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The [[Roman Catholic Church]], known as the '''Catholic Church''', is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] [[Ecclesia (church)|Church]] representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the [[world population|world's population]].<ref name="Zenit">{{cite web | title =Number of Catholics and Priests Rises | publisher =Zenit News Agency | date =12 February 2007 | url =http://www.zenit.org/article-18894?l=english | accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref><ref name="CIA">{{cite web | title =CIA World Factbook | publisher =United States Government Central Intelligence Agency | year =2007 | url =https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html#People | accessdate=2008-02-28}}</ref> It is made up of one Western church (the [[Latin Rite]]) and 22&nbsp;[[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]] [[Particular Church|churches]], divided into 2,782&nbsp;jurisdictional areas around the world. The Church looks to the [[Pope]], currently [[Pope Benedict XVI|Benedict XVI]], as its highest human authority in matters of faith, morality and Church governance.<ref name="LumenG"/> An ordained ministry and the [[laity]] together comprise the community, and members of either group may be members of organized [[Roman Catholic religious order|religious communities]]<ref name="Schreck153">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 153</ref>

The Catholic Church defines its mission as spreading the message of [[Jesus Christ]], administering the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacraments]] and exercising charity.<ref name="OneFaith50">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 50–1</ref> In carrying out its mission, the Church operates social programs and institutions throughout the world. These include [[Catholic school|schools]], [[universities]], hospitals, missions and shelters, as well as organizations such as [[Catholic Relief Services]], [[Caritas (charity)|Caritas Internationalis]] and [[Catholic Charities]] that help the poor, families, the elderly and the sick.<ref name="OneFaith98">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 98&ndash;9</ref>

The Church believes that it is the continuation, through [[apostolic succession]], of the Christian community founded by Jesus in his consecration of [[Saint Peter]].<ref name="Haase"/> The Church has defined its doctrines through various [[Catholic Ecumenical Councils‎|ecumenical councils]], following the example set by the first Apostles in the [[Council of Jerusalem]].<ref name= "McManners37"/><ref name="McManners371"/> On the basis of promises that Jesus made to his apostles, it believes that it is guided by the [[Holy Spirit]] and so protected from falling into doctrinal error.<ref name="OneFaith43">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 37, 43&ndash;4</ref><ref name="Matthew">{{bibleverse||Matthew|16:18&ndash;19}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse||John|16:12&ndash;13}}</ref> Catholic faith is summarized in the [[Nicene Creed]], shared with many other Christians, and is detailed in the ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]''.<ref name="cat"/> Formal Catholic worship is ordered by the [[liturgy]], which is regulated by Church authority. The [[Eucharist (Catholic Church)|Eucharist]], one of seven Church sacraments and a key part of every [[Catholic Mass]], is the center of Catholic worship.

With a nearly two thousand year history, the Church is the world's oldest and largest institution.<ref name="O'CollinsPref">O'Collins, ''Catholicism'' (2003), p. v (preface)</ref><ref name="Formicola13">Formicola, ''Pope John Paul II, Prophetic Politician'' (2002), p. 13</ref> From at least the 4th century, it has played a prominent role in the [[history of Western civilization]].<ref name="Orlandis">Orlandis, ''A Short History of the Catholic Church'' (1993), preface</ref> In the 11th century, the Eastern, [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church]] and the Western, Catholic Church split, largely over disagreements regarding papal primacy. Eastern churches that maintained (or later re-established) communion with Rome form the Eastern Catholic Churches. In the 16th century, partly in response to the [[Protestant Reformation]], the Church engaged in a substantial process of reform and renewal, known as the [[Counter-Reformation]].

The Catholic Church maintains that it is the "[[Four Marks of the Church|one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church]]" founded by Jesus, but acknowledges that the Holy Spirit can make use of Christian communities separated from itself to bring people to salvation.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 865 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a9p3.htm#IV| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> The Church teaches that it is called by the Holy Spirit to work for unity among all Christians—a movement known as [[ecumenism]].<ref name="Kreeft110">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 110</ref> Modern challenges facing the Church include the rise of [[secularism]], and opposition to its [[pro-life]] stance on [[abortion]], [[contraception]] and [[euthanasia]].<ref>{{cite web | last =Shorto | first =Russel | title =Keeping the Faith | work =The New York Times | date=8 April 2007 | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/magazine/08pope.t.html | accessdate=2008-03-29}}</ref>

== Origin and mission ==
{{See also| History of the Roman Catholic Church|History of the Papacy}}
[[File:Gesupietrochiave.jpg|thumb|left|190 px|This detail of a [[fresco]] (1481&ndash;82) by [[Pietro Perugino]] in the [[Sistine chapel]] shows Jesus giving the [[Keys of Heaven|keys of heaven]] to [[Saint Peter]].]]
The Catholic Church traces its foundation to Jesus and the [[Twelve Apostles]], with the [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]] of the Church as the [[Apostolic Succession|successors of the apostles]] and the pope in particular as the successor of [[Saint Peter|Peter]].<ref name="OneFaith46">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 46</ref> Catholics cite Jesus' words in the [[Gospel of Matthew]] to support this view.<ref name="LumenG">{{cite web | last = Paul VI| first = Pope| title =Lumen Gentium | publisher =Vatican | year =1964 | url =http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html | accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref><ref name="SandSp1">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 1</ref> According to Catholic belief, this promised church was brought fully into the world when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles in the event known as [[Pentecost]].<ref name="OneFaith46"/> Some scholars argue that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus and that the historical record confirms that it was considered a Christian doctrinal authority from its beginning.<ref name="Haase">Derrett, "Law and Society in Jesus's World" ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' p. 480</ref> There is debate over the role that Rome played<ref name= "McManners36">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p. 36</ref><ref name="SandSp6">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 6</ref> or about apostolic succession<ref name="SandSp7">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 7</ref>

The Church believes that its mission is founded upon Jesus' command to his followers to spread the faith across the world.<ref name="Norman11">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), p. 11</ref> Pope [[Benedict XVI]] summarized this mission as a threefold responsibility to proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and exercise the ministry of charity.<ref name="DeusCE">{{cite web | last = Benedict XVI| first =Pope | title =Deus Caritas Est | publisher =Vatican | year =2005 | url =http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html | accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref> As part of its ministry of charity the Church runs Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, Caritas Internationalis, Catholic schools, universities, hospitals, shelters and ministries to the poor, as well as ministries to families, the elderly and the marginalized.<ref name="OneFaith98" />

== Beliefs ==
{{Main|Roman Catholic theology}}
As a [[Trinity|trinitarian]] [[Christian]] church, Roman Catholicism holds that there is one eternal God who exists as a [[perichoresis|mutual indwelling]] of three persons: the [[God_the_Father#Christianity|Father]]; the Son, Jesus; and the Holy Spirit. Catholic beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed, recited every mass,<ref name="Schaff">Schaff, ''Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes'' (1910), pp. 24, 56</ref> and detailed in the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church''.<ref name="cat">Marthaler, ''Introducing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Traditional Themes and Contemporary Issues'' (1994), preface</ref> The Nicene Creed also forms the central statement of belief of other Christian denominations.<ref name="Richardson">Richardson, ''The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'' (1983), p. 132</ref> Chief among these are [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] Christians<ref>Parry, ''The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity'' (1999), p. 292</ref> and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches .<ref name= "McManners254">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), pp. 254&ndash;60</ref>

Over the centuries, Catholic teachings have been refined and clarified by [[Catholic Ecumenical Councils|councils of the Church]] convened by Church leaders at important points throughout history.<ref name="McManners371"/> The first such council, the [[Council of Jerusalem]], was convened by the apostles around the year&nbsp;50;<ref name= "McManners37"/> the most recent was the [[Vatican II|Second Vatican Council]], which closed in 1965.<ref name="SandSp275">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 275, 281</ref>

