Are there non-Roman Catholics?

Question

I asked a question about "Catholics" today, and someone corrected me by asking if I meant "Roman Catholics" instead.
Is there a type of Catholic that does not come from Romania?

Yeah, I was joking about the Romanian Catholic Church ;-)
but serious about the question... thank you for the replies, all.

One day there may be a Ramenian Catholic Church, with the way things are going...
give it a couple hundred years.

I think the person who corrected me was a Priest, and was just trying to give a correct answer.

Answer 1

The answer is yes. Although, the real term is Latin Rite Catholics, Roman Catholic is the common term. There are something like 17 or 18 different Rites in the Catholic Church, but there are the two primary catagories, Latin and Byzantine. Under the Byzantine, there are a whole bunch of Rites. These generally have an Orthodox counter-part. Hope that wasn't more information than you wanted.

I don't know why they "corrected " you, unless you were talking about something that only applies in the Latin Rite. One notable difference in the Byzantine Rite is that they allow married priests. I believe all of the Byzantine Rites have a Patriarch, but they still all fall under the Pope (in Rome).

Answer 2

There is much confusion over these terms. Many people who call themselves Greek Catholics are Orthodox Christians. This is also true amoung the Armenian, Syrian, and Coptic Catholics. So in Eastern Christianity some people are referred to as uniate and non-uniate Catholics. Uniate Christians would be those who accept the Bishop of Rome as the head of their church. Non-uniate do not accept him. There are other Christian bodies, such as the Polish National Catholic Church, that split with Rome in the last 200 years. There is a Catholic Church in Washington, DC that is composed mostly of former black Catholics, that split from Rome in the last 30 years. And so on and so on.

Answer 3

Actually there are over 20 different Catholic Churches that make up the worldwide Catholic Church.

In addition to the Latin Rite (Roman) Catholic Church, the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches are in full communion with the Pope, and are part of the same worldwide Catholic Church.

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

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13121a.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Roman comes from Rome. The Pope lives in Vatican City, which is in the country of Rome. When Jesus died on the cross the people who had witness were the Romans (& the Jews). I am not Roman Catholic, I jst attend thier school since 1st grade. Catholic is abbviated for Roman Catholic.

Answer 5

Roman Catholic refers to following the Pope in Rome. I have a friend who is Greek Orthodox, and there is also a Russian Orthodox, that I know of.

Answer 6

there are Assyrians, Chaldeans, various Eastern , Anglicans, and more. These are Catholics who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome (aka the pope). However, their liturgy (worship and practice) may be closer to the Orthodox practice than the Roman rite.

Answer 7

Eastern Orthodox.

Answer 8

It could be confusing since catholic is simply a word meaning universal or free from provincial prejudices or attachments.

"Roman" specifies the particular cult that follows the provincial prejudices and attachments of that antichristian system presided on from Rome.

It is therefore preferable, when referring to that system, to use its identifying prefix, Roman.

Answer 9

There are eastern rite catholics


Elle it is the city of Rome not the country of Rome.

The Vatican is a country located within the city of Rome

Answer 10

There are indeed different types of catholics. Here's the Wiki link for ya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic