The term "catholic" (from the Greek ''katholikos'') means "universal", and its roots in ecclesiastical parlance go back to the early years of Christianity. Some Protestants believe that (Roman) Catholics do not have the right to monopolize the term, and so prefix it with the adjective "Roman". Some Catholics object to this nomenclature, precisely because it denies the status of the (Roman) Catholic Church as ''the'' universal Church of Christ. Historically speaking, the term "Roman Catholic" was coined in nineteenth-century Britain as a [[euphemism]] to replace insulting terms such as "papist" that had previously been in use. | The term "catholic" (from the Greek ''katholikos'') means "universal", and its roots in ecclesiastical parlance go back to the early years of Christianity. Some Protestants believe that (Roman) Catholics do not have the right to monopolize the term, and so prefix it with the adjective "Roman". Some Catholics object to this nomenclature, precisely because it denies the status of the (Roman) Catholic Church as ''the'' universal Church of Christ. Historically speaking, the term "Roman Catholic" was coined in nineteenth-century Britain as a [[euphemism]] to replace insulting terms such as "papist" that had previously been in use. |