catholic

[K99]

What is the difference between catholic and roman catholic?

[littlemissx]

i'm roman catholic but i think its the same thing

[Clanad]

littlemissx isn't to far off the mark for all practical purposes.. The term Catholic, in it's barest sense, only means all encompassing. The Roman Catholic name usually is used to differentiate the church headed by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) from the Eastern Orthodox branch.

[Octavius]

Nothing these days.

The word Catholic (katholikos from katholou - meaning 'throughout the whole, universal') occurs in the Greek classics, e.g., in Aristotle and Polybius, and was freely used by the earlier Christian writers. The words "the Catholic Church" (he katholike ekklesia) is found for the first time in the letter of St. Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, written about the year 110.

It wasn't until after October 28, 312 when Emperor Constantine led the forces of the Roman Empire to victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. According to Church tradition, the night before the battle Constantine had a vision that he would achieve victory if he fought under the Symbol of Christ. After winning the battle, under which his soldiers had bore the Christian Cross on their shields, Constantine converted to Christianity, though he wasn't actually baptized till just before death. It was at this time that the birth of the Church of the Roman Empire began and the foundings of what we now call the Roman Catholic Church.

During the middle ages there were different branches of catholic, some that didn't want to be tied to Rome and the Pope, many that did and the rest is ... history.

[pega]

Agree with what has been said Catholic means universe

Roman Catholic accept the POPE'S teachings and Rome hence they had Latin Masses in the past.

Also Anglo-Catholic Anglicans who are High Church of England and there are many still in existence such as Walsingham and All Saints London etc these churches have services with incense and are often stated as more Catholic than the Catholics !

[pmccorrie]

They both came from the same religeon bu spit into over a fit hey boh believe the same hing but ar'n friendly with each other.

I'll see if thats righ i think it is.

[pmccorrie]

If you ask me its just a complete wast of time all i know is that they are both weird and thats it

[Hgrove]

There is something called "catholic of the ambrosian rite" so I believe. Ambrosian means "from Milan" so it would seem that there are two different types of Catholic: those who adhere to the roman rite and those who adhere to the Milan rite.