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Roman Catholic Church
The front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City
Classification	Roman Catholic
Polity	Episcopal
Region	Worldwide
Founder	Traditionally, Jesus
Origin	est. the year 30 Jerusalem
Separations	Eastern Orthodox Church, Protestant denominations
Members	1,114,966,000

The Catholic Church or Roman Catholic Church is a Christian church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. Through apostolic succession, it traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus in his act of consecration of Saint Peter as the first pope. Together with its main mission to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments, the Church administers numerous social programs and ministries in countries throughout the world. These programs include schools, universities, hospitals, shelters, ministries to the poor, families, elderly, sick and marginalized.

Church belief is encapsulated in the Nicene Creed and detailed in a book called the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Catholic practices, prayers and devotions include Liturgy, which is regulated by church authority, and various forms of personal prayer and devotions such as the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and Eucharistic adoration. Catholic Mass, one of seven church sacraments, is considered the center of Catholic worship. The church community consists of the ordained, those in consecrated life, and laity. The Catholic Church ordains only men to the priesthood and requires them to have a college degree plus another four to five years of seminary formation before ordination. Catholic priests are celibate with exceptions made for Eastern Catholic Churches and some Protestant priest converts. Members of the consecrated life are referred to as monks and nuns or religious sisters and brothers. Most choose to live in a religious institute, take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and follow a rule such as Rule of Saint Benedict or its equivalent. Laity are those members of the church who are not ordained. They are equal in dignity, in the call to holiness, and in the work to build the church.

The Catholic Church is the largest Christian church, made up of one Western or Latin and 22 Eastern Catholic autonomous particular churches that comprise 2,782 jurisdictional areas around the world. Representing over half of all Christians and one sixth of the world's population these churches look to the Pope, alone or along with the College of Bishops, as their highest authority on earth for matters of faith, morals and church governance. Church history is intricately intertwined with the history of Western civilization. Because of the church's global nature, it also forms part of world history. The Church has affected and shaped the lives and beliefs of Christians and non-Christians alike for almost two thousand years.

Origin and Mission

The church traces its origins to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, and sees the bishops of the church as the successors of the Apostles in general, and the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter, leader of the Apostles, in particular. The Gospel of Matthew 16 gives the account of Christ's consecration of Peter with the words "...you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

The Church mission comes from Christ's command to his followers to go into the world to teach all nations. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you: and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age. After his death and resurrection, Jesus appears to Peter asking him to "feed my sheep" and "tend my sheep". The church believes it fulfills these mandates by preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments. The Church supplements its preaching and sacramental duties by administering numerous social programs in countries throughout the world. Through ministries like catholic schools, universities, hospitals, shelters, ministries to the poor, families, elderly and marginalized, and various lay ministries, the Church tends to both corporal and spiritual needs of "the sheep".

Beliefs

Catholic belief on all subjects is summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a book published by the Vatican. Eastern Orthodox belief differs from that of Roman Catholics mainly on the issues of papal infallibility, the filioque clause and the immaculate conception of Mary but is otherwise quite similar. This church is the second largest Christian church after the Roman Catholic Church. Combined, these two churches represent a decisive majority of all Christian believers. The rest of Christianity, the Protestant churches vary in their beliefs, but they generally differ from Catholics on the authority of the Pope and of church tradition, the role of Mary and the saints, the role of the priesthood, and issues pertaining to grace, good works and salvation. The five solas were one attempt to express these differences.

Creed

The Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, state the main principles of basic Christian and Catholic belief. The contents of the Apostles' Creed are entirely contained in the Nicene Creed which is what is recited in all the Eastern and Western Catholic Masses today as well as the majority of all worldwide Christian churches regardless of denomination. This creed states:

"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come."

Spiritual realm and sin

Catholic belief includes the existence of spiritual beings called angels. These beings are God's servants and messengers. They are purely spiritual creatures that have intelligence, will, and immortality." A certain number of angels chose to reject God and his reign. This event is called the "Fall of the Angels". The church refers to "Satan" or the "devil" as the spiritual being and fallen angel that tempted the first humans to commit original sin.

Originally created to live in union with God, these first humans, Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the world by committing this original sin. The event, called The Fall of Man, left humans separated from their original state of intimacy with God. This state of separation followed the soul into death. The Catechism states that "The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms ...a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man". According to the Catechism, original sin is to each individual soul "a deprivation of original holiness and justice..." that makes each person "subject to ignorance, suffering, and the dominion of death: and inclined to sin..." The sacrament of Baptism is the means by which people can be cleansed from this original sin.

Jesus preaches that his way leads to the fullness of life and love and following him leads the person to this fullness. Sin is the opposite of following Jesus and turns the soul away from God's love. The church teaches that sin robs man of his resemblance to God. Failing to love God and our neighbor and instead, doing harm to them, not following the Ten Commandments are some ways that people can commit sin. Some sins are more serious than others. Mortal sins are acts or deeds that break our relationship with God. For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent".

