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{{Short description|Term for the Catholic Church or its members}}{{italic title}}{{See also|Catholic Church|Catholicity|Catholic (term)}}The term Roman Catholic is used to differentiate the Catholic Church and its members in full communion with the pope in Rome from other Christians who identify as "Catholic".* WEB, Catholic,weblink October 30, 2023, Collins Dictionary, * WEB, Roman Catholic,weblink October 30, 2023, Colins Dictionary, * WEB, Roman Catholic,weblink October 30, 2023, Oxford English Dictionary, * WEB, Definition of CATHOLIC,weblink 2023-10-30, www.merriam-webster.com, en, * WEB, 2023-10-20, Definition of ROMAN CATHOLIC,weblink 2023-10-30, www.merriam-webster.com, en, It is also sometimes used to differentiate adherents to the Latin Church and its use of the Roman Rite from Catholics of the Eastern Catholic Churches. It is not the official name preferred by the Holy See or bishops in full communion with the pope as a designation for their faith or institution.BOOK, D., Whitehead, K.,weblink One, holy, Catholic, and apostolic: the early church was the Catholic Church, 2000, Ignatius Press, 0898708028, San Francisco, 45473599, The term "catholic" is one of the Four Marks of the Church set out in the Nicene Creed, a statement of belief widely accepted across Christian denominations. Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox consider the term "Catholic" to refer to a single institutional one true church, while Protestant ecclesiology considers it to refer to a church invisible referred to as the Christian Church. The use of "Roman" or "Roman Catholic" to differentiate the Catholic Church dates from the Middle Ages.Following the pejorative term "papist", attested in English since 1528,WEB,weblink Definition of PAPIST, merriam-webster.com, en, 2023-02-14, 2023-01-04,weblink live, the terms "Popish Catholic" and "Romish Catholic" came into use in English during the Protestant Reformation. From the 17th century, "Roman Catholic Church" has been used as a synonym for the Catholic Church by some Anglicans and other Protestants in English-speaking countries."Everyone claimed to be 'catholic' and 'evangelical' and (eventually) 'reformed', but now each of these became a denominational label. The name 'Roman Catholic' conjoined the universality of the church 'over the entire world' with the specificity of 'only one single see'" (weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215055658weblink|date=2023-02-15}}) Jaroslav Pelikan, 1985, The Christian Tradition: Volume 4, Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300–1700) (Section on The Roman Catholic Particularity). University of Chicago Press {{ISBN|0-226-65377-3}} pages 245–246 The phrase is used by Catholics to emphasize the unique communion of the Catholic Church with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, considered to be the successor to Saint Peter. {{Catholic Church sidebar}}

History of the term

{{see also|Catholic Church#Name}}Formulations such as the "Holy Roman Church" or the "Roman Catholic Church" have occurred by officials of the Catholic Church beforeBOOK, Stone, Darwell,weblink The Christian Church, 1906, E. S. Gorham, 978-1230241296, 174–175, 2016-12-23, 2023-02-15,weblink live, WEB, Eugene IV, Pope, The Council of Florence (A.D. 1438-1445),weblink Catholicism.org, Saint Benedict Center, 23 December 2016, 2005-03-16, 2017-01-15,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170115114228weblink">weblink live, and after the Reformation.WEB, FIRST VATICAN COUNCIL,weblink Eternal Word Television Network, 23 December 2016, 7 February 2006,weblink live, WEB, PIUS XI, POPE, DIVINI ILLIUS MAGISTRI,weblink The Holy See, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 23 December 2016, 22 May 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150522174309weblink">weblink live, WEB, PIUS XII, Pope, HUMANI GENERIS,weblink Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 23 December 2016, 23 March 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210323155553weblink">weblink live, WEB, Benedict XIV, Pope, Magnae Nobis,weblink Papal Encyclicals Online, 23 December 2016, 1748-06-29, 2016-12-24,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161224100259weblink">weblink live, WEB, Pius V, Pope, QUO PRIMUM,weblink papalencyclicals.net, 23 December 2016, July 14, 1570, 11 June 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110611185249weblink">weblink live, It is also used in the context of ecumenical dialogue. The first known occurrence of "Roman Catholic" as a synonym for "Catholic Church" was in communication with the Armenian Apostolic Church in 1208, after the East–West Schism.BOOK, Brill; Lam, Boston, Massachusetts (USA), 978-9004326842, 116, Salvation outside Church,weblink 2016-10-07, 2021-04-18, 2023-02-15,weblink live, WEB, Pacheco, John, Ultra-Traditionalism,weblink catholic-legate.com, The Catholic Legate, 23 December 2016, 4 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304101649weblink">weblink live, The last official magisterial document to use "Roman Catholic Church" was issued by Pope Pius XII in 1950.WEB,weblink Humani Generis (August 12, 1950) {{!, PIUS XII|access-date=2017-05-12|archive-date=2021-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323155553weblink|url-status=live}}{{Original research inline|date=February 2022}}

