What's the difference between Catholic and Roman-Catholic?

Question

Just curious about the two.

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 larger Latin Rite Catholic Church and not 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 no difference. The name of the one Church Christ founded for all mankind is The Catholic Church. The term "Roman" was originally added by Protestants as a critical term. But today the Catholic Church accepts the term and sometimes even uses the term itself. All Catholics, both Eastern Rite Catholics and Latin Rite Catholics, are Roman Catholics because all are under the authority of the Bishop of Rome. There are a few other churches however which use the term "catholic" in their titles, but have no relationship to The Catholic Church.

Answer 3

Catholic is a word that comes from the Roman Latin, catholicus which means universal. In broad terms it means you are amember of the Roman Catholic or Greek Orthodox Catholic church. Roman Catholic specifies the particular main sect of Christianity whose center is the Vatican in Rome.

You can use the word in so many ways not referring in any way to the churches. For example, we must be catholic in our economic approach to the world; not nationalistic. Once, 75 years ago in Ontario, Canada my father went to a political campaign rally. The candidate in question exclaimed that we must be more catholic in our approach to the international affairs... before he could fin ish much of the protestant audience howled out in rage and booded him down. He never one the election all because the word was not understood in its entirety.

Regards,

Michael Kelly

Answer 4

Roman is a type of Catholic. This page explains the various rites and Churches within the Catholic Church:
http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm

Answer 5

There are 23 Catholic Rites in communion with the Vatican. In addition there are autocephalous Catholics who are not in communion with the Vatican such as the Old Catholics and the Sedevancatists the former separating from Rome after Vatican 1 over Papal infallibility and the latter separating after Vatican 2 over the changes in the Mass from the Tridentine Mass to the Novus Ordo.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 6

The full title is the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.
The common cold is Catholic as it is a universal of humankind. Catholic'definition is "universal."

In plain old Pagan language it's saying this is a universal church begun in Rome by Apostles of Jesus.

If you want the Truth.....Ask a Pagan.

Answer 7

"Roman", a.k.a. "Latin" is one of the 21 Rites of the Catholic Church. The Roman/Latin happens to be the largest Rite, and is also the Rite that the pope belongs to.

The the Western World, the Roman Rite is, far and away, the most dominant as far as the number of Catholics belonging to that Rite as well as the geographic area the Roman Rite covers.

When someone uses the term "Roman Catholics", they are identifying themselves with the Catholic Church, as well as the Rite they belong to.

The Catholic Church in general, is the summation of all 21 Rites of the Church.

Answer 8

Roman Catholics are in union with the Pope (head of the Church) who is in Rome. Eastern Catholics are also in union with The Pope. Eastern Catholics have the same basic beliefs as the Latin Rite (Roman Catholics) and hold the same teaching about matters such as the importance and nature of the sacraments, apostolic succession of bishops and the central role of the Bishop of Rome within the College of Bishops. They differ in matters such as the form of liturgical worship, sacramental and canonical discipline, terminology, traditional prayers and practices of piety.

Answer 9

There is no difference. Roman Catholic is the correct title. There is also Greek Orthodox.

Answer 10

Wow! That's a good question. I hope someone has a good answer.