Catholic - A 'Universal Christian'

I have heard people saying, “S/he is not a practicing Catholic; but s/he is a true Christian.” Implication of this statement leads to this question: Is a Catholic Christian or not?

Catholic Church’s roots trace back their origin to the very beginning of Christianity. The Church is built on Christ. Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” St. Peter was the first Bishop of Antioch where ‘the disciples were for the first time called Christians’ (Acts 11:25-26).

It is believed that St. Evodius, the second Bishop of Antioch, was principally responsible for naming the disciples “Christians” (in Greek ‘Christianos,’ meaning “follower of Christ”).

The third Bishop of Antioch used the word ‘Catholic’ for the first time. Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans in 110 AD wrote: “Where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”

The word ‘Catholic’ comes from the Latin term ‘catholicus’ derived from the Greek ‘katholikos.’ The Greek words ‘kata’ (about) and ‘holos’ (whole) give rise to the term ‘katholou,’ meaning ‘on the whole.’ The Greek adjective ‘katholicos’ based on ‘katholou’ means ‘universal.’

There are 22 Eastern Churches (“ sui iuris” meaning ‘self-law’ or ‘of one’s own right), made up of two Alexandrian, three Antiochene, one Armenian, two Chaldean and 14 Byzantine, in full communion with the Pope in Rome, as part of the worldwide Catholic Church. The largest of these, the ‘Latin Rite’ consists of nearly 95 percent of the population of the Catholic Church.

The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and some Methodists declare that their churches are ‘catholic’ in the sense that they are in continuity with the original universal church founded by the apostles. The ‘Old Catholic Church’ and the various groups classified as ‘Independent Catholic’ Churches also lay claim to the description Catholic. ‘Traditionalist Catholics’, even if they may not be in communion with Rome, consider themselves to be not only Catholics but the “true” Roman Catholics.

In spite of all these claims, the terms “Catholic”, “catholicism” and “catholicity” are closely related to the use of the term ‘Roman Catholic Church.’

A Catholic is basically a Christian. But s/he is an ‘Universal Christian’ because s/he is part of the ‘people of God’, who is everywhere, speaks every language, eats every food, of every color and feature, of every walk of life and worshipping God through Christ unceasingly from the rising of the sun to its setting.