16th and 17th centuries

File:Dr Taylor rebuking a Popish Priest who was about to say Mass in Hadley Church (Thomas Taylor) from NPG.jpg|thumb|Woodcut depicting a "Popish priest" being rebuked by 16th-century English cleric Thomas Taylor; the National Gallery, LondonNational Gallery, LondonThe terms "Romish Catholic" and "Roman Catholic", along with "Popish Catholic", were brought into use in the English language chiefly by adherents of the Church of England."Roman Catholic" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401054227weblink |date=2019-04-01 }} at Catholic Encyclopedia online.The reign of Elizabeth I of England at the end of the 16th century was marked by conflicts in Ireland. Those opposed to English rule forged alliances with those against the Protestant Reformation, making the term "Roman Catholic" almost synonymous with being Irish during that period, although that usage changed significantly over time.BOOK, Ireland, Brian, Mayne, Charles, Hefling, Cynthia, Shattuck, 2006, (The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey), Oxford University Press, 0-19-529756-3, New York, 202, Like the term "Anglican", the term "Roman Catholic" came into widespread use in the English language only in the 17th century.A.C. Hamilton, 1997 The Spenser Encyclopedia, University of Toronto Press, {{ISBN|0-8020-7923-7}}, p. 160. The terms "Romish Catholic" and "Roman Catholic" were both used in the 17th century and "Roman Catholic" was used in some official documents, such as those relating to the Spanish Match in the 1620s.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

18th and 19th centuries

File:St. Mary's Roman Catholic Mission.jpg|thumb|Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Mission, built in 1866 in Stevensville, MontanaStevensville, MontanaThe official and popular uses of the term "Roman Catholic" in the English language grew in the 18th century. A letter by John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, published in 1749 is addressed to "a Roman Catholick".Wesley, J. (1749), A letter to a Roman Catholick {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215055659weblink |date=2023-02-15 }}, Dublin, 18 July 1749, accessed 19 June 2022 Up to the reign of George III, Catholics in Britain who recognized the Pope as head of the Church had generally been designated in official documents as "Papists". In 1792, however, this phraseology was changed and, in the Speech from the Throne, the term "Roman Catholic" was used.William Lecky 2001, A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, Adamant Media {{ISBN|1-4212-1125-4}}, p. 134.By the early 19th century, the term "Roman Catholic" had become well established in the English-speaking world. As the movement that led to Catholic Emancipation through the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829 grew, many Anglicans and Protestants generally began to accept that being a Roman Catholic was not synonymous with being disloyal to the British Crown. While believing that in the past the term Roman Catholic may have been synonymous with rebel, they held that it was by then as indicative of loyalty as membership in any other Christian denomination.The Critical Review, Series III, Volume XI (May 1807), published by Pickering & Chatto, London, p. 104. The situation had been very different two centuries before, when Pope Paul V forbade English members of his church from taking an oath of allegiance to King James I, a prohibition that not all of them observed.Lisa McClain, Lest we be damned: practical innovation and lived experience among Catholics in Protestant England (2003, {{ISBN|0-415-96790-2}}), pp. 257-268.Also in the 19th century, some prominent Anglican theologians, such as William Palmer and John Keble, supported the Branch Theory, which viewed the universal Church as having three principal branches: Anglican, Roman and Eastern.Paul Avis, Anglicanism and the Christian Church (T. & T. Clark Publishers, 2002, {{ISBN|0-567-08849-9}}) p. 221. The 1824 issue of The Christian Observer defined the term Roman Catholic as a member of the "Roman Branch of the Church".The Christian Observer, Volume 23, 1824, p. 133. By 1828, speeches in the British Parliament routinely used the term Roman Catholic and referred to the "Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church".Robert Inglis, 1828, On the Roman Catholic question, published by J. Hatchard, Piccadilly, London, 1828.In the United States, use of the term "Roman Catholic", as well as the number of Catholics, began to grow only in the early 19th century. Like the term "papist", "Romanist" was often used as a mainly pejorative term for Roman Catholics at the time. In 1790, there were only 100 Catholics in New York and some 30,000 in the whole country, with only 29 priests.John Fletcher Hurst, Short History of the Church in the United States, A.D. 1492–1890, published by Bibliolife, 2008, {{ISBN|0-554-54499-7}}, page 82 As the number of Catholics in the United States grew rapidly from 150,000 to 1.7 million between 1815 and 1850, mostly by way of immigration from Ireland and the German Confederation, many clergy followed to serve that population, and Roman Catholic parishes were established.BOOK, Erwin, Fahlbusch, The Encyclopedia of Christianity, 4, Eardsman Publishing, 2005, 626, 0-8028-2416-1, The terms "Roman Catholic" and "Holy Roman Catholic" thus gained widespread use in the United States in the 19th century, both in popular usage and in official documents.The United States Catholic magazine and monthly review, 1847, page 564José Baralt, 1999, The policy of the United States towards its territories, University of Puerto Rico Press, {{ISBN|0-8477-0341-X}}, page 119James Hitchcock, The Supreme Court and Religion in American Life Princeton Univ Press, 2004, {{ISBN|0-691-11696-2}}, page 165 In 1866, US President Andrew Johnson attended a meeting of the Council of the Roman Catholic Church.James J. Hennesey, American Catholics: A History of the Roman Catholic Community in the United States, Oxford University Press, 1983, {{ISBN|0-19-503268-3}}, p. 159.

