Catholicism (disambiguation)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catholicism is a term used especially in the context of Christianity. It comes from the Greek word καθολικος, meaning "general" or "universal." It can mean one of several things:
- It was first used to distinguish the early Christian Church from heretical groups, seen as associated with particular regions or groups only.
- Due to the dominant history and current influence of the Roman Catholic Church, "Catholicism" is often used to mean the belief system of that Church.
- In informal usage the term may be further restricted to mean the members, traditions, or theology of the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church.
- In other usage it may refer to all Christian bodies which assert that they are Catholic in nature, which declare they uphold the Catholic faith, and claim apostolic succession through the Catholic side of the Great Schism. For examples see the Old Catholic Church.
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