===Teaching authority===
[[File:Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg|thumb|200px|A 19th-century painting by [[Carl Heinrich Bloch]] depicts Jesus preaching the [[Sermon on the Mount]].]]
Based on the promises of Jesus in the Gospels, the Church believes that it is continually guided by the Holy Spirit and so protected from falling into doctrinal error.<ref name="Schreck16"/><ref name="LumenG"/> The Catholic Church teaches that the Holy Spirit reveals God's truth through [[Books of the Bible|Sacred Scripture]], [[Sacred Tradition]] and the [[Magisterium]].
Sacred scripture or the [[Catholic Bible]] consists of the Greek version of the [[Old Testament]]&mdash;known as the [[Septuagint]]<ref name="Schreck21">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 21"</ref>&mdash;and the 27 [[New Testament]] writings found in the [[Codex Vaticanus]] and listed in [[Athanasius]]' [[Easter letter|Thirty-Ninth Festal Letter]].<ref name="Schreck23">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 23</ref> These scriptures are essentially the same for most Christians with minor variations between Catholics and Protestants.<ref name="Schreck21"/> Sacred Tradition consists of those teachings believed by the Church to have been handed down since the time of the Apostles.<ref name="Schreck16">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), pp. 15&ndash;9</ref> Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are collectively known as the "deposit of faith". These are in turn interpreted by the Magisterium, or the teaching authority of the Church, and which includes [[Papal infallibility|infallible]] pronouncements of the pope,<ref name="Schreck30"/> pronouncements of ecumenical councils, and those of the [[college of bishops]] acting in union with the pope to define truths or to condemn interpretations of scripture believed to be false.<ref name="Schreck30">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 30</ref>

According to the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]], Jesus instituted seven [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacraments]] and entrusted them to the Church.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 1131 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c1a2.htm| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> These are [[Baptism]], [[Confirmation]], the [[Eucharist]], [[Penance]], [[Anointing of the Sick]], [[Holy Orders]] and [[Christian views of marriage|Holy Matrimony]]. Sacraments are important visible rituals which Catholics see as effective channels of God's [[Divine grace|grace]] to all those who receive them with the proper disposition ([[ex opere operato]]).<ref name="Kreeft">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), pp. 298&ndash;9</ref><ref name="Mongoven">Mongoven, ''The Prophetic Spirit of Catechesis: How We Share the Fire in Our Hearts'' (2000), p. 68</ref>

====Liturgical Rites====
Differing liturgical traditions, or rites, exist throughout the worldwide Church. These reflect historical and cultural diversity rather than a diversity in beliefs.<ref name="Eastrites">{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 1200&ndash;9 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c2a2.htm| accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref> The most commonly used is the Western or [[Latin Rite|Latin rite]]. Others are the [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine rite]], the [[Alexandrian Rite|Alexandrian]] or Coptic rite, the [[Antiochene Rite|Syriac]], [[Armenian Rite|Armenian]], [[Maronite Church|Maronite]], [[Melkite]] and [[East Syrian Rite|Chaldean]] rites. In 1980, Pope John Paul II issued the Pastoral Provision of 1980 which allowed former members of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]] to join the Catholic Church. Anglican Use is considered a variation on the Roman Rite, rather than an independent Rite. Anglican Use parishes currently exist only in the United States. All rites follow a [[Liturgical year]] or annual calendar of the Catholic Church which sets aside certain days and seasons to celebrate various events in the life of Christ.<ref name="OneFaith116">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 116</ref>

===God the Father, original sin and Baptism===
{{See also|Original sin}}
[[File:Baptism in a Catholic Church DSC02749.JPG|thumb|left|Modern baptism in a Catholic Church ]]
God is the source and creator of nature and all that exists, according to the Nicene Creed.<ref name="Schreck45">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 45</ref> The Church perceives God as a loving and caring entity who is directly involved in the world and in people's lives<ref name="OneFaith7">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 7</ref> and who desires his creatures to love him and to love each other.<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|22:37–40}}</ref><ref name="OneFaith90">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 91&ndash;92</ref> Catholicism teaches that while human beings live bodily in a visible, material world, their souls simultaneously occupy an invisible, spiritual world. God has also created spiritual beings called [[angel]]s, who exist to "worship and serve God."<ref name="Kreeft51">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 51</ref> Some angels chose to rebel against God, and when expelled from his presence they became [[demon]]s.<ref name="angels">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 390, 392, 405 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm#II| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> The leader of this rebellion has been called "Lucifer", "Satan" and the [[Devil in Christianity|devil]] among other names.<ref name="Schreck57">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 57</ref> Satan is  believed to have tempted the first humans, whose act of [[original sin]] brought suffering and death into the world.<ref name="Schreck68">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 68</ref>

This event, known as the [[Fall of Man]], separated humanity from its original intimacy with God according to Catholic belief.<ref name="OneFaith18">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 18&ndash;9</ref> The ''Catechism'' states that the description of the fall, in Genesis 3, uses figurative language, but affirms "...&nbsp;a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man" and resulted in "a deprivation of original holiness and justice" that makes each person "subject to ignorance, suffering, and the dominion of death: and inclined to sin".<ref name="angels"/> While Catholic doctrine accepts the possibility of God's creation having occurred in a way consistent with the [[Theory of Evolution]], it rejects as outside the scope of science efforts to use the theory to deny supernatural divine design.<ref name="Kreeft49">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 49</ref> The soul did not evolve, according to Catholic doctrine, but was infused into man and woman directly by God.<ref name="Schreck68"/> The Church believes that people can be cleansed of original sin and all personal sins through [[Baptism]].<ref name="Kreeft308">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 308</ref> This sacramental act of cleansing admits one as a full member of the natural and supernatural Church and is only conferred once in a person's lifetime.<ref name="Kreeft308"/>

===Jesus, sin and Penance===
{{See also|Jesus|sin|Penance|Confession}}
[[File:Confessional Modern.jpg|thumb|Modern confessional in the Church of the Holy Name, [[Dunedin]], [[New Zealand]]. The penitent may kneel on the kneeler or sit in a chair facing the priest (not shown)]]
Christians believe that Jesus is the [[Messiah]] of the Old Testament's [[[[Claimed Messianic prophecies of Jesus|Messianic prophecies]].<ref name="Kreeft71">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), pp. 71&ndash;2</ref> The Nicene Creed states that he is "...&nbsp;the only begotten son of God,&nbsp;...&nbsp;one in being with the Father. Through him all things were made&nbsp;...". In an event known as the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]], the Church teaches that God descended from heaven for the salvation of humanity, became man through the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of a Jewish virgin named [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]]. It is believed that Jesus' mission on earth included giving people his word and example to follow, as recorded in the four [[Gospel]]s.<ref name="McGrath">McGrath, ''Christianity: An Introduction'' (2006), pp. 4&ndash;6</ref> Catholicism teaches that following the example of Jesus helps believers to become closer to him, and therefore to grow in true love, freedom, and the fullness of life.<ref>{{bibleref|John|10:1&ndash;30}}</ref><ref name="Schreck265">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), pp. 264&ndash;5</ref>

Sinning is considered the opposite to following Jesus, robbing people of their resemblance to God and turning their souls away from his love<ref name="sins"/> Sins range from the less serious [[venial sin]]s, to more serious [[mortal sin]]s which end a person's relationship with God.<ref name="sins">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1850, 1857 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm#II| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref><ref name="OneFaith77">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 77</ref>
Through the [[Passion (Christianity)|passion]] of Jesus and his [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]], the Church teaches that all people have an opportunity for forgiveness and freedom from sin, and so can be [[atonement|reconciled to God]].<ref name="Kreeft71"/><ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 608 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p122a4p2.htm#III| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> [[John the Baptist]], called Jesus "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"<ref name="John1">{{bibleverse||John|1:29}}</ref> in reference to the ancient Jewish practice of [[sacrificial lamb|sacrificing lambs]] to God. By following Jesus' words and deeds, the Church believes one can enter the [[Kingdom of God]], which is the "...&nbsp;the reign of God over people's hearts and lives."<ref name="OneFaith26">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 26</ref><ref name="Schreck100">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 100</ref>

