"Roman Catholicism" vs. "Catholicism"

[funion987]

This is probably an old thread topic, but I searched the website and other posts and didn’t find the answer.

From my experience, it’s basically only non-Catholics who use the term “Roman Catholicism” when talking about the Catholic Church, but is that a confusing term?

“Roman Catholic” to me I suppose would refer to a parish that celebrates the Latin rites of the liturgy. But if you’re going to talk about doctrines or matters of faith, then “Roman Catholic” isn’t different from, e.g. “Byzantine Catholic,” right? So, you would just call the Chruch “Catholic”?

So if you’re going to talk about the beliefs of the “Roman Catholic Church,” really a person just means the Catholic Church, which includes all rites and churches that are in communion with the Pope? Perhaps that’s why people use the term “Roman,” to refer to the papacy in Rome?

 

[Brad_Watson]

funion,

You are right when you observe that “basically only non-Catholics use the term ‘Roman Catholic’”. The reason for this is that Protestants do not agree that the Catholic Church - which is obviously centered in Roma - is the “universal church” that it claims to be.

We all have our agenda and we bring it to this forum. One platform of mine is that I see ‘The Church’ as being all of Christianity united: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. (Do these three distinct groups cover all Christians?) Catholics usually refer to themselves as ‘The Church’ which implies that the non-Catholic churches are invalid. The Orthodox and Protestants are offended by this.

Re: the Latin Litergy, I, and most everyone, see Latin as a ‘dead language’. Latin should be studied in school for some and preserved, but using it in public or in Mass only divides the people. English is the primary language of Earth and perhaps every church - Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant - should deliver one weekly Mass/service in English? This would be very unifying!

How would the Christ today weigh in on this issue? I’ve tried my best to imitate Jesus since I was a child and I AM doing it now.

• Brad Watson, Miami

Non-coincidental synchronic reaction: 2/9/12 12:27 I have the TV off, but my 89-y-o mother just said, “The mango tree is blossoming like never before!”

 

[Luvtosew]

this is strange as I was just listening to a Christian preacher this am say all Chrisitan Churches are Catholic as Catholic means “universal” and that Roman Catholic is well Roman Catholic and under the authority of the Pope. He was saying Catholic is different than Roman Catholic, but I always thought they meant the same thing.

 

[samuellawless]

Hello. I’m Catholic as well, but not Roman. I am a Palmarian Catholic. It is necessary to specify because there are various different Catholic denominations (as apposed to Christians denominations). In other words, there are various religions in the world, various Christians, and various Catholics even, whether is be Palmarian, Roman, or Polish.

 

[samuellawless]

Whether it be*

 

[Portrait]

This is probably an old thread topic, but I searched the website and other posts and didn’t find the answer.

From my experience, it’s basically only non-Catholics who use the term “Roman Catholicism” when talking about the Catholic Church, but is that a confusing term?

“Roman Catholic” to me I suppose would refer to a parish that celebrates the Latin rites of the liturgy. But if you’re going to talk about doctrines or matters of faith, then “Roman Catholic” isn’t different from, e.g. “Byzantine Catholic,” right? So, you would just call the Chruch “Catholic”?

So if you’re going to talk about the beliefs of the “Roman Catholic Church,” really a person just means the Catholic Church, which includes all rites and churches that are in communion with the Pope? Perhaps that’s why people use the term “Roman,” to refer to the papacy in Rome?

Dear funion987,

Cordial greetings and a very good day.

The term ‘Roman Catholic’ was not used by the Fathers, but first appeared in the 16th. century and was used by Anglican divines (theologians) to make room for their claim that they were “English Catholics”, whilst those in union with Rome were ‘Roman Catholics’. They were fully aware that the title ‘Catholic’ was ancient and they did not want it used only by Catholics. It is really all wraped up with their erroneous and unhistorical “Branch Theory” of the Church, which I held to in my days as an Anglican Christian. It was an attempt to assert that there could be varying, even contradictory, forms of ‘Catholic’.

Much later, other disparaging terms would be coined, such as ‘Romanist’ and ‘Papist’, but thankfully these are seldom used nowadays, except by some ultra-Protestant Fundamentalists groups.

For the most part, ‘Roman Catholic’ is confined to the English language, although some Orthodox in their polemics with the Catholic Church have adopted the term as well. The Catholic Church in her official Council and Papal documents does not use the term and Catholics should, in my opinion, do likewise. There is only one Catholic Church and that is the one established upon St. Peter by Christ (S. Matt. 16: 18). The first writer to employ the term ‘Catholic Church’ was St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. 107 AD): “Where the bishop appears, there let the people be, just as where Jesus Christ is there is the Catholic Church” (Letter to the Smyrneans, 8).

Trust that is of some help to you, dear friend.

