Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2018. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church consists of 24 particular churches and almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies around the world. The pope, who is the Bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The church's administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, a small enclave of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.

History

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 organisational structure headed by the pope, the oldest continuing absolute monarchy in the world.

Beliefs

The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). The core Christian belief is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.

Organization

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. The Catholic Church is divided into 24 particular churches, the largest of which is the Latin Church.

Criticism

The Catholic Church has been criticised for its handling of abuse complaints when it became known that some priests had sexually abused minors.

See also

• Pope
• Vatican City
• Catholic theology
• History of the Catholic Church
• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic Church and health care
• Catholic Church and science
• Catholic Church and HIV/AIDS
• Criticism of the Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Resources
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