Dear Chas:

All of the ancient creeds (e.g. Apostles Creed [c. A.D. 200-390], Nicene Creed [A.D. 325], Athanasian Creed [A.D. 500]) were written at a time in which there existed only one Church — the Church under the leadership of the Prime Minister of King Jesus, the Pope (cf., Matthew 16:18-19. confirmed by Jesus quoting from Isaiah 22:21-22). The word "catholic", regardless of whether or not it is capitalized, refers to the Catholic Church.

It is utterly disingenuous and delisional for non-Catholic groups to claim that the word "catholic" does not mean the Catholic Church. It can't mean anything but.

The Church has several titles in the 1st Century (e.g., Christian, The Way). The title of Catholic was also one of those titles. We see this title first in writing in A.D. 107 in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch. The Church was universal because by the this time it was no longer local, but extended throughout much of the known world.

The Catholic Church is the only ecclesial fellowship that is truly universal. There is no denomination that has existed in the pasts 2000 years that is truly universal except the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church is truly univeral not because she exists in every country of the world, but because she embraces all cultures of the world through multiple rites, some 27 rites in all (cf., Q&A Answer. The Church allows the cultures of the world to be their cultures in all thier diversity, save the only proviso that the Christian worldview subplant pagan and non-Christian worldviews, and that each rite maintain communion with Rome.

When Baptist, Lutherans, etc. missionize the world they bring to indiginous culture a Western (European) culture. That is not "universal." There is one famous case in which European missionaries demanded the people of an African village to dress in European clothing. The people's dress of have naked, woman bare-breasted, and such. One these villiagers donned the hot European clothing, they all died from heat stroke. The reason for the half-naked attire of these people was the extreme heat of the region. This is how they adapted to that heat.

These Protestant missionaries would not allow them to continue in their culture, but imposed European sensabilities.

On the name of the Church, you are correct. Catholic Church refers to all the rites of the Church, West and East. The largest rite is the Latin Rite, and the largest within the Latin Rite is the Roman. So, yes, you and I are members of the Catholic Church, Latin (Roman) rite.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary