Hi Kevin,

Simple question, simple answer:

• Is the Early Church the same as the Roman Catholic Church?

Yes!

You said:
I have heard people say that the Catholic Church was given to all of the people who were united as one, and not the Roman Catholic Church.

Basically they are saying that the Catholic Church, or the Early Church, is not the same as the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today.

• Can you comment on their statement and help me to defend what we believe?

• The Early Church Fathers on the importance of the Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome.

My colleague Eric, in another answer stated:

Interesting factoid, though: The first use of the term Catholic is in 110 A.D., where St. Ignatius of Antioch, a martyr later thrown to the lions, wrote to a church in Asia Minor. There he said:

Where the bishop is, there let the people gather; just as where ever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.

Some articles that you may find of interest:

• Apostolic Succession
• Peter's Primacy
  

If your friends looked into the writings of the Early Church Fathers I believe they would be surprised at how Catholic the Early Church Fathers were.

• Why? <Because they were!>

I could agree with what they are saying to a certain extent.

• Is the essence of an acorn also in an Oak tree? <Sure!>

The difference:

The development and growth of the acorn into an Oak tree.

The same is true of the Church:

Development and growth of doctrinal teachings over time especially during the early Church when the Church had to deal with heretics and heresy. Nevertheless, the difference is development, growth and clarification, not mutation or change of Her Teachings.

The Church was given by Christ as the saving means for all mankind.

He created every one for a specific purpose in life. Our goal, no matter what faith we are born into, is to glorify Him by being faithful to the natural law that has been written in our hearts.
For the non-Christian this entails the basics:

• Do unto others, as you would want to be done to you, and
• being open to what Christianity has to offer for your own salvation.

For the Christian this entails the Christian basics like:

• obeying the Ten Commandments
• studying the Holy Scriptures and knowing the history of your current faith/denomination
• seeking the fullness of the Christian Faith that can only be found in the Church Our Lord established on St. Peter.

For the Catholic this entails discerning the specific calling and ministry the Lord has given to us in the Church, while obviously striving to live a sacramental, prayerful life.

Without a regular prayer life, Satan and his group of invisible demonic spirits will be able to persuade us to go off the Catholic Christian path. Nevertheless, we have to remember that the Church also consists of holy angels to help us against these demonic spirits. This is why prayer and acknowledgment of demonic, evil spirits, along with the Holy ones is important.

I've heard young people on TV talk about bad thoughts or impulses they are receiving. It may be of a homosexual nature or a nature where they wish to harm another person. Often they say,

"That they don't know where this is coming from."

Although there are exceptions for people with mental illnesses, my answer is: That's an easy one:

The demonic is trying to persuade you to do things against your Christian nature. A Christian nature that is marked on your soul by Baptism.

If we just think of the spiritual Christian life as me and the Holy Spirit, we can be lead astray by a spirit we think is holy, but isn't. Regular prayer and discernment are needed.

Hope this helps,

Mike

Hi Kevin,

The term Roman Catholic applies strictly to the Latin Rite Church, however, it has been used interchangeably with the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church includes many Churches besides the Roman Catholic Church. There are any number of Churches that are in complete union with Rome but retain names such as:

• Melkite Catholic
• Ukrainian Catholic
• Syriac Catholic, and
• Coptic Catholic

just to name a few. They all make up the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. To a lesser degree the Eastern Churches which are in schism are also part of the Church but not fully.

All the ecclesial communities which came about as a result of the Reformation are connected to the one true Church by virtue of their:

• profession of Christ
• their belief in the Trinity, and
• a common baptism

but these communities don't share the other sacraments. There is less of a connection with these sects, but they are brothers in Christ.

John

Hi John,

A slight correction to an inadvertent error.

Roman Catholic applies to the whole Catholic Church. The Eastern Rite Catholics of various branches are in union with Rome. There is only one Church but there are several rites within the Catholic Church — the ones that you mentioned. They are not referred to as separate Churches.

The only way we would use the term Church locally is the way in which the New Testament and the Fathers use it: the Church in Athens, in America, in Constantinople, etc.

Mary Ann

I beg to differ on the semantics. The Roman Catholic Church applies to Her Western Rite Mary Ann; the term has been misused.

The Melkite's are not Roman Catholics; they are Melkite Catholics and part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. They have their own Patriarchy and their own Canon Law.

The Roman Church does not interfere in their operations so operationally they are separate and equal churches within the one Church. Conversely, their clergy does not, as a rule, participate in the College of Cardinals that elect the Bishop of Rome though there are exceptions to that.

Further, their theological expression of the same truths varies from the Latin Rite. While they are in union with Rome and recognize the absolute primacy of the Pope, they remain independent.

John

Hi John,

You said:
While they are in union with Rome and recognize the absolute primacy of the Pope ...

That is what Roman Catholic means. All Catholics recognize the primacy of the See of Rome. Those who do not (Polish Catholics, Old Catholics, Orthodox) are not Catholic. All the Eastern Churches in union with Rome, while they have their Patriarchs, are part of the Roman Catholic Church.

You went on to say that they remain independent. Well, in some jurisdictional and ritual matters they are, but they are not truly independent. They are part of the Church and recognize the Roman See as the See of Peter and first in jurisdiction.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann,

We are arguing semantics. The fact is the Roman Church is the Latin Rite Church.

Yes, in the vernacular people call the entire Church the Roman Catholic Church but it is not accurate nomenclature.

The only church other than the Roman Church which has succession from Peter is the Melkite Church, because Peter left Antioch after appointing a successor and then went on to Rome.

If for some reason, he had never made it to Rome and appointed another successor there,
the Bishop of Antioch would be the Pope.

John