Information AboutCatholic |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CATHOLIC | |
| christianity | |
| roman catholic church | |
| eastern orthodoxy | |
| oriental orthodoxy | |
| assyrian church of the east | |
| anglicanism | |
| lutheranism | |
| old catholicism | |
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In the context of Christian Ecclesiology , it has several usages:
Methodist s and Presbyterian s believe their denominations owe their origins to the Apostles and the early Church, but do not claim descent from ancient Church structures such as the episcopate. Neither of these Churches, however, denies that they are a part of the catholic (universal) Church. HISTORY OF USAGE The use of the term "Catholic" to distinguish the "true" Church from heretical groups is found also in Augustine who wrote: :"In the Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter , to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep (Jn 21:15-19), down to the present episcopate. :"And so, lastly, does the very name of Catholic, which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house. :"Such then in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should ... With you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me... No one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties so many and so strong to the Christian religion... For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church." A contemporary of Augustine, St. Vincent Of Lerins , wrote in 434 under the pseudonym Peregrinus a work known as the ''Commonitoria'' ("Memoranda"). While insisting that, like the human body, Church doctrine develops while truly keeping its identity (sections 54-59, chapter XXIII), he stated: " {Link without Title} n the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense 'Catholic,' which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors" (section 6, end of chapter II). PRESENT-DAY USAGE The term "Catholic Church" is normally associated with the Church that is led by the Roman Pontiff, currently Pope Benedict XVI, and whose over one billion adherents are about half of the estimated 2.1 billion Christians . Other Christian denominations also lay claim to the description "catholic", including the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Churches possessing the historic episcopate (bishops). In some countries, ''Catholic'' is included in the official name of a particular . For example, the name "St. Mark's ''Catholic'' Church" seeks to make clear that it is not an Anglican or Lutheran church. In other countries, such as England, it would be more usual to use "Roman Catholic Church" in this context. Many of those who apply the term "Catholic Church" to all Christians indiscriminately object to this use of the term to designate what they view as only one denomination within what they see as the "whole" Catholic Church. However, the Roman Catholic Church considers itself to be the Catholic Church, with others as "non-Catholics", and regularly refers to itself as the Catholic Church. This practice is in application of the belief that not all who claim to be Christians are part of the Catholic Church - a belief that goes back to Ignatius of Antioch, the earliest known writer to use the term ''Catholic Church'' - and that Communion with the Roman Pontiff is essential for membership. DIVERGENT USAGES As noted, in addition to the Roman Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox Church , Oriental Orthodoxy , and the Assyrian Church Of The East all see themselves as the " One Holy Catholic And Apostolic Church " of the Nicene Creed . Anglicans and Old-Catholics together see themselves as a Communion within that one Church, and Lutherans see themselves as "a reform movement within the greater Church catholic." The Orthodox do not recognize the universal primacy of the Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope ), but do rank him as '' Primus Inter Pares '' ("first among equals") among the five major ancient Christian Patriarchates (super-metropolitical archiepiscopal Sees) of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Rome. Anglicans and Old-Catholics accept that the Bishop of Rome is ''primus inter pares'' among all Primates , but they embrace Conciliarism as a necessary check on what they consider to be the "excesses" of Roman Ultramontanism . The Catholic Church's view of the Bishop of Rome is that he is not only ''primus inter pares,'' but that he is also given a special charism as the "Successor of Peter" to serve as universal pastor to the entire Church. The Catholic Church summarizes this view with the ancient quote, "Where Peter is, there is the Church." Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians (in general), and the Assyrian Church of the East each recognize the "validity" of each other's Eucharist ( Mass or Divine Liturgy ), and of the holy orders of their respective priesthoods and episcopate. The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, considers Anglican Holy Orders to be "null and void," as declared by Pope Leo XIII in his Bull ''Apostolicae curae''. Beginning with the Encyclical Letter ''Saepius officio'' of the Archbishop s of Canterbury and York in response to ''Apostolicae curae'', Anglicans have steadfastly rejected this claim. At present, Old-Catholics are in Full Communion with the worldwide Anglican Communion , including full exchange of clergy and participation in each other's ordinations (including episcopal consecrations), and many Lutheran Churches are in communion with some Anglican provinces. Although there were several statements made by a couple of Orthodox leaders in the early 20th century giving hope to Anglican clergy that their priestly orders would eventually be recognized as valid by the Orthodox, today there is little variance among Orthodox patriarchs and metropolitans on the validity of Anglican Orders. As with the Catholic Church, today the Orthodox churches universally require ordination to the priesthood for Anglican clergy that convert to Orthodoxy, evidencing the prevailing Orthodox view that the Anglican liturgy is non-sacramental in nature. Recent decisions by various Anglican/Episcopal bishops to ordain women to the priesthood and to the episcopate have rendered any hope of formal ecclesiastical union with Orthodoxy (from the Orthodox point of view) a moot point. Thus, for example, in an emergency, when no Roman Catholic priest is available, a Roman Catholic may, under canon law, receive the Holy Eucharist and receive absolution from an Orthodox priest, but not from an Anglican priest. This also means that if an Episcopal or Anglican male priest converts to the Roman Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church confers ordination on him (in its view, for the first time) and excludes women from Holy Orders. This divergence of belief is a considerable block to greater unity, in spite of substantial progress in ecumenical dialogues between Anglicans and Roman Catholics since the Second Vatican Council . Recent historic ecumenical efforts on the part of Roman Catholic Church have focused on healing the rupture between the Western ("Latin" or "Catholic") Christian Church and the main body of the Eastern ("Greek" or "Orthodox") Christian Church. Before he was incapacitated with a degenerative illness, Pope John Paul II often spoke of his great desire that the Catholic Church "once again breathe with both lungs," thus emphasizing that the Catholic Church seeks to restore full communion with the separated "Eastern" and "Oriental" Christian Churches. After the first rupture in the Catholic Church in 1054 between East and West, a brief reunification took place in the mid-15th century at the Council of Florence. The present Pope (Benedict XVI) has stated his intentions in restoring full unity with the Orthodox. From the Catholic standpoint, almost all of the ancient theological differences have been satisfactorily addressed (the Filioque clause, the nature of purgatory, etc.), and the experience of the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome has shown that the eventual reunion will not mean a "Latinization" of the Eastern Churches. AVOIDANCE OF USAGE SEE ALSO
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