The
Catholic Church
is the largest
Christian
church in the world. It has over
one billion
members, and is the world's largest
religious
group.
[5]
[6]
Its members believe that
Jesus Christ
started the Catholic Church 2,000 years ago. The Church’s headquarters are in the
Vatican City
.
[7]
The word "catholic" comes from the
Greek
word καθολικ?? (
katholikos
), which means "universal." a word that was first used in the
Nicene Creed
. Often, the word "Roman" is added before “Catholic” because Vatican City, where the Church has its headquarters, is a country inside of Rome, Italy. Members of the Catholic Church call themselves
Catholics
.
Almost half of all Catholics are in
Latin America
. The
continent
with the second-largest number of Catholics is
Europe
. Millions of Catholics live in other places all over the world.
The Catholic Church is led by the
Pope
, the Bishop of Rome, who lives in Vatican City. According to Catholics, the Church is guided by the
Holy Spirit
, who also guides the Pope. The Church teaches that the Pope cannot be wrong when he when speaks officially on the subject of Catholic faith and
morals
. The Popes have only used this infallibility very rarely, but have done so throughout history. Examples include the Tome of
St. Leo
, the declaration of the
Immaculate Conception
, and various
anathemas
(religious condemnations issued by the Popes against certain
heresies
).
The Catholic Church teaches that the first Pope was
Saint Peter
, who was a
disciple
of Jesus Christ. The current pope is
Pope Francis
.
Like other Christians, Catholics believe
Jesus
is a divine person, the Son of
God
. They believe that because of his love for all people, he died so that all people will live forever in
heaven
.
The Catholic Church also recognizes the
Trinity
; that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are together the only God.
The
leader
of the Roman Catholic Church is called the
Pope
, which literally means "father". Catholics say Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church, and appointed the first Pope, a disciple of his named
Saint Peter
, to lead all Christians.
Over the last 2,000 years, different Popes have led the church. The current Pope is the 266th and is called
Francis
and he lives in the
Vatican City
, a very small country inside the city of
Rome
,
Italy
.
For centuries, Popes have not used their birth names, but instead use a
regnal name
. This custom started in the sixth century when a man named Mercury was elected Pope, it was seen as inappropriate to have a Pope named after a pagan god so he named himself John II, in honor of his predecessor, John I; it became customary in the tenth century. Since the death of Marcellus II 1555, every Pope has taken a Papal name.
The Catholic Church is made of 23 "particular churches", otherwise known as rites. As well as being head of the Latin Rite of the church (which is the largest with over 1 billion members), the Pope is ultimately the leader of 22
Eastern Catholic Churches
, these churches are of the Orthodox tradition of Christianity and it is often the case that they have broken away from their Orthodox mother church to come into communion with (join) the Pope and submit to his authority as successor of St. Peter. The Eastern Catholic Churches are based all over the world, from the United States to the Middle East to India.
The exercise of infallibility takes several forms (see
Catechism of the Catholic Church
, no. 890-891, citing
Lumen Gentium
, 25). One form is exercised by the Pope when speaking
ex cathedra
(literally, “from the chair” of St. Peter, in his authority as pope) on matters of faith or morals, even if he does so without the support of the bishops. This is an exercise of the Extraordinary Magisterium of the Church. While the pope has always held the power to exercise the Extraordinary Magisterium by speaking
ex cathedra
, the actual occurrence of an
ex cathedra
statement is quite rare. It is generally understood to have only occurred twice: Pope Pius IX’s definition of the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception in 1854 and Pope Pius XII’s definition of the dogma of Mary’s Assumption in 1950. In both of these cases, the Pope was not teaching something new. Rather, he was confirming and clarifying something that the Church had already believed as part of God’s revelation.
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Some of the traditional practices of Roman Catholics carried out each time they pray at home or at Church include making the
sign of the cross
, kneeling, and bowing.
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Their main ceremony is the
Mass
. Catholics are normally required to go to amass on
Sundays
and on Holy Days of Obligation. In the
United States
, the Holy Days of Obligation are: Mary, Mother of God (January 1), The Assumption of Mary (August 15), The
Immaculate Conception
(of Mary) (December 8), The Ascension of Jesus (40 days after
Easter
), Christmas (December 25) and All Saints Day (November 1). The taking of the
Eucharist
is the height of the Mass.
Catholics worship Jesus. They also venerate the
Virgin Mary
more than other Christians, calling her the "Mother of God," based on Elizabeth's greeting, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" and also on the belief that all Christians hold that Jesus is fully man and fully God at the same time. Yet, Mary, who has nothing to do with the Divine, was chosen as the human vessel God would use to enter into the world. It is important to note that Catholics do not worship Mary. Instead, they honor her as one honors a Queen. This type of honor is called hyperdulia.
An important Catholic prayer is the
Rosary
. This prayer is done with Rosary beads used to count each prayer. The Rosary is made up of five decades, each decade being made up of 1
Our Father
, 10
Hail Marys
, and 1
Glory Be
, as well as saying the Sacred Mysteries. It is made up of passages taken from scripture.
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It is recommended by the clergy to continue the very old practice of praying the
Rosary
daily, as it has not only many powerful requests but is made up of words taken directly from scripture, like the Lord's Prayer (Our Father) and the Hail Mary. The Rosary is not complete unless one thinks about the passion of Christ while praying out loud. In addition, the clergy (bishops, priests, and deacons) must pray the
Divine Office
.
The Catholic Church celebrates seven
sacraments
. A sacrament is "an outward sign instituted (started) by Christ to give grace" (a supernatural gift of God that someone did nothing to deserve).
The seven sacraments are:
Baptism
,
Confirmation
,
Eucharist
,
Reconciliation
,
Anointing of the Sick
,
Holy Orders
and
Holy Matrimony
(
marriage
). The Holy Eucharist is the most important of the sacraments, because Catholics believe that Jesus Christ becomes truly present in the form of bread and wine. This happens through
transubstantiation
which takes place in the Mass.
Catholics believe in the necessity of
love
,
hope
and
faith
in order to gain
salvation
, but that these all come from grace. This is different from the 16th century interpretation created by Luther.
Catholics interpret the Bible (God-given book) according to Tradition. Tradition is the transmission of the early church's life and teaching, as especially recorded in the writings of the
Fathers of the Church
who lived in the first centuries. At that time the holy books where accepted in the Bible, which is the collection of the books considered revealed.
A basic rule for Catholics is that "Truth cannot contradict truth". They translate the Bible with this in mind. No interpretation can be accepted if it contradicts another revealed truth.
Catholics, like many Christians, accept the
Nicene Creed
, a combination of the
Council of Nicaea
(AD 325) and the later
Council of Constantinople
(AD 382) as true. It is as follows:
"I believe in one
God
,
the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord
Jesus Christ
, the only-begotten
Son of God
, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial
with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and our salvation He came down from heaven: and, by the Holy Spirit, was
incarnate
of the
Virgin Mary
, and became man. For our sake, He was
crucified
under
Pontius Pilate
; He suffered death and was buried and
rose again
on the third day in accordance with
the Scriptures
: He
ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead
, and
His kingdom
will have no end. I believe in the
Holy Spirit
, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who, with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified, Who has spoken through the
Prophets
. I believe in
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic
Church. I confess one
baptism
for the forgiveness of
sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the
life of the world to come
. Amen."
[11]
Eastern Orthodox
and
Protestants
believe many of the same things. They sometime disagree on the role of
the Virgin Mary
and other
saints
, on what a
priest
can do, and on how exactly God should be worshipped, among other things.