After baptism, the sacrament of [[Penance]] (Confession) is the means by which Catholics believe they can obtain forgiveness for subsequent sin and receive God's grace. Catholics believe Jesus gave the apostles authority to forgive sins in God's name.<ref name="Schreck242">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 242</ref> The act involves confession by an individual to a priest, who then offers advice and imposes a particular penance to be performed. The penitent then prays an [[Act of Contrition|act of contrition]] and the priest administers [[absolution]], formally forgiving the person of his sins.<ref name="Kreeft344">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), pp. 343&ndash;4</ref> The priest is forbidden under penalty of [[excommunication]] to reveal any sin or disclosure heard under the [[seal of confession]]. Penance helps prepare Catholics before they can [[Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#Validity_and_liceity_of_administration_of_the_sacraments|licitly]] receive the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 1310 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a2.htm#IV| accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref><ref name="Eucharist">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1385, 1389 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm#IV| accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref>

===Holy Spirit and Confirmation===
[[File:Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Dove of the Holy Spirit.JPG|thumb|250 px|[[Bernini]]'s stained glass window in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] depicts the Holy Spirit as a dove, a common motif in Christian art]]
Jesus told his apostles that after his death and [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]] he would send them the "Advocate", the "[[Holy Spirit]]", who "&nbsp;...will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you".<ref>{{bibleverse||John|14:26}}</ref><ref name="OneFaith37">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 37</ref> Since the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, the Church teaches that receiving the Holy Spirit is an act of receiving God.<ref name="Kreeft88">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 88</ref> The Catholic Church holds that the Holy Spirit can work through other churches to bring people to salvation.<ref name="OneFaith46">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 46</ref> In its apostolic constitution [[Lumen Gentium]], the Church acknowledges that the Holy Spirit is active in diverse Christian churches and communities, and that Catholics are called to work for unity among all Christians.<ref name="LumenG"/>

Through the sacrament of [[Confirmation]], Catholics ask for and believe they receive the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity" and is believed to increase and deepen the grace received at [[Baptism]].<ref name="Schreck230">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 230</ref> Spiritual graces or [[Spiritual gift|gifts of the Holy Spirit]] may include the wisdom to see and follow God's plan, as well as judgment, love, courage, knowledge, reverence and rejoicing in the presence of God.<ref name="Schreck277"/> The corresponding [[fruits of the Holy Spirit]] are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.<ref name="Schreck277">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 277</ref> To be licitly confirmed, Catholics must be in a state of grace, in that they cannot be conscious of having committed a mortal sin. They must also have prepared spiritually for the sacrament, chosen a sponsor or [[godparent]] for spiritual support, and selected a [[saint]] to be their special patron and intercessor.<ref name="Schreck230"/> Baptism in the Eastern rites, including infant baptism, is immediately followed by the reception of Confirmation and the Eucharist.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 1233 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url =http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a1.htm | accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref>

===Final judgment and afterlife===
Belief in an afterlife is central to Catholic teaching, and the Church teaches that the [[soul]] of each individual will be judged by Jesus immediately after death and receive a [[particular judgment]] based on the deeds of that person's earthly life.<ref name="Schreck">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), pp. 379&ndash;86</ref> The Church also teaches that this [[Last Judgment|final judgment]] will bring an end to human history and mark the beginning of a new and better heaven and earth ruled by God in righteousness.<ref name="Schreck397">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 397</ref>

There are three states of afterlife in Catholic belief. [[Purgatory]] is a temporary condition for the purification of souls who, although saved, are not free enough from sin to enter directly into heaven.<ref name="Schreck" /> [[Heaven#In Roman Catholicism|Heaven]] is a time of glorious union with God.<ref name="Schreck" /> Finally, those who chose to live a sinful and selfish life and did not repent are sent to [[Hell in Christian beliefs#Roman_Catholicism|hell]], an everlasting separation from God.<ref name="OneFaith105">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 105</ref> The Church teaches that no one is condemned to hell without having freely decided to reject God and his love, and God [[predestination|predestines]] no one to hell.<ref name="Schreck" /> Catholicism teaches that through God's mercy a person can repent at any point before death and be saved.<ref name="Schreck" />

===Nature of the Church and social teaching===
{{See also|Catholic social teaching}}
[[File:Extreme Unction Rogier Van der Weyden.jpg|thumb|Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick) ]]
Catholic belief holds that the Church "&nbsp;...is the continuing presence of Jesus on earth."<ref name="Schreck131">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 131</ref> To Catholics, the term "Church" refers to the people of God, who abide in Jesus and who, "&nbsp;...nourished with the [[Body of Christ]], become the Body of Christ."<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 777&ndash;8 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a9p1.htm| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> Catholic teaching maintains that the Church exists simultaneously on earth ([[Church militant and church triumphant|Church militant]]), in [[purgatory]] (Church suffering), and in heaven (Church triumphant); thus [[Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)|Mary]] and all other saints are alive and part of the living Church.<ref name="Kreeft113">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), pp. 113&ndash;4</ref> This unity of the Church in heaven and on earth is the "[[Communion of Saints]]".<ref name="Kreeft113"/><ref name = "vatican.va-956">{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 956 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a9p5.htm#II| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref>

The Church operates numerous social ministries throughout the world but teaches that individual Catholics are required to practice spiritual and corporal [[Works of Mercy|works of mercy]] as well. Corporal works of mercy include feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, immigrants or refugees, clothing the naked, taking care of the sick and visiting those in prison. Spiritual works require the Catholic to share knowledge, to give advice, comfort those who suffer, have patience, forgive those who hurt them, give correction to those who need it, and pray for the living and the dead.<ref name="OneFaith98"/> In conjunction with the work of mercy to visit the sick, the Church offers the sacrament of [[Anointing of the Sick]], performed only by a priest.<ref name="Kreeft373">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 373</ref> Church teaching on works of mercy and the new social problems of the industrial era led to the development of [[Catholic social teaching]], which emphasizing human dignity and commits Catholics to the welfare of others.<ref name="OneFaith98">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 98&ndash;99</ref>

== Prayer and worship==
Catholic liturgy is regulated by [[Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments|Church authority]]<ref name="Schreck141">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 141</ref> and consists of the Eucharist and Mass, the other sacraments, and the [[Liturgy of the Hours]]. At a minimum, the Catechism requires every Catholic to attend Mass on Sundays, confess sins at least once a year, receive the Eucharist at least during Easter season, observe days of [[fasting and abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church|fasting and of abstinence]] as established by the Church, and help provide for the Church's needs.<ref name="Precepts">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 2041&ndash;3 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a3.htm#II| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> While all Catholics are expected to participate in the liturgical life of the Church, individual or communal prayer and devotions, while encouraged, are a matter of personal preference.<ref name="Schreck193">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 193</ref> Frequent reception of the Eucharist as often as daily and confession of sins as often as once a month are common Catholic practice encouraged by the Church and the various religious orders.

=== Eucharist ===
{{See also|Eucharist (Catholic Church)|Catholic liturgy|Sacraments of the Catholic Church}}

The Eucharist (Holy Communion), is celebrated at each [[Catholic Mass|Mass]] and is the center of Catholic worship<ref name="Kreeft320">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 320</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1324&ndash;31 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm| accessdate=2008-06-11}}</ref> The words of institution for this sacrament are found throughout the New Testament in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and the epistle 1 Corinthians.<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|26:26&ndash;28}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse||Mark|14:22&ndash;24}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse||Luke|22:19&ndash;20}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|1|Cor|11:23&ndash;25}}</ref><ref name="Luke22">{{bibleverse||Luke|22:19}}</ref><ref name="Mthew">{{bibleverse||Matthew|26:27&ndash;28}}</ref> The Church teaches that the Old Testament promise of God's salvation was fulfilled when Jesus established a [[New Covenant]] with humanity through the institution of the Eucharist at the [[Last Supper]] - a covenant then consummated with his sacrifice on the cross.<ref name="Schreck232"/> Catholics believe that the [[Sacramental bread|bread]] and [[Sacramental wine|wine]] brought to the altar at each Mass are changed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the true body and the true blood of Christ (termed [[transubstantiation]]) and that by consuming these they are spiritually nourished and deepen their union with Jesus.<ref name="Schreck232">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), pp. 232&ndash;9</ref><ref name="Kreeft328">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 328</ref>

[[File:BentoXVI-51-11052007 (frag).jpg|left|thumb|[[Pope Benedict XVI]] celebrates Holy Mass at the [[canonization]] of [[Frei Galvão]] in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] on 11 May 2007.]]