Jesus and Holy Spirit

The Gospel of John refers to Jesus as "The Word" who is God, and who was with God from the beginning, and through whom all things were made. In the messianic texts of the Jewish Torah, which is also the Christian Old Testament, God promises to send his people a saviour who will give his life as an offering for sin. This promise, according to Catholics is fulfilled in Jesus, the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". Christians believe that the mission of Jesus included giving us his word and example to follow. A person is helped to avoid sin and to do good instead by following the words and example of Jesus Christ which are found in the four Gospels. Furthermore, through his suffering, all humankind have an opportunity for forgiveness of and freedom from sin. This forgiveness is believed to reconcile us to God. The sacrament of Penance is the principal means by which Catholics obtain this forgiveness and receive God's grace and help not to sin again. Penance is a sacrament used to help prepare Catholics before they can validly receive the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

Jesus told his apostles that he would send them the "Advocate", the "Holy Spirit" who "will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you". According to the Catechism, this Holy Spirit "restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin. To the Catholic, receiving the Holy Spirit is receiving God, the source of all that is good. United with God, the person allows God to live and work through that person. Once a person has received the Holy Spirit, the Church teaches that he can produce the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. The sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist are the means with which Catholics obtain the Holy Spirit. The sacrament of confirmation can only be conferred once in a person's lifetime. The Eucharist is encouraged to be received as often as a person desires and at least once a week at Sunday mass.

Church and Papal Authority

Jesus said to his disciples "Abide in me, and I in you...I am the vine, you are the branches". Thus, for Catholics, the church means the people of God who abide in Jesus and form the different parts of his Body. It does not mean just a physical structure where people gather to worship God although the word 'church' is what Christian places of worship are called. Catholic belief extends the meaning of church to include all the faithful who have ever lived and who are believed to be still alive in heaven and who regularly help people on earth. This is called "communion with the saints" and "communion with the dead". Although the Catholic Church establishes, believes and teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, it also believes that the Holy Spirit can work through and make use of other churches to bring people to salvation. In its Constitution, the church acknowledges that the Holy Spirit is active in the Christian churches and communities separated from itself and is called by the Holy Spirit to work for unity amongst all Christians.

Apostolic Succession

Apostolic Succession is the belief that the Pope and Catholic bishops are the spiritual successors of the original twelve apostles, through the historically unbroken chain of consecration (see: Holy Orders). The Pope is the spiritual head and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Making use of the Roman Curia to assist him in governing the worldwide church, he is elected by the College of Cardinals who technically may choose from any male member of the church, but they must be ordained a bishop before taking office. Since the 15th century, a current cardinal has always been elected. Historically, the New Testament contains warnings against teachings considered to be only masquerading as Christianity, and shows how reference was made to the leaders of the church to decide what was true doctrine. The Catholic Church believes it is the continuation of those who remained faithful to the apostolic leadership and rejected false teachings.". Papal infallibility is the belief that when a pope speaks as head of the Church defining a doctrine concerning faith and morals to be held by the whole Church he does so without error.

Final judgment and salvation

Catholic belief in a final judgment day is based on the Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46. This Gospel discourse speaks of a day when Jesus sits in judgment of all mankind. "Come, you who are blessed by my Father...For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me....Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." For this reason, Catholic social teaching commits Catholics to the welfare of every person. Catholic life requires both spiritual and corporal works of charity. The corporal works are embodied in the preceding quote from Matthew 25 listed above. Spiritual works require the Catholic to: share their knowledge with others, give advice to those who need it, comfort those who suffer, be patient with others, forgive those who hurt them, give correction to those who need it, and pray for the living and the dead.

There are three stages of afterlife in Catholic belief. Heaven is a state of everlasting union and happiness with God. Purgatory is a place for purification of souls who are not free enough from sin to enter directly into heaven. The Church asks for and encourages prayers for these souls especially at Mass. Those who freely chose a life of sin and selfishness, were not sorry for their sins and had no intention of changing their ways go to Hell. Hell is everlasting separation from God. According to Church belief, no one is condemned to hell without freely deciding to reject God and his love. All Church beliefs about death, judgement, purgatory, heaven and hell are called the "last things".

Devotion to the Virgin Mary and the saints

Catholic belief holds that the church exists both on earth and in heaven simultaneously and thus, the Virgin Mary and the saints are alive and part of the living church. Prayers and devotions to Mary and the saints are common practices in Catholic life. These devotions are not worship, since only God is worshipped. The church calls this devotion "communion with the saints" and states in the Catechism "They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us...So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped.

