Wikipedia:Catholic or Roman Catholic?

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See also: Wikipedia:Proposed naming conventions (Catholic Church), User:Vaquero100/CC vs. RCC, and User:Pseudo-Richard/Names of the Catholic Church
A typical sign identifying a parish church in the United States

Many peer publications use the term "Roman Catholic" to describe the church lead by the Pope, yet we notably do not. Why is that? This essay aims to clarify why the flagship article of WP:Wikiproject Catholicism is named "Catholic Church", while many topics use "Roman Catholic Church" instead.

While certainly possessing a controversial history since the Protestant Reformation, the term Roman Catholic is still used today without irony by thousands of individual Catholics, Catholic parishes, and dioceses to describe their church and institutions. For example, in the United States, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York (Official Website) serves the City of New York and surrounding area - while in England, the Archdiocese of Liverpool (Official Website) describes itself as the "The Roman Catholic Church In And Around Liverpool and Region". Though both versions of the name are acceptable, "Catholic Church" is the simplest form that is sufficiently clear for most purposes, thus the flagship article is titled "Catholic Church", with "Roman Catholic Church" listed as an alternative.

However, Roman Catholic has been applied in other contexts in order to avoid ambiguity, particularly when discussing complex histories regarding multiple denominations and in some ecumenical contexts. Many peer publications use "Roman Catholic" as the main article to avoid confusion. This essay will address how Wikipedia has balanced Catholic and Roman Catholic within the article and category user spaces; the members of the Wikiproject Catholicism came to this narrow consensus after numerous discussions, linked in the appendix for anyone interested.

This essay also advocates for continued use of Roman Catholic in at least some contexts to avoid ambiguity when discussing complex topics and incongruity with peer publications. Other essays heavily favor using "Catholic Church" or "Catholic", with limited uses for Roman Catholic; one example is Wikipedia:Proposed naming conventions (Catholic Church). As of yet, there is no governing policy, so the choice of which convention to use remains with the original author of an article, and should not be changed without substantial reason.

Background[edit]

The church has no specific official universally recognized name, so we default in Wikipedia to the simplest name that is sufficiently distinct for most purposes "Catholic Church", extending to "Roman Catholic Church" when helpful and appropriate. Use of Catholic or Roman Catholic within a single article should be consistent, mindful of any parent/main topic articles. However, exceptions might be made when discussing other "Catholic" churches within the same subsection or paragraph.

The use of "Catholic Church" is usually preferred by the Holy See and most of its adherents. The last official magisterium document to use "Roman Catholic Church" was issued by Pope Pius XII in 1950.[1] "Catholic Church" was used by Pope Paul VI when signing the documents of the Second Vatican Council.[2] This preference also usually appears on the website of the Holy See. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, only "Catholic Church" is used.

Usage on Wikipedia[edit]

There has been a long running but largely dormant dispute as to whether the flagship article should be titled "Catholic Church" or "Roman Catholic Church". The consensus on this issue has been to use "Catholic Church" because this name is slightly more official, and slightly more common in the 20th and 21st centuries. Prominently within the lead, "Roman Catholic Church" is listed as an alternative name. Until recently, the parent category for Catholic Church-related articles had remained "Category:Roman Catholicism", to avoid taxonomic ambiguity. Several articles closely related to the Catholic Church article were also renamed for consistency, such as History of the Catholic Church, but this should not be automatically applied to all (Roman) Catholic articles.

The first article to broach this subject was the general topic article originally titled Catholicism, published on October 27, 2001. This was a comprehensive article that treated all western denominations with a Catholic heritage. This primordial article expanded into the current article now titled Catholicism (term).

By April 15, 2004, the original Catholicism article came to include significant content on both the Catholic Church in communion with the Pope, other Catholic bodies, as well as the broader meanings of the term Catholic. On April 20, 2004, the content was WP:Forked into a smaller comprehensive "Catholicism" article, and a new article, "Roman Catholic Church". Previous attempts to separate the content were not accepted by the community. On July 2, 2009, the article was renamed Catholic Church "per consensus at mediation and later discussion". This is the tile it has remained at to date, although numerous reversion proposals have emerged over the years. Many are linked in the appendix here for reference.

Discussion and consensus[edit]

One of the strengths of WP:Wikiproject Catholicism is the diversity of editors attracted. The Catholic Church has been a vitally important topic throughout history, and remains a source of inspiration to many today. People from all backgrounds and cultures are drawn to work to ensure fair and comprehensive coverage of the church and related topics.