Branch theory

File:John-Henry-Newman.gif|thumb|The branch theory was popularized during the Anglican Oxford Movement, of which John Henry NewmanJohn Henry NewmanThere is sometimes controversy about the name "Roman Catholic Church" when it is used by members of other churches to suggest that the church in full communion with Rome is only one part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. That argument is linked especially with the branch theory upheld by many Anglicans that the church in communion with the Pope is only one branch of a divided Catholic Church, of which the Eastern Orthodox Church and Anglicanism are the other two principal branches.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}In 1864, the Holy Office rejected the branch theory and affirmed in a letter written to the English bishops that the Roman Church is not just a part of the Catholic Church and stating that "there is no other Catholic Church except that which is built on the one man, Peter".{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} In 1870, English bishops attending the First Vatican Council raised objections to the expression Sancta Romana Catholica Ecclesia ("Holy Roman Catholic Church"), which appeared in the schema (the draft) of the council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith. The bishops proposed for the word "Roman" to be omitted or at least for commas to be inserted between the adjectives out of concern that use of the term "Roman Catholic" would lend support to proponents of the branch theory. While the council overwhelmingly rejected that proposal, the text was finally modified to read "Sancta Catholica Apostolica Romana Ecclesia"WEB,weblink The acts of the council published in Acta Sanctae Sedis, volume V (1869–1870), p. 484, 2020-03-15, 2022-03-22,weblink live, translated into English either as "the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church"English translation {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112005650weblink |date=2020-11-12 }} by Henry Edward Manning in Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom: Volume II. The History of Creeds or, by separating each adjective, as "the holy, catholic, apostolic and Roman Church".{{citation |author=Avery Dulles |title=The Catholicity of the Church |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1987 |isbn=0-19-826695-2 |page=131|author-link=Avery Dulles }}{{#tag:ref|The opening words of the first chapter of the dogmatic constitution Dei Filius, which in the original draft were "Sancta Romana Catholica Ecclesia", were voted on on three separate dates. On the first occasion, when that chapter alone was considered, two votes concerned the opening words. The first was on a proposal by a few English-speaking bishops to delete the word Romana, thus changing Sancta Romana Catholica Ecclesia ("Holy Roman Catholic Church") to Sancta Catholica Ecclesia ("Holy Catholic Church"). This was overwhelmingly defeated.Richard Faber, Katholizismus in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 2005, p. 42.Theodorus Granderath, Constitutiones Dogmaticae Sancrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani, Herder 1892, p. 5, indicates that the vote was overwhelming. Granderath's book was called "one of the most important contributions to the literature of dogmatic theology in our day" in a review in the American Ecclesiastical Review.weblinkThe second vote held immediately afterwards was on a proposal to insert a comma so that Sancta Romana Catholica Ecclesia ("Holy Roman Catholic Church") would become Sancta Romana, Catholica Ecclesia ("Holy Roman, Catholic Church"). That also was defeated but not as overwhelmingly as the first proposal.In a later vote, on 12 April 1870, the text as a whole, which preserved the same opening words, was approved with 515 affirmative votes (placet) and no opposing votes (non placet); but there were 83 placet iuxta modum votes, asking for changes, many of them regarding the opening words of chapter I.Granderath, p. 27Jean-Yves Lacoste, Encyclopedia of Christian Theology: G - O (CRC Press, 2005 {{ISBN|1-57958-250-8}}, {{ISBN|978-1-57958-250-0}}), p. 1666In view of those reservations, the text presented for a final vote and approved unanimously on 24 April 1870 changed the order of the words and added "apostolica", so that Sancta Romana Catholica Ecclesia became Sancta Catholica Apostolica Romana Ecclesia ("Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church").Granderath, pp. 29-32|group=note}}

