What is Catholicsm?

The Roman Catholic Church is one of the world’s largest religious denominations, with 1.2 billion believers worldwide. This number makes it only slightly smaller than Islam (1.4 billion) and larger than any other religious group on the planet. From its spiritual center in Vatican City, the world’s smallest independent country and the only country surrounded completely by a city (Rome), the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis I, guides the spiritual lives of entire nations.

By definition, the word catholic means ‘universal,’ and from the earliest days following the Church’s founding, it has pressed to be the universal faith of humanity. Often, this has caused conflicts with other religions that wish to be the universal faith, both within and outside of the Christian tradition.

What do Catholics Believe?

In addition to beliefs held by the majority of Christians about the divinity of Christ, the importance of charity, and the omnipotence of God, Catholics have a number of specific beliefs that set them apart from other Christians:

Unlike many Protestant traditions, especially Evangelical ones, the Catholic Church is highly liturgical, meaning they practice ceremonial worship. As a result, recitation is vital to the Catholic worship service, or mass. The Catholic Church has a strict hierarchy, or ranking according to authority, from parish priests to bishops and archbishops to the Pope himself. Catholics also hold the Virgin Mary, the biblical figure who gave birth to Jesus, in high regard, giving her the title ‘Mother of God.’ Catholics also believe in transubstantiation, which holds that the elements of the Eucharist, namely the bread and wine, become the actual body and blood of Christ at the moment of consecration by a priest.

History of the Catholic Church

From its establishment by St. Peter following the death of Christ, the Roman Catholic Church’s history strongly mirrors that of the European countries that helped propagate it. While the West floundered in the face of Byzantine, eventually Eastern Orthodox, and Muslim challenges, the Church managed to maintain a substantial hold on the populations of Western Europe. The Roman Catholic Church officially split with the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054 as a result of the Great Schism.