is their a difference between catholics and roman catholics?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church has consistently referred to itself as the “Catholic Church” at least since 107 AD, when the term appears in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch

The term "Roman" Catholic is rather recent.

The new Anglican Church in England started using the term “Roman” in the 1500s as one of many ways of demeaning and demonizing Catholics.

Catholics accepted this late coming adjective without too much protest. Today “Catholic” and “Roman Catholic” are interchangeable terms. Both terms are even used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

To add a little more confusion, some apply the term “Roman Catholic Church” only to the Latin Rite Catholic Church, excluding the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches that are in full communion with the Pope, and are part of the same Church, under the Pope.

Eastern Rite Catholic Churches include:

Alexandrian liturgical tradition
+ Coptic Catholic Church
+ Ethiopic Catholic Church

Antiochian (Antiochene or West-Syrian) liturgical tradition
+ Maronite Church
+ Syrian Catholic Church
+ Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Armenian liturgical tradition:
+ Armenian Catholic Church

Chaldean or East Syrian liturgical tradition:
+ Chaldean Catholic Church
+ Syro-Malabar Church

Byzantine (Constantinopolitan) liturgical tradition:
+ Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church
+ Belarusian Greek Catholic Church
+ Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church
+ Byzantine Church of the Eparchy of Križevci
+ Greek Byzantine Catholic Church
+ Hungarian Greek Catholic Church
+ Italo-Albanian Catholic Church
+ Macedonian Greek Catholic Church
+ Melkite Greek Catholic Church
+ Romanian Church
+ Russian Byzantine Catholic Church
+ Ruthenian Catholic Church
+ Slovak Greek Catholic Church
+ Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The term “Roman” neither increases nor decreases the faith, hope and love of the Catholic Church.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

There IS a difference in that Roman Catholics follow the decisions of the Pope, and follow all the worship guidelines, feast days, the catechism etc etc. There are Catholics that have split with the church over certain issues. The term Universal refers to the fact that you can go to any Roman Catholic Church anyplace in the world and the readings, liturgy, and prayers will be basically the same....that is the Unity of the Mass. It does not mean that everyone who says they are "Catholic" can claim to be Roman Catholic. In regards to the Orthodox church the differences are many....and can be found onlline in the article below.

Answer 3

YES ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!

Rome has no copyright on the word 'catholic' which is from the Greek root katholikos which means universal. In fact the Orthodox Churches are 'catholic' in their beliefs as well as traditional Anglican Churchs, Polish national Catholic and other 'High-Church' denominations.

One is a Roman Catholic only when one attends a church that is in communion with Rome and the Holy See. The Pope in Rome is the corporeal head of the Roman Catholic Church.

I could go on for hours about the misnomer but know this: You can be Catholic and NOT be a Roman Catholic! I should know, I'm Anglican Catholic with no ties to Rome or Canterbury and their respective heresies

Answer 4

Maybe the Catholics of other country and the Catholics from Rome but I never heard them make distinctions. They are Roman Catholics and the other is The Orthodox Catholics with Jewish and Greek citizens.

Answer 5

A Roman Catholic is one who follows the religion where the bishop of Rome is the highest authority on scriptural interpretation. I think the term "Roman Catholic" is just a stuffy, formal term for Catholic, not a seperate denomination.

Answer 6

Catholic is an ambiguous term. For example: Eastern Orthodox and Episcopal Churches call themselves Catholic. But they do not follow the Pope in Rome and are therefore not Roman Catholic.

Answer 7

Roman Catholics are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

Other Catholics would be members of other Catholic Churches. Like someone could be a St. Paul Catholic but that doesn't sound that nice so they say just Catholic.

Roman Catholic
adj. Abbr. RC
Of, relating to, or being the Roman Catholic Church.
n. A member of the Roman Catholic Church.

cath·o·lic (kăthə-lĭk, kăthlĭk)
adj.
1. Of broad or liberal scope; comprehensive: "The 100-odd pages of formulas and constants are surely the most catholic to be found" (Scientific American).
2. Including or concerning all humankind; universal: "what was of catholic rather than national interest" (J.A. Froude).
3. Catholic
a. Of or involving the Roman Catholic Church.
b. Of or relating to the universal Christian church.
c. Of or relating to the ancient undivided Christian church.
d. Of or relating to those churches that have claimed to be representatives of the ancient undivided church.
n. Catholic
A member of a Catholic church, especially a Roman Catholic.
[Middle English catholik, universally accepted, from Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, universal, from Greek katholikos, from katholou, in general : kat-, kata-, down, along, according to ; see cata- + holou (from neuter genitive of holos, whole; see sol- in Indo-European roots).]

ca·tholi·cal·ly (kə-thŏlĭk-lē) adv.

Answer 8

I'm in the habit of attending Mass at different Catholic churches every Sunday, so I'm now officially, a roamin' Catholic.

Here's the rest of the story:


22 Churches
Question from peter on 11-04-2003:


Hello,
I was recently told that the Catholic Church consists of 22 churches. May I have the names of each church? Thanks, Peter
Answer by Anthony Dragani on 11-07-2003:
Peter,
Here you go:
Eight Rites of the Catholic Church:
1. Roman 2. Armenian 3. Byzantine 4. Coptic 5. Maronite 6. East Syrian 7. West Syrian 8. Ethiopian (often listed as a recension of the Coptic Rite)
The twenty-two Catholic Churches:
* ROMAN RITE * 1. Latin Church
* ARMENIAN RITE* 2. Armenian Church
* BYZANTINE RITE * 3. Italo-Albanian Church 4. Melkite Church 5. Ukrainian Church 6. Ruthenian Church 7. Romanian Church 8. Greek Church (in Greece) 9. Greek Church of Former Yugoslavia 10. Bulgarian Church 11. Slovak Church 12. Hungarian Church 13. Russian Church 14. Belarusan Church 15. Albanian Church
* COPTIC RITE * 16. Coptic Church (in many lists the Ethiopian Church is also placed here)
* MARONITE RITE * 17. Maronite Church
* EAST SYRIAN RITE * 18. Chaldean Church 19. Syro-Malabar Church
* WEST SYRIAN RITE * 20. Syro-Malankara Church 21. Syrian Church
* ETHIOPIAN RITE * 22. Ethiopian Church (often listed under the Coptic Rite)
God Bless, Anthony

Answer 9

Catholic just means "universal." Nonetheless, it is most commonly used to refer to the Roman Catholic Church. So, while catholic can be used in other ways, it is essentially shorthand for Roman Catholic.

Answer 10

Catholics are all over. Roman Catholics live in Rome.

Hugs