The Roman Catholic Church is headed by the Pope and has a hierarchical structure and specific beliefs and practices.
Catholicism is one of Christianity’s oldest and largest branches, tracing its origins back to the early Christian communities in the Roman Empire. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles, as passed down through the apostolic succession of bishops and the Pope. The Catholic Church has a centralized, hierarchical structure, with the Pope as the head and a canon law system that governs its members’ beliefs and practices.
Some of the main beliefs of Catholicism include the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the divinity of Jesus Christ, the authority of the Pope and the bishops, the sacraments, the doctrine of transubstantiation, the veneration of Mary and the saints, and the existence of heaven, hell, and purgatory.
On the other hand, Christianity is a broader term that encompasses a wide range of denominations and sects that follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. These include Protestant denominations such as Anglicanism, Methodism, and Baptism, as well as Evangelical and Pentecostal churches. Many of these denominations reject the Pope’s authority and the Catholic Church’s hierarchical structure and have different beliefs and practices. Protestant churches typically believe in the authority of the Bible alone and have a more congregational structure.
While Catholicism and Protestantism are the two largest branches of Christianity, there are also other branches, such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and Assyrian Church of the East, which have their distinct beliefs and practices.
In summary, The main difference between Catholic and Christian is that Catholic refers specifically to followers of the Roman Catholic Church, while Christian refers to a wider range of denominations and sects that follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