Catholics venerate Mary with many loving titles such as "Blessed Virgin", "Mother of God" "Help of Christians", "Mother of the Faithful". She is given special honor and devotion above all other saints but this honor and devotion differs essentially from the adoration given to God. Catholics do not worship Mary but honor her as mother of Christ, mother of the church and as a spiritual mother to each believer of Christ. She is called the greatest of the saints, the first disciple, and our spiritual mother. Catholic belief encourages following her example of holiness. Prayers and devotions asking for her intercession such as the rosary are common Catholic practice. The Church devotes several liturgical feasts to Mary. Although there are others, the major feasts of Mary celebrated on the Liturgical Calendar are: The Immaculate Conception, Mary, Mother of God, The Visitation, The Assumption, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and in the America's the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Practices: Prayer and worship

In the Catholic Church, a distinction is made between Liturgy and personal prayer or devotion. Liturgy is the formal public and communal worship of the church, but personal prayer or devotion may be public or private. The Liturgy is regulated by church authority and consists of the Eucharist (the Mass), the other Sacraments, and the Liturgy of the Hours. All Catholics are expected to participate in the liturgical life of the church, but personal prayer and devotions are a matter of personal preference. A set of precepts provided by the church are to be followed by every Catholic. These precepts set a minimum standard for personal prayer and moral effort. They are:

• You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
• You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
• You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least once during Easter season.
• You shall keep holy the holy days of obligation.
• You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.

The faithful also have a duty of providing for the material needs of the church according to their individual abilities.

Mass and sacraments

Sunday is a holy day of obligation for Catholics that requires them to attend mass. In 1570 at the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V codified a standard book for the celebration of Mass for the Roman Rite. Everything in this decree pertained to the priest celebrant and his action at the altar. The participation of the people was devotional rather than liturgical. The Mass text was in Latin as this was the universal language of the church. This was called the Tridentine Mass and endured universally up to Vatican II and the Vernacular Mass known as the Novus Ordo Missae.

Catholic mass is separated into two parts. The first part is called Liturgy of the Word; readings from the Old and New Testament are read prior to the Gospel reading and priest's homily. The second part is called Liturgy of the Eucharist where the actual sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated. Catholics regard the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life, and believe that the bread and wine brought to the altar are changed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the true Body and the true Blood of Christ. This is called transubstantiation. The Holy Mass is a re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.

There are seven sacraments of the church, of which the most important is the Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the sacraments are outward signs of grace, instituted by Christ for sanctification. The Catholic Catechism states that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and pours out the Holy Spirit on his Body which is the Church members through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace. Participation in the sacraments, offered to them through the church, is how Catholics obtain forgiveness of sins and formally "ask" for the "good thing", the Holy Spirit. These sacraments are:

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• Eucharist
• Penance
• Anointing of the Sick
• Holy Orders
• Holy Matrimony

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, these sacraments were instituted by Christ and entrusted to the church. They are vehicles through which God's grace flows into the person who receives them with the proper disposition. In order to obtain the proper disposition, individuals are encouraged to attend classes before being permitted by pastors to receive certain sacraments.

Liturgy of the Hours

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer practice that makes regular use of the psalms intermixed with New and Old Testament readings and intercessions. It is similar to and originates from the Jewish daily prayer practice of praying the Psalms which are also prayed by Muslims. Catholics who pray the Liturgy of the Hours use a set of books issued by the Church called a breviary. The Catechism encourages "Pastors of souls" to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. By canon law, priests and deacons are required to pray the Liturgy of the Hours each day. Religious communities vary according to their rules and constitutions regarding the praying of this liturgy. The Second Vatican Council encouraged Christian laity to take up the practice. Although individuals may pray this on their own, they are considered to be praying in unison, in spirit, with the entire worldwide church.

Devotional life/Personal Prayer

Aside from the mass, the Catholic Church considers personal and communal prayer to be one of the most important elements of Christian life. The Church considers it a Christian duty, considered to be one of the spiritual works of mercy. Important examples are blessings of people and of objects, as well as devotions to particular saints, spiritualities, prayers, or catholic traditions. They include praying the rosary, visits to sacred shrines, pilgrimages, processions (including eucharistic processions), the stations of the cross, holy hours, eucharistic adoration, benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and the veneration of relics of saints.

Community

Individual Roman Catholic communities are divided into dioceses that are led by bishops appointed with final approval by the pope who is the head of the entire worldwide church. These bishops are helped by priests and deacons. Laity is a term that refers to everyone else in the community who is not a bishop, priest, or deacon. Some members of the ordained and some laity take vows and are called "consecrated". Consecrated Life (also called the Religious Life) refers to the life of men and women dedicated to God in a binding manner that is recognized by the Church. Its members are not part of the hierarchy, unless they are also ordained priests, but remain members of the laity.

Ordained ministry: Bishops, priests, and deacons

Men become priests, bishops, or deacons through the sacrament of holy orders. Candidates to the priesthood must have college degree in addition to another four to five years of seminary formation. This formation includes not only academic classes but also human, spiritual and pastoral education. The Roman Catholic Church ordains only men, as the Twelve Apostles were all male. The Church teaches that women have a different yet equally important function in church ministry, prayer and life.

The Bishops, who possess the fullness of Christian priesthood,

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are as a body (the College of Bishops) the successors of the Apostles and are "constituted Pastors in the Church, to be the teachers of doctrine, the priests of sacred worship and the ministers of governance." The pope, cardinals, patriarchs, primates, archbishops and metropolitans are all bishops and members of the Catholic Church episcopate or College of Bishops. Only bishops are allowed to perform the sacraments of holy orders and confirmation.