20th century

Countries that recognize the Catholic Church as the state church or as a tolerated church commonly use the title "Roman Catholic Church" in constitutional documents, however this is not the official name preferred by the Holy See or bishops in full communion with the pope as a designation for their faith or institution.From 1937 to 1972, the Constitution of Ireland used an extended name for the church, recognising the "special position of the 'Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church". The Anglican Archbishop of Dublin had objected to "Catholic Church" and quoted the Council of Trent for the longer title, which was approved by Eugenio Pacelli and Pope Pius XI.BOOK, Keogh, Dermot,weblink The Vatican, the Bishops and Irish Politics 1919-39, 2004-06-07, Cambridge University Press, 9780521530521, 213, 22 August 2012,weblink 2023-02-15, live, BOOK, Keogh, Dermot,weblink Ireland and the Vatican: The Politics and Diplomacy of Church-State Relations, 1922-1960, Cork University Press, 1995, 9780902561960, 136, 22 August 2012,weblink 15 February 2023, live, The same extended name is used in a 2009 Irish law.Charities Act 2009 §99(3) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002130116weblink|date=2012-10-02}} Irish Statute BookAmerican Catholics, who by the year 1900 were 12 million people and had a predominantly Irish clergy,William D'Antonio, 2001 American Catholics AltaMira Press {{ISBN|0-7591-0041-1}} page 1 objected to what they considered the reproachful terms Popish and Romish and preferred the term Roman Catholic.Israel Rupp, 1861 Religious denominations in the United States of America, Desilver Publishers, Philadelphia, p. 137. Use of "Roman Catholic" continued to spread in the United States and Canada In the early 20th century to refer to individuals, parishes, and their schools. For instance, the 1915 Report of the Commissioner of Education of the United States had a specific section for "Roman Catholic Parish Schools".Report of the Commissioner of Education United States Office of Education, 1915, page 560 By 1918, legal proceedings in state supreme courts (from Delaware to Minnesota) and laws passed in the State of New York used the term "Roman Catholic parish".Atlantic Reporter, Volume 98, 1917, West Publishing Co. Saint Paul, MN, page 521Annotated consolidated laws of the state of New York, 1918, The State of New York, page 7635 Connecticut state law, last revised in 1955, also provides for organising parish corporations affiliated with the "Roman Catholic Church".WEB, DEROSA, RONALD, 2009-03-09, Proposed law would change oversight of money in Catholic parishes,weblink 2023-10-22, The Register Citizen, en-US, WEB, CHAPTER 598: RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS AND SOCIETIES,weblink Connecticut State Legislature, {{anchor|Catechism of the Catholic Church}}The Baltimore Catechism, the official catechism authorized by the Catholic bishops of the United States between 1885 and 1965, states: "That is why we are called Roman Catholics; to show that we are united to the real successor of St. Peter" (Question 118), and refers to the Church as the "Roman Catholic Church" under Questions 114 and 131.WEB,weblink The Baltimore Catechism: Lesson 11: ON THE CHURCHLesson 12: ON THE ATTRIBUTES AND MARKS OF THE CHURCH, cin.org, 22 March 2015, 23 September 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150923203520weblink">weblink live, Usage of the name "Roman Catholic Church", however, does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church first published in 1992.WEB,weblink CCC on 'Roman Catholic Church', 12 May 2017, 25 August 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180825043623weblink">weblink live,

Current usage

"Roman Catholic" is used to refer to individuals, or as descriptor to refer to worship, parishes, festivals, etc, in particular to emphasize communion with the pope in Rome.WEB, CatholicReference.net: Catholic Dictionary: ROMAN CATHOLICISM,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101229135433weblink">weblink 2010-12-29, www.catholicreference.net, It is sometimes also identified with "Catholic" in general, or to specify "Western Catholic" (equivalent to "Latin Catholic") and "Roman-Rite Catholic" in contrast to the Eastern Catholics who also share communion with the pope.File:Ignatius of Antiochie, poss. by Johann Apakass (17th c., Pushkin museum).jpg|thumb|Saint Ignatius of Antioch first used the term "Catholic Church" (literally meaning universal church) in his 0-88141-006-3}}, page 7"Catholic Church" (or "the Church") is used in modern official documents by the Holy See, including the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1990), the Code of Canon Law (1983). It is also used in the ecumenical council documents of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965),The Vatican. Documents of the II Vatican Council {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040605190838weblink |date=5 June 2004 }}. Retrieved 4 May 2009. Note: The pope's signature appears in the Latin version. the First Vatican Council (1869–1870)WEB,weblink Decrees of the First Vatican Council, 1868-06-29, 2018-07-31, 2018-07-30,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180730021451weblink">weblink live, and the Council of Trent (1545–1563),WEB,weblink Trent: Complete, 2018-07-31, 2018-07-30,weblink live, and numerous other documents.WEB,weblink CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Roman Catholic, newadvent.org, 2009-08-16, 2019-04-01,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190401054227weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Kenneth D. Whitehead, ewtn.com, 2018-07-31, 2019-07-05,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190705205700weblink">weblink live, "Roman Catholic Church" has also been used in official texts of the Holy See to refer to the entirety of the church that is in full communion with it, encompassing both its Eastern and Western elements. This is reflected in reference books such as John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary.WEB, CatholicReference.net: Catholic Dictionary: ROMAN CATHOLICISM,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101229135433weblink">weblink 2010-12-29, www.catholicreference.net, In its relations with other churches, it frequently uses the name "Roman Catholic Church", which it also uses internally, though less frequently.WEB, Whitehead, Kenneth, How Did the sCatholic Church Get Her Name?, Eternal Word Television Network, 1996,weblink 9 May 2008, 9 May 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080509164708weblink">weblink live, McClintock, p. 71, quote: "The name [Roman Catholic Church] may be found in a number of Roman Catholic writers, and is generally used in the constitution of those states in which the Roman Catholic Church is recognized as one of the recognized or tolerated State churches. It is, however, not the official name used by the authorities of the Church who rather dislike it, and substitute for it the name 'Catholic' or 'Holy Catholic' Church. The name 'Roman Church' is applied, in the language of the Church, to the Church or diocese of the Bishop of Rome."BOOK, One, holy, Catholic, and apostolic: the early church was the Catholic Church, D., Whitehead, K., 2000, Ignatius Press, 0898708028, San Francisco, 45473599,weblink BOOK, Patrick, Madrid, Why Is That in Tradition?, 2002, The use of "Roman", "Holy", and "Apostolic" are accepted by the Church as descriptive names.JOURNAL, Catholic University of America, 1903, American Ecclesiastical Review,weblink live, The American Ecclesiastical Review, Fr. Pustet & Company, 28, 1–135, 1068-2880,weblink 15 February 2023, 22 March 2015, [Roman] is useful in a description of the Church, because it suggests the monarchical form of government, and it indicates the central seat of government. (page 131)., {{CCC|pp=811|end=870|accessdate=2 December 2023|quote="870: The sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, . . . subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him. Nevertheless, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside its visible confines (LG 8)."}}In the 21st century, the three terms – "Catholic Church", "Roman Catholic Church" and "Holy Roman Catholic Church" – continue to appear in various books and other publications.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

