“All Christians believe in the Catholic Church. Not all believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the totality of the Catholic Church.”
This is the center of the argument, the term catholic represented the whole early church, but even then there was much disagreement on the meaning and interpretation of early Christian leaders.
The Catholic church we think of now, slowly evolved and represents the western (Latin) influence of Christian thought and structure.
The Eastern Orthodox church, represents the other branch of the early Christian movement, which would remain until the Protestant Reformation.
This is the center of the argument, the term catholic represented the whole early church, but even then there was much disagreement on the meaning and interpretation of early Christian leaders.
>>The first major lasting schism in the Church took place in the 5th century following the Council of Ephesus over the condemnation of Nestorius and Dioscoros at the Council of Chalcedon.
The Catholic church we think of now, slowly evolved and represents the western (Latin) influence of Christian thought and structure.
>>If you are referring to the centralization of power in Rome then you are correct.
The Eastern Orthodox church, represents the other branch of the early Christian movement, which would remain until the Protestant Reformation.
The Eastern Orthodox still exist as do Eastern Catholics who formerly were Orthodox, but reunited with Rome in the aftermath of the Council of Trent.
My own Melkite Church formerly was Eastern Orthodox until 1729 when our Pope Benedict XIII recognized our patriarch as a Catholic.