Each bishop heads a diocese, which is divided into parishes. A parish is usually staffed by one or more priests and deacons. Beyond their pastoral activity, a priest may perform other functions, including study, research, teaching or office work. They may also be rectors or chaplains. Other titles or functions held by priests include those of Archimandrite, Canon Secular or Regular, Chancellor, Chorbishop, Confessor, Dean of a Cathedral Chapter, Hieromonk, Prebendary, Precentor, etc. Permanent deacons preach and teach. They may also baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services. Candidates for the diaconate go through a diaconate formation program and must meet minimum standards set by the Bishops Conference in their home country. Upon completion of their formation program and acceptance by their local bishop, candidates receive the sacrament of Holy Orders through Ordination.

While deacons may be married, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Latin Rite. Protestant clergy who have converted to the Catholic Church are an exception to this rule. The Eastern Rites ordain both celibate and married men. All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition that, after ordination, marriage is not allowed. A married priest whose wife dies may not remarry. Men with "transitory" homosexual leanings may be ordained deacons following three years of prayer and chastity, but men with "deeply rooted homosexual tendencies" who are sexually active cannot be ordained.

Religious orders

The Catholic Church recognizes several forms of the consecrated life. These include the cenobitic life in the religious institutes (often referred to as religious orders or religious congregations), the eremitic/anchoritic life, the order of virgins, the life of the consecrated widows/widowers, and in secular institutes and societies of apostolic life. It also makes a provision for the approval of "new forms of consecrated life".

Except for consecrated virgins, hermits, widows/widowers and societies of apostolic life, to enter consecrated life a member must consecrate himself to God. This can be done through a public profession, confirmed by vow or other sacred bond, of the three evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, or their Benedictine and universal.

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The majority of those who wish to undertake a more exacting way in the consecrated life join a religious institute, in which they follow a common rule under the leadership of a superior. They usually live in community, although occasionally an individual is given permission to live as a hermit while retaining membership in the religious institute. Others may be given permission to reside elsewhere, for example as resident chaplain to a community of nuns, or as priest serving a non-local parish.

Laity

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Catholics who are neither ordained clergy nor consecrated religious are called laity. They are equal in dignity, in the call to holiness, and in the work to build the church. All are called to share in Christ's priestly, prophetic, and royal office. Together with the priests, these ordinary Catholics are to take initiative in "discovering or inventing the means for permeating social, political, and economic realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life." They exercise the common, baptism-based priestly office by offering their prayer and works as spiritual sacrifices, the prophetic office by their word and testimony of life in the ordinary circumstances of the world, and the kingly office by self-mastery and conforming worldly institutions to the norms of justice. Some of the non-ordained exercise formal, public ministry in the name of the church. These are called Lay Ecclesial Ministers, a broad category which may include pastoral life coordinators, pastoral associates, pastoral assistants, youth ministers, campus ministers, etc.

Church History

The Roman Catholic Church as affected and shaped the lives and beliefs of Christians and non-Christians alike for almost two thousand years. Its global nature means its history is intricately intertwined with the history of Western civilization.

Roman Empire (30–476)

After the death of Jesus, Peter and other apostles preached the Gospel. The first church council, the Council of Jerusalem, was held in or around the year 50 and sought to reconcile doctrinal differences between different Christian communities. Church teachings and traditions were also defined and solidified in this era through the contributions of the Apostolic Fathers. As a result of their efforts and those of Saint Paul, more than 40 Christian communities existed by the year 100. For the next 100 years, Church teachings and traditions were further defined, with significant contributions made by Saint Irenaeus in 180AD and Tertullian in 200.

Because they refused to worship Roman gods or to glorify Roman rulers as gods, early Christians were subject to sporadic persecutions. By the mid-third century, persecution was rampant throughout the empire. The ferocity of the persecution varied by emperor, with Diocletian remembered for his efforts to wipe out the religion. Roman communication methods and roads facilitated the evangelization of the Roman empire in spite of the repeated persecutions. The spread of Christianity was further assisted by the translation of the Bible from Greek to Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. Christianity was legalized in 313, when Emperor Constantine I, a Christian convert, issued the Edict of Milan. Constantine was also instrumental in the convocation of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which sought to address Arianism and formulated the Nicene Creed. During Constantine's reign, the first Basilica of St. Peter was consecrated in 326 by Pope Sylvester I. Christianity became the official religion of the empire in 380 under Emperor Theodosius I.

Over the next several decades a series of Ecumenical Christological Councils formally codified critical elements of the theology of the Church. The Council of Rome in 382 set the Canon of the Bible, listing the accepted books of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Council of Ephesus in 431 clarified Jesus's status in the Trinity, declaring that Jesus had existed simultaneously as fully Man and fully God. Dioscorus, the patriarch of Alexandria, disagreed with this dogma. After efforts at reconciliation failed, Dioscorus and those who agreed with him formed a new branch of Christianity, the Oriental Orthodox Church. The Council of Ephesus also declared the Nicene Creed, the most widely used statement of belief in most Christian churches today, including the Oriental Orthodox Church, to be a permanent doctrine of the Church.

