we get the term Roman Catholic, there are also others like Byzantine, Melkite, etc. Most people you’d meet here are Roman Catholic (that is they belong to the Latin rite, as does the Holy Father).

The “Old Catholics” are not in communion with the Church. They do not believe in the Pope, I think? (I might be wrong…) here’s more info about them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church
So you can see that they split from the Holy See (the Vatican).

If you belong to a parish like this… the parish is not in communion with the Catholic Church. I’m not sure if it would have valid Apostolic Succession or Sacraments.

If this is the case I suggest finding a Catholic parish, whether Roman or of an Eastern rite

Hope this helps…

God bless

It is in communion with the Pope. I know I said on the post that my church doesn’t preach about Mary or the Saints. I also made a comment about a sermon we had where the priest stated that the only way to salvation is through Christ and nothing else. There isn’t much mention of sacraments although they preach that they are necessary for the Catholic to do to remain in line with Christ. That’s why i’m confused. I don’t know if other Catholic Churches preach something totally different or put more emphasis on Intercession, such as with Mary, and sacraments, who knows.

 

[Monica4316]

It is in communion with the Pope. I know I said on the post that my church doesn’t preach about Mary or the Saints. I also made a comment about a sermon we had where the priest stated that the only way to salvation is through Christ and nothing else. There isn’t much mention of sacraments although they preach that they are necessary for the Catholic to do to remain in line with Christ. That’s why i’m confused. I don’t know if other Catholic Churches preach something totally different or put more emphasis on Intercession, such as with Mary, and sacraments, who knows.

If your church is not “old Catholic” but is in communion with the Pope, then it is a valid Catholic Church with valid Sacraments regardless of what the priest says in the homilies.

The Church does teach that the only way to salvation is through Christ… we’re saved by Christ, by grace, but this grace comes to us in different ways including the Sacraments. It’s good to mention the Sacraments but they are not in any way separate from what Christ does. (they are His work).

In my parish, there isn’t very much about Mary and the Saints either, but in some other ones I’ve been to, there is. Mostly, homilies just deal with the Gospel passage of the day.

God bless

 

[Roblox84]

If your church is not “old Catholic” but is in communion with the Pope, then it is a valid Catholic Church with valid Sacraments regardless of what the priest says in the homilies.

The Church does teach that the only way to salvation is through Christ… we’re saved by Christ, by grace, but this grace comes to us in different ways including the Sacraments. It’s good to mention the Sacraments but they are not in any way separate from what Christ does. (they are His work).

In my parish, there isn’t very much about Mary and the Saints either, but in some other ones I’ve been to, there is. Mostly, homilies just deal with the Gospel passage of the day.

God bless

Hey thanks! The reason why I was asking is because many protestants criticize that we are taught to pray to Mary and the saints all of the time. Then I figured that if it’s not mentioned at my Church then maybe they heard it at a different Catholic Church. But it just looks as though they are just looking for some untruths to pick on Catholics.

 

[Palaeologos]

Hi,

The “Old Catholics” are not in communion with the Church. They do not believe in the Pope, I think? (I might be wrong…) here’s more info about them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church
So you can see that they split from the Holy See (the Vatican).

If you belong to a parish like this… the parish is not in communion with the Catholic Church. I’m not sure if it would have valid Apostolic Succession or Sacraments.

Old Catholics believe in the Pope, but not in Papal infallibility. The See of Utrecht split from the RCC in 1853 over that issue; the primacy and authority of the Pope as it was exercised before that council was acceptable to them, but the dogma of infallibility was not.

Old Catholic orders and sacraments were held to be valid (though perhaps not licit) up until the point where they started to ordain women to the diaconate and priesthood, and consecrate women as bishops. Since Catholic sacramental theology holds that the proper matter for ordination is a male human being, the “ordination” of women to the episcopate invalidates the Apostolic Succession, making any ordinations that woman performs de facto null and void.

The orders and sacraments of certain splinter churches (e.g. the Polish National Catholic Church), as yet not imperilled by WO, are still recognized as valid by the RCC.

 

[Malleus_01]

What are the main differences in Catholics vs. Roman Catholics? I wrote a post not too long ago and someone posted that because of my beliefs or what we preached in my Church, that I go to an “Old Catholic” Church and not a “Roman Catholic” Church.

I’ve seen some pages on this site about the differences but there was just too much to ingest at one time. So any help on this will be gladly accepted.

The term "Old Catholic " refers to a group which has rejected the Dogma of “Papal Infallibility” so defined at Vatican Council I. If it is this group - it is outside the Church.

Protestants most often refer to Catholics as “Roman Catholic.”

We are simply Catholic. There is no need to refer to oneself as Roman Catholic.

We are United by the Sacraments with all Valid Rites. Eastern or Latin.

 

[Hesychios]

Old Catholics believe in the Pope, but not in Papal infallibility. The See of Utrecht split from the RCC in 1853 over that issue; the primacy and authority of the Pope as it was exercised before that council was acceptable to them, but the dogma of infallibility was not.

In the Dutch nation the Catholic church was outlawed and in decline from the time of the Reformation. The See of Utrecht was the underground Catholic church in the Netherlands during that period (like the ‘recusants’ of England). The Archdiocese of Utrecht continued to follow the early church practice of electing it’s own bishops, this practice had been dying out elsewhere in western Europe. Relations between Rome and Utrecht actually diverged after about 1700, when Rome declared Utrecht’s episcopal appointments around the country to be invalid, and the Sees vacant. This gave the Pope a chance to name his own people to the posts.

1853 was the year the Pope formally set up a second hierarchy, after the church was legally tolerated. This was not an issue of Papal Infallibility, but one of jurisdiction. The dogmas of Papal Infallibility and Universal Jurisdiction became issues in the rest of the church in 1870AD, but Utrecht had already been operating free of association and communion with the Popes since 1703. In a way it really was the older Catholic church in that country.