The most common celebration of the Eucharist, the Latin rite or ordinary form, is separated into two parts, the [[Liturgy of the Word#Liturgy of the Word|Liturgy of the Word]] and the [[Liturgy of the Word#Liturgy of the Eucharist|Liturgy of the Eucharist]].<ref name="Kreeft325">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 325</ref>. According to professor Alan Schreck, in its main elements and prayers, the Catholic Mass celebrated today "bears striking resemblance" to the form of the Mass described in the [[Didache]] and [[First Apology of Justin Martyr]] in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.<ref name="Schreck189">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), pp. 189&ndash;90</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1345&ndash;6 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm| accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref>

An alternate or extraordinary form of Mass, called the [[Tridentine Mass]], is celebrated primarily in Latin. Standardized at the [[Council of Trent]], it reaffirms that the Mass is the same sacrifice of Jesus' death as the one he suffered on [[Calvary]], which is in opposition to Protestant belief.<ref name ="Orate">Traufler, ''The Mass'' (1927), p. 79</ref> Although this form was superseded by the ordinary as the primary form after the Second Vatican Council, it continued to be offered by an [[indult]] since Pope John Paul II's 1988 [[motu proprio]], ''[[Ecclesia Dei]]''<ref>{{cite web | last =John Paul II | first =Pope | title =Ecclesia Dei | publisher =Vatican | year =1988 | url =http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_02071988_ecclesia-dei_en.html | accessdate=2008-03-27}}</ref> and can now be said by any Roman rite priest according to Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio, ''[[Summorum Pontificum]]''.<ref>{{cite web | last =Benedict XVI | first =Pope | title =Summorum Pontificum | publisher =Eternal Word Television Network | year =2007 | url =http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/b16SummorumPontificum.htm | accessdate=2008-03-27}}</ref>

Because the Church teaches that Christ is present in the Eucharist,<ref name="Kreeft326">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 326</ref> there are strict rules about its celebration and reception.<ref name="Kreeft331">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 331</ref> Those who are conscious of being in a state of [[mortal sin]] are forbidden from this sacrament unless they have received absolution through the sacrament of Penance.<ref name="Kreeft331"/> Because the Church respects their celebration of the Mass as a true sacrament, [[full communion|intercommunion]] with the Eastern Orthodox in "suitable circumstances and with Church authority" is both possible and encouraged.<ref name=East/> Although the same is not true for Protestant churches, in circumstances of grave necessity, Catholic ministers may give the sacraments of Eucharist, Penance and Anointing of the Sick to Protestants if they freely ask for them, truly believe what the Catholic Church teaches regarding the sacraments, and have the proper disposition to receive them.<ref name=East>{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1399&ndash;401 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm| accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref> Catholics may not receive communion in Protestant churches because of their different beliefs and practices regarding Holy Orders and the Eucharist.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1400 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm#IV| accessdate=2008-06-05}}</ref>

===Liturgy of the Hours===
{{See also|Liturgy of the Hours}}
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus instructs his disciples to "pray always".<ref name="Luke">{{bibleverse||Luke|18:1}}</ref> The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is the Church's effort to respond to this request. It is considered to be an extension of the celebration of the Mass and is the official daily liturgical prayer of the Church.<ref name="Schreck198">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 198</ref> It makes particular use of the [[Psalms]] as well as readings from the New and Old Testament, and various prayers.<ref name="Schreck198"/> It is an adaptation of the ancient Jewish practice of praying the Psalms at certain hours of the day or night. Catholics who pray the Liturgy of the Hours use a set of books issued by the Church that has been called a [[breviary]]. By [[canon law]], priests and deacons are required to pray the Liturgy of the Hours each day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 276 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PY.HTM|publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]| accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Religious orders often make praying the Liturgy of the Hours a part of their rule of life; the Second Vatican Council encouraged the Christian laity to take up the practice.<ref name="Schreck198"/><ref name="liturgy of the hours">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1174&ndash;8, 1196 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c2a1.htm#IV| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref>

=== Devotional life, prayer, Mary and the saints ===
{{See also| Catholic spirituality|Marian doctrines of the Catholic Church}}
[[File:Albrecht Dürer 022.jpg|thumb|left|180 px|Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus during the [[flight into Egypt]] are depicted in a panel from [[Albrecht Dürer]]'s ''Seven Sorrows of the Virgin'' (c.&nbsp;1494&ndash;97).]]
In addition to the Mass, the Catholic Church considers prayer to be one of the most important elements of Christian life. The Church considers personal prayer a Christian duty, one of the spiritual works of mercy and one of the principal ways its members nourish a relationship with God.<ref name="OneFaith8698">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 86, 98</ref> The ''Catechism'' identifies three types of prayer: vocal prayer (sung or spoken), meditation and contemplative prayer. Quoting from the early [[Church Fathers|church father]] [[John Chrysostom]] regarding vocal prayer, the ''Catechism'' states, "Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of words, but on the fervor of our souls."<ref name="prayer methods"/> Meditation is prayer in which the "mind seeks to understand the why and how of Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking."<ref name="prayer methods"/> Contemplative prayer is being with God, taking time to be close to and alone with him.<ref name="prayer methods"/> Three of the most common devotional prayers of the Catholic Church are [[The Lord's Prayer]], the [[Rosary]] and [[Stations of the Cross]].<ref name="OneFaith122" /> These prayers are most often vocal, yet always meditative and contemplative. [[Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament]] is a common form of contemplative prayer, whereas [[Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament|Benediction]] is a common vocal method of prayer. ''[[Lectio Divina|Lectio divina]]'', which means "sacred reading", is a form of meditative prayer. The Church encourages patterns of prayer intended to develop into habitual prayer. This includes such daily prayers as grace at meals, the Rosary, or the [[Liturgy of the Hours]], as well as the weekly rhythm of Sunday Eucharist and the observation of the year-long liturgical cycle.<ref name="prayer methods">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 2697&ndash;724 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref>

Prayers and [[Catholic devotions|devotions]] to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)|Virgin Mary]] and the [[saint]]s are a common part of Catholic life but are distinct from the [[latria|worship]] of God.<ref name="Schreck200">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), pp. 199&ndash;200</ref> Explaining the [[intercession of saints]], the ''Catechism'' states that the saints "...&nbsp;do not cease to intercede with the Father for us&nbsp;...&nbsp;so by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."<ref name="vatican.va-956"/><ref name="Schreck200"/> The Church holds Mary, as [[Perpetual virginity|ever Virgin]] and [[Theotokos|Mother of God]]". in special regard. She is believed to have been [[Immaculate Conception|conceived without original sin]], and was [[Assumption of Mary|assumed into heaven]]. These [[Dogma (Roman Catholic)|dogmas]], focus of [[Roman Catholic Mariology]], are considered infallible. She is honored with many titles such as [[Queen of Heaven]]. [[Pope Paul VI]] called her [[Mother of the Church]], because by giving birth to Christ, she is considered to be the spiritual mother to each member of the [[Body of Christ]].<ref name="OneFaith106">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 106</ref> Because of her influential role in the life of Jesus, prayers and devotions, such as the Rosary, the [[Hail Mary]], the [[Salve Regina]] and the [[Memorare]] are common Catholic practices.<ref name="OneFaith122">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), pp. 122&ndash;3</ref> Pilgrimages to Marian shrines such as [[Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes|Lourdes]] and [[Our Lady of Fátima|Fátima]] are popular devotions. The Church celebrates several liturgical Marian feasts throughout the Church Year.<ref>{{cite news | last =Baedeker | first =Rob | title =World's most-visited religious destinations | work =USA Today | year =2007 | url =http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-12-21-most-visited-religious-spots-forbes_N.htm | accessdate=2008-03-03}}</ref>