Early Middle Ages (477–910)

The Western half of the Roman Empire fell to invaders in 476. The Catholic Church responded by launching missionary activity among these barbarian tribes. In 530, Saint Benedict wrote the Rule of Saint Benedict. The Rule, which is still in use, was written as a practical guide for community life and rejuvenated monastic communities during this time. Monasteries were important contributors to the surrounding community. These centers of intellectual progression, science, and education served as lodging for travelers, pilgrimage destinations, and libraries.

Catholicism spread among the Germanic peoples, the Celts, the Slavic peoples, the Vikings and other Scandinavians, the Hungarians, the Balts and the Finns. The Catholic Church performed many social and governmental services, including making and enforcing laws, collecting taxes, and operating schools and farms. Church officials exerted great political power, often serving as advisors to kings. Feudal lords at times risked excommunication if they rebelled which facilitated peace. The Church's influence continued to expand, and it became one of the most powerful institutions of the Middle Ages.

The Church continued to evolve during the Middle Ages. Pope Gregory the Great dramatically reformed ecclesiastical structure and administration. The Second and Third Ecumenical Council of Constantinople rejected the teachings of Origen and Monothelitism. In the 8th century, Byzantine emperors sponsored iconoclasm, possibly as a result of the advance of Muslim armies into Western Europe. The popes challenged Byzantine imperial power and preserved the use of images outside the empire. The dispute was resolved in 787 when the Second Council of Nicaea ruled in favour of icons.

In the 9th century, the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Constantinople rejected the teachings of Photius. This council was later rejected by the Eastern Orthodoxy, which considers Photios a saint.

High Middle Ages (910-1453)

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The Benedictine monastery of Cluny led a movement to preserve monasteries from secular influence in 910. Monasteries had previously been sponsored by feudal lords who would then interfere in monastic affairs. The Cluniac reforms preserved the abbot's ability to enforce a monastic rule without interference. Rejuvenated by these reforms, monastic influence upon society expanded. Monasteries, convents, and cathedrals operated most schools and libraries. Beginning in the 11th century, some older cathedral schools developed into universities. Originally teaching only theology, they steadily added subjects including medicine, philosophy and law and became the direct ancestors of modern Western institutions of learning.

The 11th century also saw the Great Schism, which left Christianity permanently divided in 1054. The Western (Latin) branch of the church has become known as the Roman Catholic Church, while the Eastern (Greek) branch has become known as the Orthodox Church. These two churches disagree on a number of administrative, liturgical, and doctrinal issues, most notably the Filioque clause and papal primacy of jurisdiction. The Second Council of Lyon (1274) and the Council of Florence (1439) each failed to heal the schism. Some Eastern churches have subsequently reunited with the Roman Catholic Church, and others claim never to have been out of communion with the Pope. Officially, the two churches remain in schism, although excommunications were mutually lifted in 1965.

Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095 after receiving an appeal from Byzantine emperor Alexius I to help ward off a Turkish invasion. The Crusades, a series of military campaigns, lasted from 1096 to 1270 and ultimately intended to return the Holy Land to Christian control. This goal was not realized and episodes of brutality caused a legacy of mutual distrust between Muslims, Jews, Western and Eastern Christians. Although Church leaders who initiated the Crusades did not condone the massacres, Pope John Paul II apologized to the Orthodox Christians in 2001 for the sins of Catholics including the sacking of Constantinople in 1204.

Church building and ecclesiastical architecture reached new heights during this period, culminating in the orders of Romanesque and Gothic architecture and the building of the great European cathedrals. Until the 20th century, a cathedral was generally the landmark building in its town, rising high above all the domestic structures. Consecrated religious life was brought out of the monastery and into urban settings with the founding of mendicant orders. The two principal mendicant movements were the Franciscans and the Dominicans, while another new ascetic order, the Cistercians, were cloistered. These orders helped bring much needed spiritual cleansing to the Church. Cistercian Bernard of Clairvaux criticised lavish church spending while "children are naked". His influence led Pope Alexander III to begin a transformation in the church that would lead to the establishment of canon law.

Catharism arose in the 12th century, with Cathars advocating extreme asceticism and denying the value of the Church sacraments. Pope Innocent III encouraged secular rulers to stamp out this heresy. To secure religious and doctrinal unity within Christianity, several popes conducted Inquisitions. Historians distinguish between the Medieval Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition, the Roman Inquisition, and the Portuguese Inquisition, some under state and others under church control. The Medieval Inquisition in 1252 was part of the campaign against the Cathars also known as Albigensianism. At the time, heresy was seen as an attack on both the state and the Church and any remedy was considered acceptable, even torture. The Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions were Church approved but state controlled campaigns that began in 1478 at the request of the Spanish monarchs. It was developed in part out of the effort to drive out the Moors. Anyone suspected of following a faith other than Christianity was arrested. Although the pope issued strict guidelines about how to conduct these trials, abuses occurred including torture and execution. The Roman Inquisition persecuted Jews, beggars and prostitutes as well as Protestants in Rome under Pope Paul IV from 1555-1559. Galileo Galilei was among those tried as heretics under this inquisition.

