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Catholic vs Parochial - What's the difference?

catholic | parochial |

As adjectives the difference between catholic and parochial

is that catholic is of the western christian church, as differentiated from eg the orthodox church while parochial is pertaining to a parish.

As a noun catholic

is a member of a catholic church.

catholic

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Universal; all-encompassing.
  • * 1946 , (Bertrand Russell), History of Western Philosophy , I.29:
  • Essentially, and in idea, the empire, in the minds of the Romans, was world-wide. This conception descended to the Church, which was ‘Catholic ’ in spite of Buddhists, Confucians, and (later) Muhammadans.
  • Pertaining to all kinds of people and their range of tastes, proclivities etc.; liberal.
  • He has catholic tastes.
  • Synonyms

    * universal

    parochial

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Pertaining to a parish.
  • Characterized by an unsophisticated focus on local concerns to the exclusion of wider contexts; elementary in scope or outlook.
  • The use of simple, primary colors in the painting gave it a parochial feel .
    Some people in the United States have been accused of taking a parochial view, of not being interested in international matters.
  • * 1918 , 1st of February, "
  • But for men of principle and honour and straightforward thought there could be no middle course and no paltering with petty issues of party or parochial advantage.
  • * 1969 , : A History of the Scottish People 1560-1830 , p 341:
  • Its atmosphere might have been provincial, but it was never merely parochial .