Q: What is the difference between the Roman Catholic and the Catholic religion?

ANSWER:

The Catholic religion/Church comprises all ecclesial communities, all group of churches in communion with the Pope. If a group or community does not adhere to the Pope, it is not part of the Catholic Church.

There are a number of individual or sui iuris (self-governing) churches, sometimes called “rites”. One of these is the Roman rite. It includes most catholics in the West. So when you say “Roman Catholic” it properly refers to a member of the Roman rite which is the largest of all other rites.

Maronites, Ukrainian, Chaldean, Syro-Malankara Catholics can be properly refered to as “Catholics” but not “Roman Catholics”. They are “Maronite Catholics”, “Chaldean Catholics” etc. They are all as catholic as everyone else since they are in full communion with the Pope.

All the rites are equal, their ecclesial customs and traditions may be different, ways of doing theology etc, but the doctrines are all the same.

Source: CatholicSay
October 10, 2014