What are the branches of Catholicism?

Answer: The Catholic Church is much more diverse than many people believe. According to the Catholic Church's teaching (found in Vatican II's document 'Dogmatic Constitution on the Church'): 1) There is one Church founded by Christ (paragraph 8); this is the Catholic Church 2) The Catholic Church comprises all those who are in union with the Bishop of Rome. There are several brances, the largest of which is the Latin Church (usually, but incorrectly called Roman Catholic), plus several Eastern Rite and Coptic churches; these churches, whilst in communion with the Bishop of Rome, have their own rites, laws, customs and choose their own bishops. Catholic Byzantine Churches: Albanian Catholic, Belarussian Catholic, Bulgarian Catholic, Greek Catholic, Hungarian Greek Catholic, Italo-Albanian Catholic, Macedonian Greek Catholic, Melkite, Russian Catholic, Ruthenian Catholic, Slovak Greek Catholic and Ukranian Catholic. Other (non-Latin) Catholic Churches: Coptic Catholic Church (mostly Egypt), Ethiopian Catholic Church, Maronite (Middle East), Syriac Catholic Church (Middle East), Syro-Malanakara (India), Syro-Malabar (India), Armenian Catholic Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church (Iran ,Iraq). Other Churches The Catholic Church fully recognises the existence of other churches (e.g. the Eastern Orthodox, the Coptic, the Polish National Catholic and Utrecht Old Catholics); the recognition of them as churches is based on whether or not, according to Catholicism, they possess apostolic succession, the 3 levels of priesthood: diaconate, presbyterate and episcopacy and seven sacraments. Those groups which do not possess the above characteristics (e.g. Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians and other Protestants) are referred to, by Catholicism, as 'ecclesial communities' rather than 'churches'; its is a distinction that is lost on many.