==Church organization and community==
Although the Church considers Jesus to be its ultimate spiritual head, as an earthly organization its spiritual head and leader is the pope.<ref name="Kreeft109">Kreeft, ''Catholic Christianity'' (2001), p. 109</ref> The pope governs from [[Vatican City]] in Rome, a sovereign state of which he is also the civil head of state.<ref>{{cite web | title =Country profile: Vatican | work=BBC News | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1066140.stm |accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Each pope is elected for life by the [[College of Cardinals]], a body composed of bishops and priests who have been granted the status of Cardinal by previous popes. The cardinals, who also serve as papal advisors, may select any male member of the Church to reign as pope, but if not already [[ordination|ordained]] as a [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]], such ordination must occur before the candidate can take papal office.<ref>{{cite web | last =Thavis | first =John | title =Election of new pope follows detailed procedure
 | work = Catholic News Service| year = 2005| url =http://www.catholicnews.com/jpii/stories/concl03.htm | accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref> The pope is assisted in the administration of the Church by the [[Roman Curia]], or civil service. The Church community is governed according to formal regulations set out in the [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]. The official language of the Church is Latin, however Italian is the working language of the Vatican administration.<ref>{{cite web | title =Vatican Introduces Latin to 21st Century With New Dictionary | work = The New York Times| date =14 May 2003 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEED6113FF937A25756C0A9659C8B63| accessdate=2008-05-13}}</ref>

Worldwide, the Catholic Church comprises a Western or [[Latin Rite|Latin]] and 22&nbsp;[[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]] [[Particular Church|autonomous particular churches]]. The Latin Church divides into jurisdictional areas known as [[diocese]]s, or [[eparchy|eparchies]] in the Eastern Church. Each is headed by a [[bishop]], [[patriarch]] or [[Eparchy|eparch]], appointed by the pope. By 2007, including both dioceses and eparchies, there were 2,782&nbsp;[[Episcopal see|sees]].<ref name="sees">Vatican, ''[[Annuario Pontificio]] (Pontifical Yearbook)'' (2007), p. 1172</ref> Each diocese is divided into individual communities called [[parish]]es, which are staffed by one or more priests.<ref name="OneFaith52">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 52</ref>
The community is made up of [[ordination|ordained]] members and the laity. Members of religious orders such as [[Nun#Roman_Catholic|nuns]], [[friar]]s and [[Monk#Roman_Catholic_Monks|monks]] are considered lay members unless individually ordained as priests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 207 |url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_PS.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref>

=== Ordained members and Holy Orders===
{{See also|Catholic Church hierarchy|College of Bishops|Priesthood (Catholic Church)|Deacon}}

Lay men become ordained through the sacrament of [[Holy Orders]], and form a three-part [[Catholic Church hierarchy|hierarchy]] of [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]], [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priests]] and [[deacon]]s. As a body the [[College of Bishops]] are considered to be the successors of the apostles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 42 |url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG1199/_P16.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 375 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1D.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Along with the pope, the College includes all the cardinals, [[patriarch]]s, [[Primate (religion)|primates]], [[archbishop]]s and [[metropolitan bishop|metropolitans]] of the Church. Only bishops are able to perform the sacrament of Holy Orders, and Confirmation is ordinarily reserved to them as well (though priests may do it under special circumstances).<ref name="OneFaith114">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 114</ref> While bishops are responsible for teaching, governing and sanctifying the faithful of their diocese, priests and deacons have these same responsibilities at a more local level, the parish, subordinate to the ministry of the bishop. While all priests, bishops and deacons preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services, only priests and bishops may celebrate the Eucharist or administer the sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Sick.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions About Deacons |url=http://www.usccb.org/deacon/faqs.shtml |author=Committee on the Diaconate |publisher=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref>

[[File:Deacon Ordination.jpg|thumb|250px|Roman Catholic candidates for the diaconate [[prostration|prostrate]] themselves before the [[altar]] of the [[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels]] in Los Angeles, California during a 2004 diaconal ordination liturgy. While some remain as [[permanent deacon]]s others are ordained priests after a year as [[transitional deacon]]s.]]
Although married men may become deacons, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the [[Latin Rite]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 1037 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3R.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 1031 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3Q.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Clergy who have converted from other denominations are sometimes exempted from this rule.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cholij| first=Roman |title=Priestly Celibacy in Patristics and in the History of the Church|url=http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_chisto_en.html |publisher=Vatican |year=1993 |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> The [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] ordain both celibate and married men.<ref>{{cite web | last =Niebuhur | first =Gustav | title =Bishop's Quiet Action Allows Priest Both Flock And Family | work =The New York Times | date =16 February 1997 | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07EEDD133FF935A25751C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | accessdate=2008-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = 1990 Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, Canons 285, 373, 374, 758| publisher =Libreria Editrice Vaticana |date= 1990| url = http://www.gwo.cz/pravda/1990_Code_of_Canon_Law.htm| accessdate =2008-09-12 }}</ref>

All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition where marriage is not allowed after ordination. Men with transitory homosexual leanings may be ordained deacons following three years of prayer and chastity, but homosexual men who are sexually active, or those who have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be ordained.<ref name="vatdocord">{{cite news |url=http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20051104_istruzione_en.html|author=Pope Benedict XVI|publisher=Vatican|year=2005|title=Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> The Church tradition of abstinence traces its beginnings to both Jesus, who encouraged his apostles to be celibate if they were able to do so, and to [[St. Paul]], who wrote of the advantages celibacy allowed a man in serving the Lord.<ref name="Bainton64">Bainton, ''Horizon History of Christianity'' (1964), p. 64</ref> Thus, from the Church's beginnings, clerical celibacy was "held in high esteem" and is considered a kind of spiritual marriage with Christ, a concept further popularized by the early Christian theologian [[Origen]].<ref name="Bokenkotter54">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 54</ref>  Clerical celibacy began to be enforced in papal [[decretals]] beginning with [[Pope Siricius]] (d. 399).<ref name="Bokenkotter54"/> In 1074, mandatory celibacy of the clergy became canon law as part of pope [[Gregory VII]]'s effort to eliminate several forms of medieval church corruption.<ref name="Bainton172">Bainton, ''Horizon History of Christianity'' (1964), p. 172</ref>

All programs for the formation of men to the Catholic priesthood are governed by Canon Law.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canons 232&ndash;93 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PW.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref> They are designed by national bishops' conferences such as the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] and vary slightly from country to country. The conferences consult Vatican documents such as [[Pastores Dabo Vobis]], [[Novo Millennio Ineunte]], [[Optatam Totius]] and others to create these programs.<ref>USCCB, ''Program for Priestly Formation'' (2006), preface</ref> In some countries, priests are required to have a college degree plus another four years of full time theological study in a [[seminary]]. In other countries a degree is not strictly required, but seminary education is longer. Candidates for the priesthood are also evaluated in terms of human, spiritual and pastoral formation.<ref>USCCB, ''Program for Priestly Formation'' (2006), paras. 72, 243</ref> The sacrament of Holy Orders is always conferred by a bishop through the laying-on of hands, following which the newly ordained priest is formally clothed in his priestly vestments.<ref name="OneFaith114"/>

Since the [[twelve apostles]] chosen by Jesus were all male, only men may be ordained in the Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 1577 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c3a6.htm#III| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> While some consider this to be evidence of a discriminatory attitude toward women,<ref name="Bokenkotter496">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 496</ref> the Church believes that Jesus called women to different yet equally important vocations in Church ministry.<ref name="Benedict180">Pope Benedict XVI, ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (2008), pp. 180&ndash;1</ref> Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Christifideles Laici, states that women have specific vocations reserved only for the female sex, and are equally called to be disciples of Jesus.<ref name="CFL">{{cite web | last =John Paul II | first =Pope | title =Christifideles Laici | publisher =Vatican | year =1988 | url =http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici_en.html | accessdate=2008-03-17}}</ref> This belief in different and complementary roles between men and women is exemplified in [[Pope Paul VI]]'s statement "If the witness of the Apostles founds the Church, the witness of women contributes greatly towards nourishing the faith of Christian communities".<ref name="CFL"/>

