Catholic Church

/ˌkæθ(ə)lɪk tʃərtʃ/

/ˈkæθlɪk tʃətʃ/

Definitions of Catholic Church

1. noun

   any of several churches claiming to have maintained historical continuity with the original Christian Church
   types:

   Church of Rome, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Church, Western Church

   the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy

   Old Catholic Church

   Catholic churches that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 18th century

   Byzantine Church, Eastern Church

   the Catholic Church as it existed in the Byzantine Empire

   Eastern Church, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox Catholic Church, Orthodox Church

   derived from the Byzantine Church and adhering to Byzantine rites

   Uniat Church, Uniate Church

   any of several churches in eastern Europe or the Middle East that acknowledge papal authority but retain their own liturgy

   Greek Church, Greek Orthodox Church

   state church of Greece; an autonomous part of the Eastern Orthodox Church

   Russian Orthodox Church

   an independent church with its own Patriarch; until 1917 it was the established church or Russia

   type of:

   Christian church, church

   one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship