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Catholic AnswerRoman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is rarely used by the Catholic Church. Basically, the English "Church" which was started by Henry VIII, and formally founded by Parliament under Elizabeth I, has tried to describe itself (at least some of its members) as "Anglo-Catholic", and Roman as the Catholics who owe allegiance to the Bishop of Rome, otherwise known as the Pope.

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A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater mentions that "Roman Catholic" was originally used by English speaking non-Catholics for members of the Catholic Church. The problem, of course, is that many people, even Catholics, confuse "Roman Catholic" with Latin-Rite Catholic as opposed to Byzantine, Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Ethiopic, Malabar, Maronite and Syrian. This is a little confused as the Latin Rite is technically the Roman Rite but only when those two words are joined "Roman-Rite". Every Catholic, of whatever Rite looks to the Holy Father in Rome as the Vicar of Christ. Attwater concludes "But its use by Catholics is unnecessary and, having regard to its connotation for many non-Catholics, sometimes to be avoided. Basically, the term "Roman Catholic" was coined as a put-down, a slur: something which most Catholics today do not even know. Catholic, on the other hand:

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from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Catholic. It's original meaning of "general" or "universal" has taken on a variety of applications in the course of Christian history. First used by St. Ignatius of Antioch (A.D. 35-107) ( Letter to the Smyrneans, 8, 2), it is now mainly used in five recognized senses: 1. The Catholic Church as distinct from Christian ecclesiastical bodies that do not recognize the papal primacy; 2. The Catholic faith as the belief of the universal body of the faithful, namely, that which is believed "everywhere, always , and by all" (Vincentian Canon); 3. Orthodoxy as distinguished from what is heretical or schismatical; 4. The undivided Church before the Eastern Schism of 1054; thereafter the Eastern Church has called itself orthodox, in contrast with those Christian bodies which did not accept the definitions of Ephesus and Chalcedon on the divinity of Christ.

In general, today the term "Catholic" refers to those Christians who profess a continued tradition of faith and worship and who hold to the Apostolic succession of bishops and priest since the time of Christ. (Etym. Latin catholicus, universal; Greek katholikos, universal.)

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