The 14th century was marked by many church-state conflicts. Efforts to come to terms with powerful secular rulers, particularly in France and the Holy Roman Empire led to the election of an English pope who chose, ostensibly for reasons of health, not to settle in Rome. He became the first of seven popes to reside in Avignon, an area under French control. Through the influence of Catherine of Siena and Bridget of Sweden, the papacy eventually returned to Rome in 1378. With the death Pope Gregory XI later that year, the new pope's election was disputed, leading to the Great Western Schism. For 38 years, two men claimed to be the rightful heir to the papal throne. Efforts at resolution in 1409 further complicated the matter with the election of a third pope. The matter was resolved in 1417 at the Council of Constance where the cardinals declared the papal throne empty, and held a new election naming Martin V pope.

Renaissance

Through the late 15th and early 16th centuries European missionaries and explorers spread Catholicism to the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Pope Alexander VI awarded colonial rights over most of the newly-discovered American lands to Spain and Portugal. Three decades later, in 1521, the first Catholics were baptised in what would become the first Christian nation in Southeast Asia, the Philippines.

The Renaissance was a period of renewed interest in ancient and classical learning, and a re-examination of accepted beliefs. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, which protested key points of Catholic doctrine as well as the sale of indulgences. Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and others further criticised Catholic teaching and worship. These challenges developed into a movement called the Protestant Reformation. Among the issues the Reformation repudiated were primacy of the pope, clerical celibacy, the seven sacraments, and the Eucharist.

The Reformation reached England in 1534, when the Act of Supremacy named King Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Beginning in 1536, monasteries throughout England, Wales, and Ireland were dissolved and Catholic churches were confiscated. Henry VIII executed some subjects, such as Thomas More, who disagreed with the Act of Supremacy. During the reign of Mary I of England, Protestants were persecuted, and subsequent English monarchs periodically persecuted Catholics. During the reign of Elizabeth I, Penal laws were enacted in Ireland to persecute and discriminate against Roman Catholics in favour of the established Church of Ireland which recognised the English monarchy as its spiritual head.

In Germany, religious war resulted between the Protestant Schmalkaldic League and the Roman Catholic Charles V and Duke Maurice of Saxony, in alliance with the pope. After nine years, the war was ended with the Peace of Augsburg in 1555. French King Henry IV, hoping to avoid the religious wars of his neighbors, issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 granting civil and religious rights to Protestants.

In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church launched the Counter-Reformation. At the Council of Trent (1545-1563), Church leaders clarified Catholic theological positions and addressed abuses among their members. Among the abuses that had led to declining respect for the Church and papal authority were clerical corruption and abuses of power, perceived misuse of finances, and the hypocrisy of some ordained men living luxurious lifestyles or maintaining mistresses and fathering illegitimate children. With these abuses brought to task, a renewed enthusiasm led to the founding of new religious orders, such as the Jesuits, the establishment of seminaries for the proper training of priests, worldwide missionary activity, and the development of new yet orthodox forms of spirituality, such as that of the Spanish mystics and the French school of spirituality.

Age of Reason

Christian Japanese peasants staged a revolt, the Shimabara Rebellion, in 1638. In response, Ieyasu outlawed Christianity and forced Europeans to leave the country. In France, Pope Innocent XI condemned King Louis XIV's harsh treatment of the Huguenots. Efforts by the pope to unite Catholic nations against the danger of the Turks resulted in further alienation between France and Rome. This discord between the pope and the French monarchy contributed to the anti-clericalism of the French Revolution.

Pope Innocent XII launched much-needed reform in 1691 when he outlawed nepotism and simony. Despite the changes, the Church experienced further missionary setbacks when the Chinese Rites controversy led the Kangxi Emperor to ban Christian missions in that country. In the Americas, however, the Church expanded their missions and appointed the first bishop in the United States, John Carroll. Within the Church, the Grey Nuns and the Passionists religious orders were founded.

Near the end of the century, however, many church properties in France were confiscated after the French Revolution. When Pope Pius VI took sides against the revolution in the First Coalition, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy. The Pope was imprisoned by French troops the following year and died after six weeks of captivity. The Catholic Church was not re-established in France until 1802.

Modernity

Serious problems emerged for the church in 1860 when an anti-clerical regime assumed power in Mexico. The regime confiscated Church properties and denied basic civil and political rights to religious orders and clergy. Between 1926 and 1934 the number of priests in Mexico fell by over 3000 due to assassination, emigration or expulsion. Despite the persecution, the Church continued to grow in Mexico, and a 2000 census reported that 88% of Mexicans identified themselves as Catholic.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and increased concern about the deteriorating conditions of urban workers, 19th and 20th century popes issued encyclicals such as Rerum Novarum explaining Catholic Social Teaching. The First Vatican Council (1869–1870) affirmed the doctrine of papal infallibility. Controversy over issues addressed at this council led to a new breakaway church called the Old Catholic Church.

