How can a Church rightly claim the title of "Catholic" when in Communion with neither Rome nor mainstream Eastern Christianity?

[Pieman333272]

How can a Denomination rightly hold the title of “Catholic” when it isn’t in communion with Rome and doesn’t follow mainstream Eastern Christian (pre-Protestant) theology? I’ll give you on example: The Liberal Catholic Church. This is a “Church” which gave rise to Ecclesia Gnostica, allows reincarnation, rejects Papal Infallibility, and rips Theosophy, the failed attempt to unite all religions into one which is now a minority amongst people and helped spark Neo-Gnosticism, off. How on earth can this Church take the title that Rome has? What authority do they have?

Yes, I know it means “universal” but in Religion and Authority the term has been applied almost solely to the Church and company (Orthodoxy and Anglicanism), and represents some authority, especially in terms of Apostolic Succession. How/why can they take this title?

 

[Theophorus]

In short they can’t and don’t rightly claim such a title, as they have no real authority to do so. The term is generally in a small “c” way to denote the universality of the church as many protestants do when/if they recite the creed. or to indicate that they believe they are still part of the Catholic Church despite not sharing belief, sacraments or Apostolic Authority.