=== Lay members, marriage ===
{{See also|Laity}}
[[File:Ejdzej and Iric wedding communion-03.jpg|thumb|left|Roman Catholic couple receiving the Eucharist at their wedding.]]
The laity consists of those Catholics who are not ordained clergy. Saint Paul compared the diversity of roles in the Church to the different parts of a body&mdash;all being important to enable the body to function.<ref name="Schreck153">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 153</ref> The Church therefore considers that lay members are equally called to live according to Christian principles, to work to spread the message of Jesus, and to effect change in the world for the good of others. The Church calls these actions participation in Christ's priestly, prophetic and royal offices.<ref name="laity">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 871&ndash;2, 899, 901, 905, 908&ndash;9 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a9p4.htm#II| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> Marriage, the single life and the consecrated life are lay vocations. The sacrament of Matrimony in the Latin rite is the only sacrament not conferred by a priest&ndash;the spouses mutually confer the sacrament upon each other before the priest who serves as a witness. In the Eastern liturgies the minister of this sacrament, which is called "Crowning", is the priest or bishop who, after receiving the mutual consent of the spouses, successively crowns the bridegroom and the bride as a sign of the marriage covenant.<ref name="marriage">{{cite web | last =Paragraph numbers 1623 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P52.HTM| accessdate=2008-06-05}}</ref> Church law makes no provision for [[divorce]], but [[annulment]] may be granted when proof is produced that a marriage is invalid. Since the Church condemns all forms of artificial [[birth control]], married persons are expected to be open to new life in their sexual relations.<ref name="Schreck350">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 350</ref> [[Natural family planning]] is approved.<ref name="Schreck315">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 315</ref>

[[Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement|Lay ecclesial movements]] consist of lay Catholics organized for purposes of teaching the faith, cultural work, mutual support or missionary work.<ref name="tertiaries"/> Such groups include: [[Communion and Liberation]], [[Neocatechumenal Way]], [[Regnum Christi]], [[Opus Dei]], [[Life Teen]] and many others.<ref name="tertiaries">{{cite web | last =Pontifical Council for the Laity| title =International Associations of the Faithful | publisher =Vatican | year =2000 | url =http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/documents/rc_pc_laity_doc_20051114_associazioni_en.html| accessdate=2008-03-27}}</ref> Some non-ordained Catholics practice formal, public ministries within the Church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 129 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PF.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> These are called [[Lay Ecclesial Ministry|lay ecclesial ministers]], a broad category which may include pastoral life coordinators, pastoral assistants, youth ministers and campus ministers.<ref name="USCB9">USCCB, ''Co&ndash;Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord'' (2005), p. 9</ref>

==== Religious orders ====
{{See also|Consecrated life (Catholic Church)|Roman Catholic religious order}}
[[File:Teresa of Avila dsc01644.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Teresa of Ávila]], shown in a 1615 painting by [[Peter Paul Rubens]], was a [[Carmelite]] nun honored as a [[Doctor of the Church]].]]
Both the ordained and the laity may enter the [[cloistered]] [[consecrated life]] either as [[monks]] or [[nuns]]. There are also [[friars]] and [[religious Sister|sisters]] who engage in teaching and missionary activity and charity work such as the various [[mendicant orders]]. A candidate takes [[Religious vows|vows]] confirming their desire to follow the three [[evangelical counsels]] of chastity, poverty and obedience.<ref name = "vatican.va-Canons573">{{cite web |title=Canons 573&ndash;746 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1Y.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref>

The majority of those wishing to enter the consecrated life join one of the [[Consecrated life#Institutes of Consecrated Life|religious institutes]] which are also referred to as monastic or religious orders. They follow a common rule such as the [[Rule of St Benedict]] and agree to live under the leadership of a superior.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canons 573&ndash;602, 605&ndash;709 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1Y.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 654 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P26.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> They usually live together in a community but individuals may be given permission to live as [[hermit]]s, or to reside elsewhere, for example as a serving priest or chaplain.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 587 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1Y.HTM|publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Examples of religious institutes include the [[Sisters of Charity]], [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], [[Franciscan]]s, [[Carmelites]], [[Cistercians]], [[Marist Brothers]], [[Paulist Fathers]] and the [[Society of Jesus]], but there are many others.<ref name = "vatican.va-Canons573"/>

==== Tertiaries and Oblates ====
[[Tertiaries]] and [[Oblates]] are laypersons who live according to the [[Third order|third rule of orders]] such as those of the [[Secular Franciscan Order]] or [[Lay Carmelites]], either within a religious community or outside.<ref name="tertiaries"/> Although all tertiaries make a public profession, participate in the good works of their order and in some cases may wear the habit, they are not bound by public vows unless they live in a religious community. Oblates are laypersons or clerical members of a religious order, not professed monks or nuns, who have individually affiliated themselves in prayer with a House of their choice. These make a formal private promise (annually renewable or for life, depending on the house with which they are affiliated) to follow the rule of prayer in their private life as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit.

The Church recognizes several other forms of consecrated life, including secular institutes, [[Society of Apostolic Life|societies of apostolic life]] and consecrated widows and widowers.<ref name = "vatican.va-Canons573"/> It also makes provision for the approval of new forms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 605 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1Y.HTM|publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref>

===Membership===
Membership of the Catholic Church is attained through Baptism.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 11 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3.HTM |publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> For those baptized as children, [[First Communion]] is a particular rite of passage when, following instruction, they are allowed to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. Christians baptized outside of the Catholic Church or those never baptized may be received by participating in a formation program such as the [[Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults]].<ref name="OneFaith56"/><ref>{{cite web | last = Gledhill| first =Ruth | title =Tony Blair converts to Catholicism | work = Times Newspapers Ltd | year =2007 | url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3086753.ece | accessdate=2008-04-04}}</ref> In all rites, after going through formation and making a profession of faith, candidates receive the [[Sacraments of Initiation|sacraments of initiation]] at the [[Easter Vigil|Easter vigil]] on [[Holy Saturday]].<ref name="OneFaith56">Barry, ''One Faith, One Lord'' (2001), p. 56</ref>

A person can [[Excommunication|excommunicate]] themselves or be excommunicated by committing particularly grave sins.<ref>{{cite web | title =Pro-abortion politicians excluded from Communion: Pope | work =Catholic World News | date =9 May 2007 | url =http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=51031 | accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title =Excommunication | work =Catholic World News | date =9 May 2007 | url =http://www.catholicculture.org/news/definition.cfm?glossID=91&CFID=12572433&CFTOKEN=23338886 | accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref> Examples include violating the [[Seal of Confession|seal of confession]] (committed when a priest discloses the sins heard in the sacrament of Penance), persisting in [[heresy]], creating [[Schism (religion)|schism]], becoming an [[apostate]] or having an [[abortion]].<ref>{{cite web | author =John Paul II |authorlink = Pope John Paul II| title =Evangelium Vitae| publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1995| url = http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0141/__PQ.HTM| accessdate=2008-03-03}}</ref> Throwing away or retaining for a sacrilegious purpose consecrated [[sacramental bread]] or [[Sacramental wine|wine]] received during the Eucharist is considered an excommunicable offense.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canon 1364, 1367 |url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P52.HTM|publisher=Vatican |work=1983 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]]|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Formal excommunication is the most severe ecclesiastical penalty because it prevents a person from validly receiving any Church sacrament. It can only be forgiven by the pope, the bishop of the diocese where the person resides, or priests authorized by him.<ref>{{cite web | last =Paragraph number 1463 | title =Catechism of the Catholic Church | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana| year = 1994| url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm#IX| accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref>

==Catholic institutions, personnel and demographics==
{{See|Roman Catholicism by country}}
[[File:St. Theresa School 2007.jpg|thumb|210px| right|[[St. Theresa School]] in Coral Gables, FL is one of over 125,000 worldwide Catholic schools.]]
In 2000, worldwide Catholic institutions totalled 408,637 parishes and missions, 125,016 primary and secondary schools, 1,046 universities, 5,853 hospitals, 8,695 orphanages, 13,933 homes for the elderly and handicapped and 74,936 dispensaries, leprosaries, nurseries and other institutions.<ref name="Froehle17">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), pp. 17&ndash;20</ref> Many of these institutions are at least partially staffed by religious sisters.<ref name="Froehle41"/> Worldwide, as of 2000, there were 769,142 religious sisters, 55,057 religious brothers, 405,178 diocesan and religious priests, 3,475 bishops, 914 archbishops, 183 cardinals, 27,824 permanent deacons and 110,583 diocesan and religious seminarians (men studying for the priesthood).<ref name="Froehle41">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), pp. 41&ndash;3</ref><ref name="Froehle30">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), pp. 30&ndash;5</ref>

