Catholic was a Latin word that had absolutely nothing to do with YOUR church...
Your church is not the church revealed to Paul the apostle...The word Catholic was not coined by any apostles or by God for that matter...When the word Catholic was coined, there were no popes, no priests in fancy robes, no worshipping of Mary, and on and on...
The Catholic church you attend didn't exist in the time of Jesus or the apostles...So what's in a name, eh???
>> Catholic was a Latin word that had absolutely nothing to do with YOUR church...
Your church is not the church revealed to Paul the apostle...The word Catholic was not coined by any apostles or by God for that matter...When the word Catholic was coined, there were no popes, no priests in fancy robes, no worshipping of Mary, and on and on... <<
Well, they were too brutally persecuted to wear fancy robes in public, but yes, there were presbyters (presiders, or priests) who led communities in rituals nearly identical to modern masses (read the Didache, a 1st-century description of Christian rituals). There were episcopi (bishops) who were the leaders of all Christians in a given city (hence, Ignatius’ directions). And, there was the Bishop of Rome, who picked up the nickname, “Papa,” from which the Church of England invented the term, “papist,” who other bishops appealed to when they disagreed with each other.
But here’s the trap of Protestants: they claim, “Sola Scriptura!” not because Catholic doctrine comes from anywhere other than the bible, but because it enables them to disregard history as a confirmation of what the bible means.
And, no, there wasn’t worshiping of Mary (not in the sense you mean it), just as there isn’t worship of her today. But there was very definitely special reverence for her.