History and Diversity

One of the earliest uses of the word "catholic" with reference to the Christian church is in an early second century statement of belief known as "the Apostle's Creed." The assertion there of belief in "the holy catholic church" uses the word in its basic meaning of "universal," and describes an ideal unity that exists among all Christians. For that reason as well as its antiquity, Christians of all three major divisions affirm that belief (although some Protestant groups disavow all "creeds" and formulas of belief). Following the "Great Schism" about a thousand years ago (see the page on "Orthodoxy"), the churches in the west tended to favor this word for referring to themselves. Consequently, western churches became known as "Catholic" whereas the churches in the east were called "Orthodox" (a word with Greek roots stressing the idea of "right teaching."

Particularly since the Protestant Reformation (see the discussion of history on the "Protestantism" page), there have been some who have used the term "Roman Catholicism" to describe churches that continue under the primacy of the bishop of Rome, the pope. Historically, this branch of Christianity has stressed its unity both of doctrine (church teachings) and governance maintained through the process of "Apostolic Succession." Each priest is only validly ordained to office by a bishop appointed by the pope, whose own succession as bishop of Rome is part of a succession that, according to tradition, reaches back to Simon Peter, one of Jesus' original twelve apostles.

Even with this emphasis on "unity" reflected in the very designation "Catholic" itself, there is nevertheless considerable diversity in belief and practice among Catholics today. This diversity has long roots historically through the various "orders" that have been recognized within the Catholic church (among whom the Jesuits and the Benedictines may be the most widely known), and today especially through the cultural diversity of the Catholic church around the world. Such variety of cultural expression within the scope of the Catholic church's teachings and practices has been especially encouraged since the Second Vatican Council ("Vatican II)" in 1962-1965. Likewise, like with all religions, Catholic Christians hold a range of beliefs along a "conservative" to "liberal" continuum.

Catholicism's Scriptures

As with Orthodox Christians, the canon list of the Catholic scriptures in its "Old Testament" is somewhat broader than the books of the Jewish Tanakh. But it is also somewhat narrower than the Orthodox Christian canon. From the books of the Septuagint, the Catholic bible includes only seven of the books not found in Tanakh (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, 1 & 2 Maccabees, and Baruch [including the Letter of Jeremiah]). Because Jerome, who compiled what eventually became the official Latin translations of the scriptures used in the western churches (the "Vulgate"), was himself a proponent of limiting the canon to the books of Tanakh, Catholics refer to these seven books as "deuterocanonical" (that is, "secondarily canonized," a designation referring to the process of canonization and not a secondary status in terms of authority).

Catholicism's Practices

The central act of communal worship and devotion in Catholicism is the "mass." It is a worship service where Catholics share in the "eucharist," the formal name (from a word meaning "thanksgiving") used by Christians to refer to a ritual of sharing bread and wine as Jesus did with his apostles the night before he died. Among some Protestants, this ritual is called the "Lord's Table" or "Supper" or sometimes "Holy Communion." Within the Catholicism, only those who are baptized and "confirmed" members of the Catholic Church in good standing are to partake of the bread and wine during that part of the service; non-Christians and even Christians of other divisions of the church should not participate in this particular aspect of worship (the same is true in Orthodox and some Protestant churches; see the discussion of practices on the Protestantism page on this website). Scouts who a members of units chartered to Catholic churches should be informed of this restriction, particularly if they will be attending "Scout Sabbath" services along with their units, and respect this expectation.

Copyright © 2005 Scouting and Religious Diversity
Last modified: 10/10/05