Catholicism is a term used especially in the context of Christianity. It comes from the Greek word καθολικος, meaning "general" or "universal." It can mean one of several things:

• Due to the dominant history and current influence of the Roman Catholic Church, "Catholicism" is often used to mean the belief system of that Church.

• In informal usage the term may be further restricted to the mean the members, traditions, or theology of the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church.

• In other usage it may refer to all Churches that are Catholic in nature, which declare they uphold the Catholic faith, and claim apostolic succession through the Catholic side of the Great Schism. For examples see the Old Catholic Church, or the official Church of England site [What it means to be an Anglican] especially on "upholding the Catholic faith".

• It was first used to distinguish the early Christian Church from heretical groups, seen as associated with particular regions only.