Why are we called Roman Catholics?

[Gavin]

I read that the church was started in Antioch. Why didn’t the early Christians submit to the Bishop of Antioch rather than the Bishop of Rome? Is it because St Peter died in Rome?

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Only Roman Catholics (Catholics whose Patriarchal See is in Rome) are called Roman Catholics. Eastern Catholics are more commonly referred to by the Church sui iuris to which they belong.

For example: I’m a Maronite Catholic. There are also Melkite Catholics, Ukrainian Catholics, Romanian Catholics, Coptic Catholics, etc. These are not Roman Catholics.

 

[OrbisNonSufficit]

Why didn’t the early Christians submit to the Bishop of Antioch rather than the Bishop of Rome? Is it because St Peter died in Rome?

Yes. Also St. Paul died there… but Petrine Authority over the Church comes from Peter

 

[mdgspencer]

.
From what I understand, the term Roman Catholic was invented by the Anglican Church centuries ago. This was support their belief that the Church of England was Catholicism in England, while the Catholic Church was strictly a foreign body.
However, Catholics now freely use the word Roman Catholic of themselves, and the term Roman Catholic seems to have lost this pejorative meaning.
Why do Catholic everywhere submit to the bishop of Rome? The Pope is the successor of Saint Peter. There are in fact records that show this, tracing the succession of the popes back to Saint Peter.
And Jesus gave Peter authority over Jesus’ people. This passage is at the end of the Gospel of John
John 21:
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

 

[Genesis315]

As others have mentioned, technically Roman Catholics are only those that use the Roman rituals and other customs and laws, whereas other groups of Catholics (all subject to the Pope in Rome as well, since he is the successor of Peter, to whom the Lord entrusted His whole flock) have their own customs and laws (but a common faith, of course).

That being said, sometimes the whole Church is called Roman. The Catechism of St. Pius X explains why:

20 Q. And why is the true Church called Roman?
A. The true Church is called Roman, because the four marks of Unity, Sanctity, Catholicity and Apostolicity are found in that Church alone which acknowledges as Head the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

My fiancé has said this to me - he is English and a Catholic. He says that many Catholics in Britain try to avoid the term “Roman Catholic”, as it is supposedly an intentionally offensive term used by Anglicans. However, the Catholic Church in England and Wales itself uses the terms “Catholic” and “Roman Catholic” more or less interchangably (there are not a lot of Eastern Catholics in the UK). Interestingly, the term “Roman Catholic” is also used in countries that do not have the same history, e.g. Poland, where one sees the term “Kościół rzymskokatolicki”.