"Roman Catholic" and "Catholic"

(File:Sacred Heart Sign Waterbury CT.jpeg|thumb|A typical parish sign in the United States)Official church documents have used both the terms "Catholic Church" and "Roman Catholic Church" to refer to the worldwide church as a whole, including Eastern Catholics, as when Pope Pius XII taught in Humani generis that "the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing."Encyclical Humani generis {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419021937weblink |date=2012-04-19 }}, 27 Official documents such as Divini Illius Magistri, Humani generis, a declaration of 23 November 2006 and another of 30 November 2006 also use "Roman Catholic" to speak of it as a whole.According to J.C. Cooper, "In popular usage, 'Catholic' usually means 'Roman Catholic',"BOOK, Cooper, J.C.,weblink Dictionary of Christianity, 2013, Routledge, 978-1-884964-49-7, 47, 27 January 2015,weblink 15 February 2023, live, a usage opposed by some, including some Protestants.James Hastings Nichols, Primer for Protestants (Kessinger Publishing Company 2004 {{ISBN|978-1-4179-9824-1}}), p. 9 "Catholic" usually refers to members of any of the 24 constituent Churches, the one Western and the 23 Eastern. {{citation needed|date=November 2023}}Some writers, such as Kenneth Whitehead and Patrick Madrid, however, argue that the only proper name for the church is "the Catholic Church". Whitehead states that "The term Roman Catholic is not used by the Church herself; it is a relatively modern term, and one, moreover, that is confined largely to the English language. The English-speaking bishops at the First Vatican Council in 1870, in fact, conducted a vigorous and successful campaign to insure that the term Roman Catholic was nowhere included in any of the Council's official documents about the Church herself, and the term was not included." Whitehead also states that "the proper name of the Church, then, is 'the Catholic Church', never 'the Christian Church'."(iarchive:oneholycatholica00kenn| Kenneth D. Whitehead, One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic: The Early Church was Catholic Church (Ignatius Press 2000) {{ISBN|978-0-89870-802-8}}), Appendix I Cardinal Walter Kasper has argued that the term "Roman Catholic" should not be used to denote the entire Catholic Church, stating this term would "emphasize the Roman and downplay the Catholic".WEB, Kasper, Walter, Ecclesiological Themes in Ecumenical Dialogue: Catholicity, Apostolicity, Unity,weblink live,weblink 2017-03-27, 2017-03-26, Pro Unione, Rev. Bud Heckman states that "Representatives of the Catholic Church are at times required to use the term 'Roman Catholic Church' in certain dialogues, especially in the ecumenical milieu, since some other Christians consider their own churches to also be authentically Catholic."Bud Heckman, Interactive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook, Skylight Path Press, 2008, {{ISBN|1-59473-237-X}}, p. 235. For instance, the term Roman Catholic was used in the dialogue with the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan on 29 April 1977.WEB, Common declaration of Pope Paul VI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Donald Coggan,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110720110327weblink">weblink 2011-07-20, 2020-07-06, vatican.edu, Vatican City,