World War II presented new challenges for the Catholic Church. Even though no church teachings promote the killing of Jews, some people blamed the Church for fomenting the anti-semitism that fueled the growth of the Nazi regime in Germany. Additionally, Pope Pius XII was accused of not doing enough to stop Nazi atrocities. Although the historical record reveals his words and efforts were clearly against the Nazis, his actions continue to be a source of debate. Several decades later, in 1998, Pope John Paul II apologized for past actions by Christians that caused suffering to the Jewish people, calling them our "elder brothers" in the faith.

The aftermath of World War II in 1945 resulted in the rise of the Communist government of the Soviet Union. Under Soviet rule Eastern European countries were denied rights such as religious freedom that they had previously enjoyed. Churches of all denominations were confiscated and used by the new government for non-religious purposes. The Church and Pope John Paul II were credited with helping to bring about the downfall of this government in 1991.

The Catholic Church engaged in a comprehensive process of reform during and immediately after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Convened by Pope John XXIII, the Council stressed what it saw as positive in other Christian communities and other religions. Tasked with making the historical teachings of the Catholic Church clear to the modern world, the council issued documents on a number of topics, including the nature of the church, the mission of the laity, and religious freedom. It also issued directions for a revision of the liturgy, including permission for the Latin liturgical rites to use vernacular languages as well as Latin in the Mass and the other sacraments.

The issues of abortion, euthanasia, birth control and women's ordination were new topics of debate amongst Catholics after Vatican II. Humanae Vitae was issued in 1968 by Pope Paul VI to respond to questions on some of these issues. To clarify the reasons why priestly ordination is only extended to men, Pope John Paul II issued Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in 1994.

In 2001, lawsuits emerged claiming that some priests had sexually abused minors. Some priests resigned and others were defrocked, and financial settlements were given to many victims. The church instituted reforms to prevent future abuse including requiring fingerprinting and background checks for church employees and priests and, because almost all victims were teenage boys, disallowing ordination of men with deep seated homosexual tendencies. The number of accused priests was 0.02% of the total number of priests.

Demographics

The Catholic Church is the largest Christian church, representing over half of all Christians, and is the largest organized body of any world religion. The number of Catholics in the world is around 1.1 billion and continues to increase, particularly in Africa and Asia. As of 2005, Brazil is the country with the largest number of Catholics. The worldwide Catholic Church is made up of one Western or Latin and 22 Eastern Catholic autonomous particular churches. It is divided into jurisdictional areas each called a diocese in the Latin church or an eparchy in the Eastern churches. Each diocese or eparchy is headed by a bishop, patriarch or eparch who is appointed with final approval by the pope. At the end of 2006, the total number of all these jurisdictional areas (or "Sees") was 2,782.

Membership

According to canon law, one becomes a member of the Catholic Church by being baptized in the church or by being received into the church (by making a profession of faith, if already baptized). Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults or RCIA is a process of formation for adults being received into the church. After going through this formation program, they receive all three sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.

A person can excommunicate themselves or be excommunicated from membership in the church by committing certain particularly grave sins. Excommunication is the most severe ecclesiastical penalty. It prevents a person from validly receiving any church sacrament and can not be forgiven except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them.

See also

For a list of articles related to this topic, see Category:Roman Catholic Church

• Anti-Catholicism
• Catholic
• Catholicism
• Christianity
• Criticism of the Catholic Church
• List of canonizations
• Lists of Roman Catholics
• Roman Catholic calendar of saints

