Catholic

Catholic (literally meaning: according to (kata-) the whole (holos) or more generally "universal" in Greek) is a religious term with a number of meanings:

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• The term can refer to the notion that all Christians are part of one Church, regardless of denominational divisions. This "universal" interpretation is often used to understand the phrase "One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church" in the Nicene Creed, the phrase "the catholic faith" in the Athanasian Creed, and the phrase "holy catholic church" in the Apostles Creed.
• It can refer to the members, beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church in all of its more than twenty rites. Most people think of Latin Rite when thinking of the Roman Catholic Church but there are other rites in union with Rome in addition to the Latin Rite.
• It can be used to refer to those Christian churches who maintain a belief that their episcopate can be traced directly back to the Apostles, and that they are therefore part of a broad catholic (or universal) body of believers. Among those members who regard themselves as Catholic but not Roman Catholic are the various Orthodox churches (Eastern Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox), Anglo-Catholics (also known as High Anglicans) and the Old Catholic churches, and the Lutherans (though the latter prefer the lower-case "c.") The various churches that regard themselves as part of a broad Catholic Church are distinguished by their use of the Nicene Creed which prays for the "one holy catholic and apostolic Church". The Nicene Creed is also used by the Roman Catholic Church.

Not all Christian denominations view themselves as part of a broad Catholic Church. Methodism and Presbyterianism, though Christians who believe themselves as owing their origins to the Apostles and the early Church, do not claim a descent from ancient church structures such as the episcopate. Some Anglicans do not consider themselves as part of a broader Catholic Church.

Related Topics:
Methodism - Presbyterianism

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Early Christians used the term to describe the whole undivided Church, the word's literal meaning is universal or whole. When divisions arose within the Catholic Church, the Church fathers and the historic creeds used it to distinguish the mainstream body of orthodox Christian believers from those adhering to sects or heretical groups.

Related Topics:
Christians - Church - Church father - Creed - Orthodox Christian - Sects - Heretical

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Catholic: Present-day usage ►