"Roman Catholic" and "Eastern Catholic"

{{Anchor|"Roman Catholic" and "Latin Catholic"|View of Eastern Catholics}}Some use the term "Roman Catholic" to refer to Latin Church Catholics who predominantly (but not exclusively) worship according to the Roman Rite, as opposed to Eastern Catholics. An example is the statement in the book When other Christians become Catholic: "the individual becomes Eastern Catholic, not Roman Catholic." In this context, converts from Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox churches are enrolled in the closest corresponding Eastern Catholic church according Canon Law.Paul Turner, 2007, When other Christians become Catholic. Liturgical Press. {{ISBN|0-8146-6216-1}}, p. 141. Similarly the Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth states that "not all Catholics are Roman Catholics and there are other Catholic Churches", using the term "Roman Catholic" to refer to Latin Church members alone.Brian Singer-Towns, 2003, The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. Saint Mary's Press. {{ISBN|0-88489-759-1}}, p. 105.Some Eastern Catholic writers make the same distinction between Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic.WEB, Fran Colie, Roman or Melkite, What's the Difference?,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111205183528weblink">weblink 5 December 2011, 22 March 2015, melkite.org, BOOK, Descy, Serge, The Melkite Church, Sophia Press, 1993, Boston, 92–93, BOOK, Faulk, Edward, 101 Questions and Answers on Eastern Catholic Churches, Paulist Press, 2007, 978-0-8091-4441-9, New York, 7, Additionally, in other languages, the usage varies significantly.{{CathEncy|wstitle=Maronites|quote="Surrounded by Mussulmans, schismatics, and heretics, they are proud to call themselves Roman Catholics"}}BOOK, Faulk, Edward, 101 Questions and Answers on Eastern Catholic Churches, Paulist Press, 2007, 978-0-8091-4441-9, New York, 7, {{refn|group=note|For an example of a variant non-English use, Arabic-speaking Melkite Catholics, who use the Byzantine liturgical rite, occasionally identify themselves as Rum Katolique with reference to the "New Rome" of Constantinople, home of their Byzantine-rite heritage (Faulk, p. 7). On the other hand, the Maronites, who are also Arabic-speaking but not of Byzantine Rite, call themselves Roman Catholics with reference to the Rome of the Popes.}} Some of the writers who draw a contrast between "Roman Catholics" and "Eastern Catholics" may perhaps be distinguishing Eastern Catholics not from Latin or Western Catholics in general, but only from those (the majority of Latin Catholics) who use the Roman liturgical rite. Adrian Fortescue explicitly made this distinction, saying that, just as "Armenian Catholic" is used to mean a Catholic who uses the Armenian rite, "Roman Catholic" could be used to mean a Catholic who uses the Roman Rite. In this sense, he said, an Ambrosian Catholic, though a member of the Latin or Western Church, is not a "Roman" Catholic. He admitted, however, that this usage is uncommon.Adrian Fortescue, 2001 The Uniate Eastern Churches Gorgias Press {{ISBN|0-9715986-3-0}} page 3Some Eastern Catholics, while maintaining that they are in union with the Bishop of Rome, reject the description of themselves as being "Roman Catholics"."We are Non-Roman Catholics" (weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720144229weblink|date=2016-07-20}}).WEB, "Roman or Melkite: What's the Difference",weblinkweblink 2016-06-25, ). Others, however, have historically referred to themselves as "Roman Catholics" and "Roman Catholic" sometimes appears in the compound name of Eastern Catholic parish churches, e.g. St. Anthony's Maronite Roman Catholic Church.Examples are weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110629023544weblink">St. Anthony Maronite Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Roman Catholic Church Academic usage of "Roman Catholic" to describe Eastern Catholic bodies and persons is also extant.WEB, Roman Catholic Church of Romania,weblink live,weblink 27 June 2021, 8 February 2022, Encyclopaedia Britannica, {{better source needed|reason=border line original research/synthesis of primary sources, need third party sources of commentary on Eastern Catholic use of "Roman"|date=November 2023}}Orthodox Christians sometimes use the term "Uniate" (occasionally spelled "Uniat") to describe the Eastern Catholic churches which were previously Eastern or Oriental Orthodox, although some consider this term derogatory.WEB, The word 'Uniate',weblink live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110607104634weblink">weblink 2011-06-07, 2016-02-07, oca.org, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosset, NY, Official Catholic documents no longer use the term, due to its perceived negative overtones.WEB, The Catholic Eastern Churches,weblink live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110622004202weblink">weblink 2011-06-22, 2016-02-07, cnewa.org, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, It should be mentioned that in the past the Eastern Catholic churches were often referred to as 'Uniate' churches. Since the term is now considered derogatory, it is no longer used., New York, In fact, according to John Erickson of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, "The term 'uniate' itself, once used with pride in the Roman communion, had long since come to be considered as pejorative. 'Eastern Rite Catholic' also was no longer in vogue because it might suggest that the Catholics in question differed from Latins only in the externals of worship. According to Richard John Neuhaus, the Second Vatican Council affirmed rather that "Eastern Catholics constituted churches, whose vocation was to provide a bridge to the separated churches of the East."SPEECH, Erickson, John H., On ecumenism, National Workshop on Christian Unity, San Diego, CA, May 2001, Quoted in JOURNAL, Neuhaus, Richard J., March 2002, Orthodoxy and 'Parallel Monologues',weblink live, First Things, New York, Institute on religion and public life, 68–91, 1047-5141,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090208000142weblink">weblink 2009-02-08, 2016-02-07,