Church membership in 2007 was 1.131&nbsp;billion people;<ref name="cathstats">{{cite web | title =Number of priests increases, but not as fast as number of Catholics | publisher =Catholic News Service | date =29 February 2008 | url =http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20080229.htm | accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> a substantial increase over the 1970 figure of 654&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web | last =Bazar | first =Emily | title =Immigrants Make Pilgrimage to Pope | work = USA Today| date =16 April 2008 | url =http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-04-15-popeimmigrants_N.htm| accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref> It is the largest Christian church encompassing over half of all Christians, one sixth of the world's population and is the largest organized body of any world religion,<ref name="CIA"/><ref name="Duffyp">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), preface</ref> and known for its ability to use its transnational ties and organizational strength to bring significant resources to needy situations.<ref name="Froehle132">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 132</ref> Although the number of practicing Catholics worldwide is not reliably known,<ref name=bbcfact>{{cite news |title= Factfile: Roman Catholics around the world |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4243727.stm|publisher=BBC News |date=1 April 2005 |accessdate=2008-03-24}}</ref> membership is growing particularly in Africa and Asia.<ref name="Zenit"/>

Some parts of Europe and the Americas have experienced a rising average age and a shortage of priests in recent years as the number of priests has not increased in proportion to the number of Catholics.<ref>{{cite web | last =Pogatchnik | first = Shawn| title =Catholic Priest Shortage | publisher =CBS News | date=13 April 2005 | url =http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/13/world/main688030.shtml | accessdate=2008-04-04}}</ref> The Latin American Church, known for its large parishes where the parishioner to priest ratio is the highest in the world, considers this to be a contributing factor in the rise of pentecostal and evangelical Christian denominations in the region.<ref name="Froehle128"/> [[Secularism]] has seen a steady rise in Europe yet the Catholic presence there remains strong as evidenced by a large presence of Catholic institutions and personnel.<ref name="Froehle128"/>
[[File:Nirmal Hriday.JPG|thumb|210px|left|[[Mother Teresa]] established homes for the dying in India to care for people who were otherwise left to die on the streets.]]
With a high number of adult baptisms, the Church is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else.<ref name="Froehle46">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 46</ref> Challenges faced include suppression of non-Islamic religious practices by Muslims in [[Sudan]] and a high rate of [[AIDS]] in Sub-Saharan Africa where the Church participates in efforts to help patients and reduce the spread of disease.<ref name="Froehle62">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 62&ndash;4</ref> Africa has three Catholic primary and secondary schools for every one parish reflecting the greater need for basic education there.<ref name="Froehle48">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 48</ref>

The Church in Asia is a significant minority among other religions yet its vibrance is evidenced by the large proportion of women religious, priests and parishes to total Catholic population.<ref name="Froehle128">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), pp. 128&ndash;9</ref> From 1975&ndash;2000, total Asian population grew by 61% with an Asian Catholic population increase of 104%.<ref name="Froehle86">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 86</ref> Challenges faced include oppression by communist countries like [[North Korea]] where it is forbidden, and [[China]] where all seminaries were closed and all priests expelled under the regime of [[Mao Zedong]] during the 1950s.<ref name="Froehle98">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 98</ref>

Oceania is overwhelmingly Christian with Catholic the majority denomination. There, the Church faces challenges in reaching indigenous populations where over 715 different languages are spoken.<ref name="Froehle128"/> Of Catholics worldwide, 12% reside in Africa, 50% in the American continent, 10% are in Asia, 27% in Europe and 1% live in Oceania.<ref name="Froehle10">Froehle, ''Global Catholicism'' (2003), p. 10</ref>

==Cultural influence==
{{See also|Art in Roman Catholicism|Role of the Roman Catholic Church in civilization}}
[[File:Codex_Magliabechiano_(141_cropped).jpg|thumb|180px|[[Aztec]]s were [[Human sacrifice in Aztec culture|practicing]] [[human sacrifice]], which ended with the spread of Christianity to the region by Catholic missionaries.<ref name="Noble445">Noble, ''Western Civilization'' (2005), pp. 446, 456</ref>]]
The cultural influence of the Catholic Church has been vast, particularly upon western society.<ref name="Orlandis"/> Most significant was its role in the spread of the Christian religion throughout the world, a process that ended practices like human sacrifice, slavery, infanticide and polygamy in Christian lands.<ref name="Kohl61">Kohl, ''Infanticide and the Value of Life'' (1978), p. 61, Contribution entitled ''Infanticide: an anthropological analysis'' by L Williamson</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter56">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 56</ref> Historians note that Catholic missionaries, popes, laymen and religious were among the leaders in the campaign against slavery, an institution that has existed in almost every worldwide culture.<ref name="Chadwick242">Chadwick, ''A History of Christianity'' (1995), p. 242</ref><ref name="Noll137">Noll, ''The Civil War as a Theological Crisis(2006), p. 137&ndash;40</ref> Christianity improved the status of women by condemning female [[infanticide]] (as well as all other forms), [[divorce]], [[incest]], [[polygamy]] and [[marital infidelity]] of both men and women in contrast to the evangelized cultures beginning with the Roman Empire that previously permitted these practices.<ref name="Bokenkotter56"/><ref name="Noble230">Noble, ''Western Civilization'' (2005), p. 230</ref><ref name="Stark104">Stark, ''The Rise of Christianity'' (1996), p. 104</ref>

The Church has frequently been criticized for the house arrest of [[Galileo]] over the geocentrism controversy of the 1600s and his criticism of the Biblical [[Book of Joshua]] (10:13). However historians of science, including non-Catholics such as [[J.L. Heilbron]],<ref>{{cite web |title=J.L. Heilbron |url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/contribhome.php?get=heil01 |work=London Review of Books |accessdate=2006-09-15}}</ref> [[Alistair Cameron Crombie|A.C. Crombie]], [[David C. Lindberg|David Lindberg]],<ref name="Lindberg">Lindberg, ''When Science and Christianity Meet'' (2003), pp. 20&ndash;21</ref> and [[Thomas Goldstein (Historian of Science)|Thomas Goldstein]],<ref name="Goldstein">Goldstein, ''Dawn of Modern Science: From the Ancient Greeks to the Renaissance'' (1995), pp. 61&ndash;63, 76</ref> have argued that the Church had a significant, positive influence on the development of civilization. In contrast to scholars such as [[Ramsay MacMullen]], who take a negative view with respect to the loss of ancient literature with the rise of Christianity,<ref name="MacMullen">MacMullen, ''Christianity & Paganism in the Fourth to Eight Centuries'' (1997), p. 4</ref> they hold that, not only did monks save and cultivate the remnants of ancient civilization during the barbarian invasions of Europe, but that the Church promoted learning and science through its sponsorship of universities and Catholic schools throughout the world. Presently, the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system.<ref name="Gardner148">Gardner, ''Faith Schools'' (1996), p. 148</ref>

The Catholic Church was the dominant influence on the development of Western art, at least up to the Protestant Reformation. Its patronage of artists, its consistent opposition to [[Byzantine iconoclasm]] and the creation of the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]], [[Gothic art|Gothic]] and [[Renaissance art|Renaissance]] styles of art and architecture being particularly important contributions.<ref name="Woods122">Woods, ''How the Church Built Western Civilization'' (2005), p. 122</ref>  Renaissance artists like [[Raphael]], [[Michelangelo]] and [[Leonardo da Vinci]] were among a multitude of innovative artists sponsored by the Church.<ref name="Duffy133">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 133</ref> In music, Catholic monks developed the first forms of musical notation, and an enormous body of religious music has been composed for the Catholic Church through the ages. This led directly to the emergence and development of European [[classical music]], and its many derivatives. The [[Baroque]] style, which encompassed music, art and architecture, was particularly encouraged by the post-Reformation Catholic Church since it offered a means of religious expression that was stirring and emotional, intended to stimulate religious fervor.<ref name="Murray45">Murray, ''Dictionary of the Arts'' (1994), p. 45</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of the Roman Catholic Church|Role of the Roman Catholic Church in civilization}}
{{See|History of Christianity|History of Western civilization|Criticism of the Catholic Church}}