Warmest good wishes,

Portrait

Pax

 

[Splagchnizomai]

IIRC the term “Roman Catholic” came out Henry VIII’s break with Rome. He used it to distinguish “Anglican Cathlic” from Roman Catholic. (EDIT: I see that Portrait is a faster typist and already mentioned this – and in more detail.)

The Catholic Church is actually 23 Churches: 1 Western Rite (the Roman Rite aka Roman Catholic Church) and 22 Eastern Rites (Byzantine, Armenian, etc), all of which comprise one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

More info on rites …
ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm

 

[Kotton]

The Catholic Church is actually 23 Churches: 1 Western Rite (the Roman Rite aka Roman Catholic Church) and 22 Eastern Rites (Byzantine, Armenian, etc), all of which comprise one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

This is the proper explaination for the OP, although I know that others outside of THE Catholic Church will continue trying to use the ‘name’. As for Samuel’s post of the Palmarian Catholic Church, He describes it as " one true Church led by the one true pope (Pope Peter II). This is another group in schism from the Catholic Church. He may be sincere, but is sincerely wrong.

 

[onemangang]

Hello. I’m Catholic as well, but not Roman. I am a Palmarian Catholic.** It is necessary to specify because there are various different Catholic denominations **(as apposed to Christians denominations). In other words, there are various religions in the world, various Christians, and various Catholics even, whether is be Palmarian, Roman, or Polish.

Unfortunate use of terms here. There are no separate Catholic denominations, there is but One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. All the Eastern Rites and Latin Rite fall under the universal (catholic) jurisdiction of the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI

Palmarian Catholics have separated themselves from the universal jurisdiction of the Pope and are in Schism, in fact they claim their Pope to be Gregory XVIII.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmarian_Catholic_Church

 

[samuellawless]

First, please excuse me for not expressing myself as well as most would expect, English is not my first language. Secondly, just as an Orthodox would claim to be a member of the one true church, so do I claim to be the member of the one true church. You may think I am wrong, but I also think you are wrong. You believe in following Benedict, I believe in following Peter II (not St. Gregory XVIII who passed away in 2005. He was our previous pontiff.)

 

[Rence]

I’m a cradle Catholic who was born and raised in a predominantly Catholic area, and all my life, I’ve been (and my neighbors have been) Roman Catholic. I always took for granted that it was because the Bishop of Rome was the head of the Church. I didn’t even know until much later, when I was a teenager that there was a “Greek Orthodox” Church that was different than our own, and them when I happened on this forum, I found out about the 22 Catholic Churches. But yeah, it’s always been “Roman Catholic” from where I came from.

 

[samuellawless]

And please do not believe these things you read on the internet about the Palmarian Church, most of these things are not true. We do not abuse our members not do we participate in drug use. We believe we are the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and the our pope is the true pope.

 

[Splagchnizomai]

Palmarian Catholics have separated themselves from the universal jurisdiction of the Pope and are in Schism, in fact they claim their Pope to be Gregory XVIII.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmarian_Catholic_Church

Prayers to Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary for those souls to rejoin the Catholic Church. :byzsoc:

 

[Califman831]

if non-catholic churches are put off by not being considered part of the body of Christ, let them use the shame as an impulse to convert. The doors of the true church are open wide for all sinners.

 

[Kotton]

First, please excuse me for not expressing myself as well as most would expect, English is not my first language.

You expressed yourself quite well, I had no problem.

Secondly, just as an Orthodox would claim to be a member of the one true church, so do I claim to be the member of the one true church.

The Orthodox have Aposolic succession the same as Catholics, I wonder about your group.

You may think I am wrong, but I also think you are wrong. You believe in following Benedict, I believe in following Peter II (not St. Gregory XVIII who passed away in 2005. He was our previous pontiff.)

And please do not believe these things you read on the internet about the Palmarian Church, most of these things are not true. We do not abuse our members not do we participate in drug use. We believe we are the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and the our pope is the true pope.

I also believe that history will support my belief.

Prayers to Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary for those souls to rejoin the Catholic Church.

AMEN to that.

 

[funion987]

The Catholic Church in her official Council and Papal documents does not use the term and Catholics should, in my opinion, do likewise.

So basically the term “Roman Catholic”/“Roman Catholicism” doesn’t mean anything. The vast majority of the people who use it are non-Catholics, and in using it they mean the Church that we as Catholics see as the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church with Pope Benedict XVI as Christ’s vicar.

The problem with that term is that while I think the ones using it are talking about the Church I have described above, someone else might think that since there are Roman Catholic parishes and Byzantine Catholic parishes, the two churches are not both unified under the pope and don’t have the same doctrine.

If you were to describe yourself by your religion as well as rite, however, what would you say? I’m Catholic, Latin rite? Or Catholic, part of the Latin church?

 

[Kotton]

If you were to describe yourself by your religion as well as rite, however, what would you say? I’m Catholic, Latin rite?

Some do use this. And some use other rite names.

 

[Kotton]

double post.

 

[funion987]

double post.

In my defense, I posted first, and then the first responder created another thread.