Evangelical Catholic

The term Evangelical Catholic is used by  Christians who consider themselves both "catholic" and "evangelical" (meaning "gospel-centered"). Evangelical Catholic (catholic is the noun with evangelical modifying) can refer variously to: evangelical Protestant Christians who consider themselves catholic Christians that identify with the historic Christian Church, who believe that the early general councils and the Protestant Reformation were both part of the progressive illumination of the Holy Spirit; Roman Catholics who, in continuity with the long tradition of the Church and empowered by Pope Benedict XVI's proclaimed "New Evangelization" stress the centrality and salvific universality of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the necessity of proclaiming it.