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Catholic

    Catholic Editor's Picks

    • About Catholic Churches

      The word catholic means universal, world wide; and the Catholic churches does reach around the world. Each one of the different Catholic churches has branches in most of the countries of the world, touching the lives of those who belong to a church and those who do not as well. more »

    • About Catholic Annulments

      Marriage is considered by the Catholic Church to be a Sacrament---a bond created by God. Legal divorce does not dissolve a marriage in the eyes of the Church. In order to fully dissolve a marriage and allow the parties to marry in the Church in the future, an annulment must be granted. Annulment is the process by which a Church... more »

    • What Are the Four Catholic Vocations?

      Usually referred to in the context of priestly ordination, "vocation" is actually a concept that is pertinent to all members of the Catholic Church. The vocation of a person represents the type of life that this person will choose to lead in relationship to the Church. Catholics are able to select from one of four types of vocations:... more »

    • How Is the Catholic Bible Different?

      All Christians, including Catholics, believe that the Bible, though written by men, is the divinely inspired Word of God. During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the reformers removed several books from the Bible that they felt they could not trust were fully inspired by God. Catholic editions still contain these books,... more »

    • What Are the Catholic Sins?

      According to Catholic doctrine, there are different types of sins, with distinguishable consequences for each. Deep-rooted folklore often surrounds some of these policies of the Catholic Church. The following outlines different examples of sin and the logic behind the definition and punishment as outlined by the Catholic Catechism,... more »

    Catholic Quick Guides

    Catholic Articles

    • How to Become a Catholic

      Catholicism is one of the oldest religious institutions in the history of the world. If you decide that you want to become Catholic, you will be... more »

    • How to Become Catholic

      In the Catholic Church, babies are baptized shortly after birth. The only requirement is that their parents belong to the church. Adults choose to... more »

    • How to Date a Catholic

      Dating somebody who does not follow the same religion that you do can be a challenge. For example, what if your girlfriend is Catholic but you... more »

    • About Catholic Dating

      Dating in the Catholic world is very different than dating for non-religious individuals. For example, there are many "rules" that... more »

    • How to Get a Catholic Annulment

      It's no secret that the divorce rate is raising at an alarming rate, yet almost a quarter of the American population is Catholic, despite the... more »

    Wikipedia

    Catholic

    The word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective (katholikos), meaning "universal".(cf. In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches; this is the common usage in most countries. Protestants sometimes use the term "Catholic Church" to refer to all believers in Jesus Christ across the world and the ages, regardless of "denominational" affiliation . The Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans and some Methodists believe that their churches are catholic in the sense that they are in continuity with the original universal church founded by the Apostles. Both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that their church is the only original and universal church. In "Catholic Christendom" (including the Anglican Communion), bishops are considered the highest order of ministers within the Christian religion, as shepherds of unity in communion with the whole church and one another.F.L. Cross, Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 1977:175. Catholicity is considered one of Four Marks of the Church, the others being unity, sanctity, and apostolicity. Christliche Religion, Oskar Simmel Rudolf Stählin, 1960, 150 according to the Nicene Creed of 381: "I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church."

    History of ecclesiastical use of "catholic"
    Ignatius of Antioch

    A letter written by Ignatius to Christians in Smyrna around 106 is the earliest surviving witness to the use of the term Catholic Church (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8). By Catholic Church Ignatius designated the universal church in communion with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). Ignatius considered that certain heretics of his time, who disavowed that Jesus was a material being who actually suffered and died, saying instead that "he only seemed to suffer" (Smyrnaeans, 2), were not real read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic

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