While this is undoubtedly a strength, a diversity of opinions can cause friction over ambiguous or controversial topics. Naming conventions for Catholic-related articles is one such difficult topic here on Wikipedia. Reviewing the decades of discussions (see Appendix) on this topic reveals that it is a sensitive, and hotly debated topic for many editors. When proposing to change the naming convention from Catholic to Roman Catholic (or the reverse) for an article or series, be especially respectful of differing opinions.

To be productive, discussion should focus on which naming convention is best for a particular context. Care should be taken focus on the meaning of the terms Catholic and Roman Catholic in the English language, as other languages and cultures may use these terms differently. Our shared goal is to build a clearly readable, world class, and freely available encyclopedia!

Some advice for how to approach this topic:

Review past discussions: While editors are encouraged to be civil and assume good faith, bringing up old arguments without new information is especially frustrating; it can be wearying to rehash the same argument over and over. Help other editors by acknowledging past decisions, and providing clear reasons for a proposed change.

Be respectful of other editor's time: Many editors have come and gone on Wikipedia. That does not necessarily mean they no longer have an opinion on matters. It just means they cannot participate in every discussion. Dozens of discussions across multiple talkpages can result in editors talking past one an other, missing important details, and many becoming frustrated. Opening many discussions, especially when encountering resistance to a proposal, can border on WP:Forum shopping. Try to centralize discussions, and propose related name changes at once.

Educate on details: Naming conventions can be an esoteric topic for those not familiar with the details. Admins would who manage page moves might have little experience with the topic. Provide background on page moves and avoid simplistic arguments such as "WP:Consistency"; avoid citing recent successful page moves with little participation as precedent, as they may be subject to review or reversal. Be honest about one's motives and one's WP:Point of view on a matter. Well reasoned moves that point to cohesive vision are more likely to gain wide support.

Build widespread consensus: Because this is a complex topic with few governing policies, a handful of editors could propose and succeed on dozens of page move requests. However, other editors who have an opinion, but were not available or unaware of a discussion, may feel blindsided. Encourage participation, especially from veteran editors who will bear the brunt of implementing new consensus decisions. This, combined with well reasoned page moves rationals, will help build lasting precedents less likely to be reversed.

Use and style advise[edit]

The rule of thumb in Wikipedia is that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Existing articles that use "Catholic" should continue to use it, unless there is ambiguity. Articles that use "Roman Catholic", should not be changed, except to make the use consistent and clear. Throughout a single article, individuals uses of "Catholic" or "Roman Catholic" should be modified for consistency within the rest of the article (except, of course, within direct quotes, or other rare instances). Importantly, uses should also reflect the relevant reliable sources. For example, an article titled Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich in Connecticut is perfectly appropriate, particularly since the official website also uses this name. This also serves a natural disambiguation for the Anglican Diocese of Norwich in (Old) England. It should be noted that the vast majority of diocesan articles (see the Index) are titled according to Roman Catholic (Arch)diocese of --.

Considerations for new content[edit]

Whether to use "Catholic" or "Roman Catholic" when writing a new articles remains under the discretion of the original author. Generally, articles within a series about a particular geographic area should consistently use either "Catholic" or "Roman Catholic", and authors should strive for consistency when adding new articles or content. Reasons to use "Roman Catholic" would be in areas where the Catholic Church has had only a more recent historical presence, such as areas historically Eastern Orthodox. Other areas, such as the Middle East, have populations of several Christian branches living in close quarters. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has at least six churches that share space, each of which claim to be the "Catholic Church" to some degree. Using Roman Catholic here is very appropriate. Other places, such as England, have a long history of rival claimants to the title "Catholic Church". While in contemporary England or Scotland, the "Catholic Church" is general understood to mean the "Roman Catholic Church", articles dealing with the history of religion in these areas might still use "Roman Catholic" to avoid ambiguity. One should not resort to contrived, convoluted sentences simply to avoid using the phrase "Roman Catholic".

Article and section names[edit]

In Wikipedia "Catholicism" as a main topic refers to the branch of Christianity that includes the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and others. To avoid ambiguity, articles and section discussing the teachings or practices of the Roman Catholic Church should be titled use either the phrase "Catholic Church" or "Roman Catholicism". Using "Catholicism" without explicit disambiguation should be avoided. "Catholic" as an adjective may be used with caution in titles, provided there is context in first paragraph stating. When naming a new article, consider the "parent" articles that are likely to link to it, and strive for consistency.

