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The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.28 to 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2024. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization.
The term Roman Catholic is used to differentiate the Catholic Church and its members in full communion with the pope in Rome from other Christians who identify as "Catholic". It is also sometimes used to differentiate adherents to the Latin Church and its use of the Roman Rite from Catholics of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
According to the tradition of the Catholic Church, it started from the day of Pentecost at the upper room of Jerusalem; the Catholic tradition considers that the Church is a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus.
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.
Jul 18, 2024 · The Roman Catholic Church traces its history to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Over the course of centuries it developed a highly sophisticated theology and an elaborate organizational structure headed by the papacy , the oldest continuing absolute monarchy in the world.
May 26, 2024 · The Roman Catholic church based in the Vatican and led by the Pope, is the largest of all branches of Christianity, with about 1.4 billion followers worldwide. Roughly one in two Christians are Roman Catholics and one out of every six people worldwide.
4 days ago · The theme of the communion of saints refers to the church as a whole, including both the living and the dead (the souls in purgatory —a place or condition for those who must be cleansed from lesser sins—and in heaven).
The history of the Catholic Church is the formation, events, and change of the Catholic Church through time. The Catholic Church began with Jesus Christ and his teachings. It is a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus.
3 days ago · The two factors that are often regarded as most decisive—at any rate by the champions of the primacy of Rome in the church—are the primacy of St. Peter among the Twelve Apostles of Christ and the identification of Peter with the church of Rome.
Visiting the official website of the Holy See one can browse: the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs (from Pope Leo XIII to Pope Francis); the fundamental texts of Catholicism in various languages (the Sacred Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Code of Canon Law); the documents of ...