Footnotes

1. ^ Tyler Hitchcock, Susan. Geography of Religion. National Geographic Society. p. 281. ISBN 0-7922-7313-3. "Some (Christian communities) had been founded by Peter, the disciple Jesus designated as the founder of his church."...Once the position was institutionalized, historians looked back and recognized Peter as the first pope of the Christian church in Rome. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |origdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
2. ^ Wenner, Sara. "History of Christianity". Minnesota State University. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
3. ^ The Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2005, compiled by the Central Statistics Office of the Church and published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana in 2007 (ISBN 978-88-209-7928-7) put the recorded membership figure for the end of 2005 at 1,114,966,000; according to the World Christian Database the figure was 1,119 million (cf. World Christian Trends 2005, page 3)
4. "Statistics on the Church's Mission Work". National Institute for the Renewal of the Priesthood. 2003-02-27. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
5. ^ Marthaler, Berard (1994). "Introducing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Traditional Themes and Contemporary Issues". Preface. Paulist Press. Retrieved 2008-02-12. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
6. ^ Hendricks, Kathy, Hutchingson, Gloria. Rosemary Calicchio (ed.). One Faith, One Lord: a study of basic Catholic belief. Special Consultant Rev.Msgr John F. Barry. Sadlier. pp. 20, 21, 37, 43–46, 51, 56, 57, 65, 66, 67, 68, 77, 97, 98, 105, 106, 113, 115, 120, 122, 281. ISBN 0-8215-2208-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. ^ Thurston, Herbert (2007). "Catholic Encyclopedia". Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
8. ^ Central Statistics Office (2007). Annuario Pontificio (Pontifical Yearbook). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. pp. p. 1172. ISBN 978-88-209-7908-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
9. ^ Duffy, Eamon. Saints and Sinners, a History of the Popes. Yale University Press in association with S4C. pp. preface, 1, 9, 13, 82, 83, 84, 114, 116, 169, 188, 189, 190, 191, 278, 286. Library of Congress Catalog card number 97-60897. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
10. "Number of Catholics and Priests Rises, Pontifical Yearbook of 2007 Releases Data". Zenit News Agency. February 12, 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |url-http://www.zenit.org/article-18894?l= ignored (help) Retrieved on November 9, 2007.
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14. Paragraph number 881 (1994). "Catechism of the Catholic Church". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 2008-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
15. Matthew 16:18–19
16. Matthew 28:19–20
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37. John 14:15
38. John 15:4–5
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43. Thavis, John (2005). "Election of new pope follows detailed procedure". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
44. 2 Corinthians 11:13–15; 2 Peter 2:1–17; 2 John 7–11; Jude 4–13
45. Acts 15:1–2
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48. Matthew 25:34–40
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References

• Herbermann, Charles G.; et al. (1913). "Catholic Encyclopedia". Encyclopedia Press. {{cite web}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Barry, Rev. Msgr. John F. (2001). One Faith, One Lord: A Study of Basic Catholic Belief. Gerard F. Baumbach, Ed.D. ISBN 0-8215-2207-8.

Further reading

• "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2005.
• "Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae (Annual Church Statistics)". EWTN. 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Carroll, Warren (2004). History of Christendom. Christendom Press. ISBN 0-931888-21-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) 4 Volumes.
• Crocker, III, H. W. (2001). Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church: A 2,000-Year History. Prima Lifestyles. ISBN 0-7615-2924-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Hughes, Philip (1947). A History of the Church: The World in Which the Church Was Founded. Sheed & Ward. ISBN 0-7220-7981-8.
• Miller, Adam S. (1997, 2006). The Roman Catholic Church: A Divine Institution or a Human Invention?. Tower of David Publications. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Woods, Jr., Thomas (2005). How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. Regnery Publishing. ISBN 0-89526-038-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

• Vatican: the Holy See the official website of the Vatican
• Catholic Hierarchy Information on Catholic bishops and dioceses
• The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church Information on the Cardinals of the Catholic Church
• Template:PDFlink by Albert J. Fritsch, SJ, PhD
• MassTimes - A comprehensive database of every Catholic Church and Mass in the entire world.
• Catholic Wiki - A wiki site dedicated to the Catholic Church.

v t e Sacraments, rites, and liturgies of the Catholic Church
Sacraments	Baptism Confirmation Eucharist Penance Anointing of the Sick Holy Orders Matrimony
Eucharistic liturgies	Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Holy Qurbana Holy Qurbono Mass Low Mass Missa Cantata Solemn Mass Pontifical High Mass Papal Mass
Canonical hours, Liturgical hours	Matins (nighttime) Lauds (early morning) Prime (first hour of daylight) Terce (third hour) Sext (noon) Nones (ninth hour) Vespers (sunset/evening) Evensong (Anglican Use Vespers) Ramsha (West Syriac Vespers) Compline (end of the day)
Other liturgical services	Asperges Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament Exorcism Funeral Requiem Liturgy of the Hours Procession
Liturgical literature	Agpeya Antiphonary Book of hours Breviary Roman Breviary Customary Euchologion Gospel Book Gradual Horologion Lectionary Liturgy of the Hours Divine Worship: Daily Office Martyrology Pontifical Roman Pontifical Psalter Missal Divine Worship: The Missal Roman Missal Tonary Roman Ritual Sacramentary
Liturgical language	Ecclesiastical Latin Liturgical use of Latin
Liturgical rites	Latin Church (Latin liturgical rites) Current Ambrosian Rite Rite of Braga Mozarabic Rite Rite of Lyon Roman Rite Mass of Paul VI Extraordinary Form Tridentine Mass Anglican Use Zaire Use Orders Benedictine Rite Carmelite Rite Carthusian Rite Cistercian Rite Dominican Rite Norbertine Rite Defunct African Rite Aquileian Rite British Celtic Rite Durham Rite Hereford Use Sarum Use York Use Gallican Rite Missa Nautica Missa sicca Missa Venatoria Pre-Tridentine Mass Eastern Catholic Churches (Eastern Catholic liturgy) Alexandrian Rite Armenian Rite Antiochene Rite West Syriac Malankara Byzantine Rite East Syriac Rite Malabar
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