[Mad Dawg]

The Roman Catholic Church to the extent that that name refers to anything is not conterminous or otherwise identical with the Catholic Church. Most of the matters we debate on FR are not matters pertaining to Latin Rite Catholics, but to the Catholic Church. The Catechism is not the "Cathecism of the Roman Catholic Church", but the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" which includes other groups in communion with the See of Rome.

I believe that as imposters arise who call themselves "Catholic" (an "old Catholic" preist, with malice aforethought tried to get me to come to a Mass he was celebrating, and called himself "Catholic" to me, knowing that I am a member of the Latin Rite) some official bodies have taken up the use of "Roman Catholic" to guard against imposters and as a concession to what in some cases is the quite innocent ignorance of some Protestants.

If you read Kipling's Kim, which in any event is a lot of fun, you will see a fictional incident of a Catholic Priest adopting the use "Roman Catholic" (complaining all the while) because he fears that some High Church Anglicans will "misunderstand" the use of "Catholic" all by itself.

Personally I don't find it very offensive. I do find willful persistence in ignorance remarkable, and willful persistence in prejudicial and offensive language after it is known to be imprecise and to give offense pathetic (in the strict sense, I don't mean it contemptuously), at least.

[philetus]

(Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.) “

Is your tag line sarcasm or do you believe it, because no where in the Bible will you find it, but you can find

1 John 1:8
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

[PAR35]

willful persistence in prejudicial and offensive language after it is known to be imprecise

And, as you point out, 'catholic' is quite imprecise.

And, do you consider 'Papist' to be offensive? If so, you probably need to take it up with the American Papist http://www.americanpapist.com/, the postmodern papist, and others of that faith.

[OLD REGGIE]

Personally I don't find it very offensive. I do find willful persistence in ignorance remarkable, and willful persistence in prejudicial and offensive language after it is known to be imprecise and to give offense pathetic (in the strict sense, I don't mean it contemptuously), at least.

Is the word "Catholic" (noun) the name of this church from day one? Would it be imprecise and/or ignorant to call the early church, prior to the coining of the word "Catholic as the Catholic Church?