"Roman Catholic" and other Catholic

When used in a broader sense, the term "Catholic" is distinguished from "Roman Catholic", which specifically denotes allegiance to the Bishop of Rome, i.e. the Pope. When thus used, "Catholic" also refers to many other Christians, especially Eastern Orthodox and Anglicans, but also to others, including Old Catholics and members of various Independent Catholic churches, who consider themselves to be within the "Catholic" tradition.Thomas P. Rausch, Catherine E. Clifford, Catholicism in the Third Millennium (Glazier, Michael, Incorporated 2003 {{ISBN|978-0-8146-5899-4}}), p. 248. They describe themselves as "Catholic", but not "Roman Catholic" and not under the authority of the Pope. Similarly, Henry Mills Alden writes: {{blockquote|The various Protestant sects cannot constitute one Church because they have no intercommunion... each Protestant Church, whether Methodist or Baptist or whatever, is in perfect communion with itself everywhere as the Roman Catholic; and in this respect, consequently, the Roman Catholic has no advantage or superiority, except in the point of numbers. As a further necessary consequence, it is plain that the Roman Church is no more Catholic in any sense than a Methodist or a Baptist.BOOK, Harper's new monthly magazine, Volume 37, Issues 217-222, Harper's Magazine, Alden, Henry Mills, 1868, |sign=|source=}} According to this viewpoint, "For those who 'belong to the Church,' the term Methodist Catholic, or Presbyterian Catholic, or Baptist Catholic, is as proper as the term Roman Catholic. It simply means that body of Christian believers over the world who agree in their religious views, and accept the same ecclesiastical forms."BOOK, Harper's magazine, Volume 37, For those who "belong to the Church," the term Methodist Catholic, or Presbyterian Catholic, or Baptist Catholic, is as proper as the term Roman Catholic. It simply means that body of Christian believers over the world who agree in their religious views, and accept the same ecclesiastical forms., Harper's Magazine, 1907,

Public Papal Communications

Pope John Paul II referred to himself as "the Head of the Roman Catholic Church" (29 September 1979).BOOK,weblink The Pope in Ireland: Addresses and Homilies, Dublin, Veritas, 1979, 22 April 2021, 22 March 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20220322024932weblink">weblink live, He called the Church "Roman Catholic" when speaking to the Jewish community in Mainz on 17 November 1980,WEB,weblink Incontro con i rappresentanti della comunità ebraica (Magonza, 17 novembre 1980) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2013-07-12,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130712195001weblink">weblink live, in a message to those celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Confessio Augustana on 25 June 1980,WEB,weblink In occasione del 450° anniversario della "Confessio Augustana" (25 giugno 1980) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2012-10-20,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121020130552weblink">weblink live, when speaking to the people of Mechelen, Belgium on 18 May 1985,WEB,weblink Incontro ecumenico nella Cattedrale di Mechelen, 18 maggio 1985 | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2015-01-07,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150107132346weblink">weblink live, when talking to representatives of Christian confessions in Copenhagen, Denmark on 7 June 1989,WEB,weblink Meeting with the representatives of the Danish Lutheran Church, other Churches and Ecclesial Communities at Moltkes Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark (June 7, 1989) | John Paul II, March 15, 2020, January 11, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140111224042weblink">weblink live, when addressing a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on 29 June 1989,WEB,weblink Alla Delegazione del Patriarcato Ecumenico di Costantinopoli (29 giugno 1989) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2015-01-07,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150107141551weblink">weblink live, at a meeting of the Ukrainian Synod in Rome on 24 March 1980,WEB,weblink AI Vescovi Ucraini riuniti nel Sinodo Straordinario (24 marzo 1980) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2014-04-03,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140403023627weblink">weblink live, at a prayer meeting in the Orthodox cathedral of Bialystok, Poland on 5 June 1991,WEB,weblink Viaggio Apostolico in Polonia: AI fedeli presenti all'incontro ecumenico di preghiera nella cattedrale ortodossa di Białystok(5 giugno 1991) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2014-04-16,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140416142805weblink">weblink live, when speaking to the Polish Ecumenical Council in Holy Trinity Church, Warsaw 9 June 1991,WEB,weblink Viaggio Apostolico in Polonia: AI rappresentanti del Consiglio Ecumenico polacco nella Chiesa luterana della Santissima Trinità a Varsavia (9 giugno 1991) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2014-04-16,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140416142841weblink">weblink live, at an ecumenical meeting in the Aula Magna of the Colégio Catarinense, in Florianópolis, Brazil on 18 October 1991,WEB,weblink Viaggio Apostolico in Brasile: Incontro ecumenico a Florianopolis (18 ottobre 1991) | Giovanni Paolo II, 2020-03-15, 2013-03-03,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130303023256weblink">weblink live, and at the Angelus in São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil on 20 October 1991.WEB,weblink Angelus Regina Caeli, 2010-08-22, 2011-07-24,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110724093117weblink">weblink live, Pope Benedict XVI called the Church "the Roman Catholic Church" at a meeting in Warsaw on 25 May 2006WEB,weblink Apostolic voyage in Poland: Ecumenical meeting in the Lutheran Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Warsaw (May 25, 2006) | BENEDICT XVI, March 15, 2020, November 3, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131103094252weblink">weblink live, and in joint declarations that he signed with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on 23 November 2006WEB,weblink Common Declaration of Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Rowan Williams (November 23, 2006) | BENEDICT XVI, March 15, 2020, March 2, 2013,weblink live, and with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople on 30 November 2006.WEB,weblink Common Declaration by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I, www.ewtn.com, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101206212721weblink">weblink 2010-12-06,