Examples

In the rare times that an article might need to renamed, try to find all related articles, and propose any modifications for the entire series at once. See: Wikipedia:Requested move#Requesting multiple page moves. Moves converting from one convention to other should be considered potentially controversial, should only be proposed with sound reasoning based. This essay is not alone justification for any particular page move.

Series of articles and categories[edit]

Dioceses and Eparchies[edit]

Currently, nearly every diocese and archdiocese is titled using the convention: Roman Catholic (Arch)diocese of --. This provides natural disambiguation with similarly named bodies in other denominations, and the consistency helps ensure the reader is aware that the article is part of the series. It should noted that this only applies to dioceses within the Latin Church (especially Roman Rite dioceses); the Eastern Catholic equivalent, eparchies, are titled using either the full church name or the name of the church's ritual family.

Similarly, bishops and archbishops are categorized by the church or ritual name, and the diocesan name.

Natural disambiguation[edit]

"Roman Catholic" provides an unambiguous convention for naming diocese where there is geographical overlap of multiple denominations. This situation exists throughout the world. Some examples:

United States


England
Germany
Canada

Ecumenical relations[edit]

"Roman Catholic" is frequently in interdenominational/ecumenical discussions between the Catholic Church, and Orthodox, Protestants, or others. These will often include the term "Roman Catholic" in the formal name of the dialog or within the name of the committee that is party to the dialog. When developing content regarding these articles, be mindful of how the parties and reliable third-party sources describe the discussions. Be careful also of similarly named organizations, and choose naming conventions that clearly communicate which parties are participating.

Both the Anglican Communion and Catholic Church claim to be the "catholic" church, so the unambiguous names Anglican and Roman Catholic are used by the parties. Roman Catholic also naturally disambiguate among the related parties, such as the Anglo-Catholics, who are participants/observers on the Anglican side, but not the (Roman) Catholic side.
Both Catholic and Roman Catholic are freely used to describe the Catholic Church as party to the dialogue (Thirty Years of Mission and Witness, 2001)
Both sides of the dialog between the Catholic Church and various Lutheran bodies use the term Roman Catholic in formal diolog titles. See: ("Catholic/Vatican", 1999, "Lutheran", as of 2017).
In a joint statement, both parties refer to the Roman Catholic Church (Report of the International Commission, 1982)
In series of joint statements, both parties refer to the Roman Catholic Church (Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue, 1982)
In a joint statement, both parties refer to the Roman Catholic Church (Joint Declaration On Unity, 2006)

Google Ngram[edit]

Google Ngrams are often used as an argument that the use of "Catholic Church" is increasing over time. Care must be taken, as interpreting Ngrams can become borderline WP:Original Research if used in direct article content. As a basis of argument for editorial decisions, some important key points must be kept in mind:

  • Every instance of "Catholic" double counts the Catholic in "Roman Catholic"
  • "Catholic" is also used in a variety religious and liturgical contexts, such as the Apostle's Creed and Nicene Creed, and such uses are not necessarily specific to the Catholic Church

In the chart above illustrating an Ngram taken in October 2022, the raw count for "Catholic" is three-four times higher than "Roman Catholic" since 1800, yet subtracting out the double counted portion, Catholic is used closer to only twice as many times. When you account for use by Protestants in liturgical texts (and to describe the nature of their own churches, the use between "Roman Catholic" and "Catholic" is likely closer to an even split. There is a notable increase since 1980, but also a leveling off after 2000. The above chart deliberately uses "Catholic Church" and "Roman Catholic Church" to limit the non-Catholic uses; still the phrase "Catholic Church" is in the Creeds shared by many Christian Denominations. The Ngrams can provide insight into general trends, must must be interpreted with care.

Conclusion[edit]

There is nothing wrong or improper about using the term Roman Catholic today, especially to avoid ambiguity when discussing different churches. Some older sources state that the term is improper, such as the "Roman Catholic" article in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, which states Roman to be "A qualification of the name Catholic commonly used in English-speaking countries by those unwilling to recognize the claims of the One True Church." However, this view is obsolete, as numerous (Roman) Catholic organizations have adopted the term. We can therefore use it when helpful, mindful to be consistent within an article, and across a series of closely related articles.

Appendix[edit]

Summary of prior discussions[edit]

This list of prior discussions is only partially complete

The following are the discussions that lead up to renaming the article from Roman Catholic Church to Catholic Church circa 2006-2007:

Talkpage 2005-06
Talkpage 2009
Standalone discussions
Related

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Humani Generis (August 12, 1950) | PIUS XII". Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  2. ^ The Vatican. Documents of the II Vatican Council. Retrieved 4 May 2009. Note: The pope's signature only appears in the Latin version.
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