See also

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• Catholic Church

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Notes

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References

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Further reading

Church statistics

• WEB,weblink Government of Canada, Religion, Catholic 12,810,705; split into: Roman Catholic 12,728,885; Ukrainian Catholic 51,790; Greek Catholic, n.o.s. 14,255; etc, 2013-05-08,
• WEB,weblink Government of Poland, Religion, Religion: Roman Catholic (97% ), Orthodox (1.5%), Greek Catholic (1%), others (0.5% ),
• WEB,weblink Government of Romania, RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION ACCORDING TO THE 2011 CENSUS, Roman Catholic 4.62%, Greek-Catholic 0.80%,
• WEB,weblink Government of Hungary, Religions, Religions: Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5%,
• WEB,weblink$File/130055140118.pdfpage=3, Czech Government, Religions, Religions: Roman Catholic Church 1 082 463; Greek Catholic Church 9 883,
• WEB,weblink Slovak Government, Religion, Roman Catholic Church (68.9%), Greek Catholic Church (4.1%),
• WEB,weblink Government of Ukraine, Religion, communities of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church 3,765; communities of the Ukrainian Roman Catholic Church 942,
• BOOK, Faulk, Edward, 101 Questions and Answers on Eastern Catholic Churches,weblink 4 January 2015, 2007, Paulist Press, 9780809144419, 7, While this term ["Roman Catholic Church"] has never been part of the official title of the Catholic Church, it can be thought of as synonymous with the more correct Latin Rite Church,
• BOOK, Fortescue, Adrian, The Uniate Eastern Churches,weblink 4 January 2015, 2001, Gorgias Press LLC, 9780971598638, 3, A Roman Cathodic is a Catholic who uses the Roman rite, just as an Armenian Cathodic is one who uses the Armenian rite.,
• BOOK, Engebretson, Kath, International Handbook of Inter-religious Education,weblink 4 January 2015, 2010-08-17, Springer Science & Business Media, 9781402092602, 127, It must be accepted that "Roman Catholic and "Roman Church" are not equivalent terms [...] In saying this, I realise I am swimming against the current of popular expression, the practice of many writers [...] and, possibly, some Eastern Catholic Churches.,
• BOOK, Jones, Rhidian, The Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England 2nd Edition: A Handbook,weblink 4 January 2015, 2011-06-30, A&C Black, 9780567616418, vii, Arguably these [Eastern Catholic] Churches are Roman Catholic [...]; however, they are not referred to as such in common parlance [...] The Latin Church [...] is also correctly referred to as the Roman Catholic Church.
• BOOK, Mahieu, Stéphanie, Naumescu, Vlad, Churches In-between: Greek Catholic Churches in Postsocialist Europe,weblink 4 January 2015, 2008, LIT Verlag Münster, 9783825899103, 24, this relatively small community is now divided into three religious groups: Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Orthodox.
• JOURNAL, Immigrant social aspirations and American education, Canadian Slavonic Papers, 1979, Greek Catholic priests, like Orthodox but unlike Roman Catholic priests, could marry.,

Note: Romanian, Greek, and Ukrainian statistics may be translations that reflect the usage of "Roman Catholic" in the original languages, and may not necessarily reflect the prevailing use of the term among native English speakers.

External links

• Roman Catholic, Catholic Encyclopedia

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