=== Roman Empire===
The Catholic Church considers that it began on [[Pentecost]] when, according to scriptural accounts, the apostles received the Holy Spirit and emerged from hiding following the death and resurrection of Jesus to preach and spread his message.<ref name="Vidmar19">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 19&ndash;20</ref><ref name="Schreck130">Schreck, ''The Essential Catholic Catechism'' (1999), p. 130</ref> According to historians, the apostles traveled to northern Africa, Asia Minor, Arabia, Greece, and Rome to found the first Christian communities,<ref name="Vidmar19"/><ref name="Bokenkotter18"/> over 40 of which had been established by the year 100.<ref name="Wilken281">Wilken, "Christianity" ''Geography of Religion'' p. 281</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter18">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 18</ref> At first, Christians continued to worship alongside Jewish believers, but within twenty years of Jesus' death, Sunday was being regarded as the primary day of worship<ref name="Davidson115">Davidson, ''The Birth of the Church'' (2005), p. 115</ref> because it was revered as the day of Jesus' Resurrection.<ref name="Benedict112">Pope Benedict XVI, ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (2008), p. 112</ref> From as early as the first century, the Church of Rome was recognized as a doctrinal authority because it was believed that the Apostles [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] had led the Church there.<ref name="Norman11"/><ref name="Vidmar40">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 40&ndash;2</ref><ref name="McManners361">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (2002), p. 36, Chapter 1 The Early Christian Community subsection entitled "Rome" by [[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]]</ref>

[[File:Jean-Léon_Gérôme_-_The_Christian_Martyrs'_Last_Prayer_-_Walters_37113.jpg|left|thumb|250 px|Early Christians were martyred as entertainment in the [[Colosseum]] in Rome, a short distance from the [[Vatican Hill]]. [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]], 1883.]]

The apostles convened the first Church council, the [[Council of Jerusalem]], in or around the year&nbsp;50 to reconcile differences concerning the evangelization of [[Gentile]]s.<ref name= "McManners37">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (2002), p. 37, Chapter 1 The Early Christian Community subsection entitled "Rome" by [[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]]</ref> Although competing forms of Christianity emerged early and persisted into the fifth century, there was broad doctrinal unity within the mainstream churches.<ref name="Davidson155">Davidson, ''The Birth of the Church'' (2005), p. 155</ref> From the year 100 onward, teachers like [[Ignatius of Antioch]] and [[Irenaeus]] defined Catholic teaching in stark opposition to [[Gnosticism]].<ref name="Davidson169">Davidson, ''The Birth of the Church'' (2005), pp. 169, 181</ref> The Roman Church retained the practice of meeting in [[ecumenical council]]s to ensure that any internal doctrinal differences were quickly resolved.<ref name="McManners371">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (2002), pp. 37&ndash;8, Chapter 1 The Early Christian Community subsection entitled "Rome" by [[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]]</ref> In the first few centuries of its existence, the Church formed its teachings and traditions into a systematic whole under the influence of theological [[apologists]] such as [[Pope Clement I]], [[Justin Martyr]] and [[Augustine of Hippo]].<ref name="Norman27">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), pp. 27&ndash;8</ref>

Because early Christians refused to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods or to defer to Roman rulers as gods, they were frequently subject to [[Persecution of Christians|persecution]].<ref name="Wilken282">Wilken, "Christianity" ''Geography of Religion'' p. 282</ref> This began under [[Nero]] in the first century and culminated in the [[Diocletianic Persecution|great persecution]] of [[Diocletian]] and [[Galerius]], which was seen as a final attempt to wipe out Christianity.<ref name="StoChris53">Collins, ''The Story of Christianity'' (1999), pp. 53&ndash;5</ref> In spite of these persecutions Christianity continued to spread and was eventually legalized in 313 under [[Constantine I]]'s [[Edict of Milan]].<ref name="Davidson341">Davidson, ''The Birth of the Church'' (2005), p. 341</ref>

In 325, the [[First Council of Nicaea]] convened in response to the threat of [[Arianism]] and formulated the [[Nicene Creed]] as a basic statement of Christian belief.<ref name="Herring60">Herring, ''An Introduction to the History of Christianity'' (2006), p. 60</ref> Emperor Constantine I commissioned the [[Old St. Peter's Basilica|first Basilica of St. Peter]] and several other sites of lasting importance to Christianity.<ref name="SandSp18">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 18</ref> By this time, the altar as the focal point of each church, the sign of the cross, and the liturgical calendar had been established.<ref name="Wilken284">Wilken, "Christianity" ''Geography of Religion'' p. 284</ref>  By 380, Christianity was the official religion of the Empire.<ref name="Wilken286">Wilken, "Christianity" ''Geography of Religion'' p. 286</ref>
In subsequent decades a series of [[Ecumenical council]]s codified critical elements of the Church's theology. The [[Council of Rome]] in 382 listed the accepted books of the ''[[Old Testament|Old]]'' and ''[[New Testament]]'' and in 391 this [[Biblical canon]], was translated into the common language of Latin creating the [[Vulgate]].<ref name="StoChris61">Collins, ''The Story of Christianity'' (1999), pp. 61&ndash;2</ref> The Councils of [[Council of Ephesus|Ephesus]] in 431, and [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedon]] two decades later, clarified the nature of Jesus' [[incarnation]].<ref name="SandSp35">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners''(1997), p. 35</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter223">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 84&ndash;93</ref> These definitions sparked [[Monophysite]] disagreements which led to the first of the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] breaking away from the Catholic Church.<ref name="McManners371">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (2002), p. 142, Chapter 4 Eastern Christendom by [[Timothy Ware|Kallistos Ware]]</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== Early Middle Ages===
{{See|Middle Ages|Christian monasticism}}
After the [[Decline of the Roman Empire|fall of the Western Roman Empire]] in 476, the Catholic faith competed with [[Arianism]] for the conversion of the barbarian tribes.<ref name="LeGoff20">Le Goff, ''Medieval Civilization'' (1964), pp. 5&ndash;20</ref> The 496 conversion of [[Clovis I]], pagan king of the [[Franks]], marked the beginning of a steady rise of the Catholic faith in the West.<ref name="LeGoff21">Le Goff, ''Medieval Civilization'' (1964), p. 21</ref>

[[File:Fra Angelico 031.jpg|left|thumb|[[Saint Benedict]], father of Western monasticism and author of ''[[Rule of St Benedict]]''. Detail from fresco by [[Fra Angelico]], c.&nbsp;1437&ndash;46.]]

In 530, [[Saint Benedict]] wrote his ''[[Rule of St Benedict|monastic Rule]]'', which became a blueprint for the organization of [[Monastery|monasteries]] throughout Europe.<ref name="Woods27">Woods, ''How the Church Built Western Civilization'' (2005), p. 27</ref> The new monasteries preserved classical craft and artistic skills while maintaining intellectual culture within their schools, [[Scriptorium|scriptoria]] and libraries. As well as providing a focus for spiritual life, they functioned as agricultural, economic and production centers, particularly in remote regions, becoming major conduits of civilization.<ref name="LeGoff120">Le Goff, ''Medieval Civilization'' (1964), p. 120</ref> From 590 [[Pope Gregory the Great]] dramatically reformed church practice and administration, launching renewed missionary efforts.<ref name="Duffy52">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 50&ndash;2</ref>  These were complemented by the [[Hiberno-Scottish mission]]s<ref name= "McManners94"/> from the [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic monasticism]] of the British Isles.<ref name="Vidmar82">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p. 82&ndash;83</ref> Missionaries such as [[Augustine of Canterbury]], Saint [[Boniface]], [[Willibrord]] and [[Ansgar]] took Christianity to the [[Franks]] and other Germanic peoples.<ref name= "McManners94">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), pp. 92&ndash;94</ref> Later missions reached the Slavs and other Scandinavians.<ref name= "McManners94"/> In the same period the Visigoths and Lombards moved from Arianism toward Catholicism,<ref name="LeGoff21"/> and in Britain the full reunion of the Celtic churches with Rome was effectively marked by the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664.<ref name="Vidmar82"/>

In the early 700s, under the direction of the Eastern, Byzantine emperors, [[Byzantine iconoclasm|iconoclasts]] ordered the destruction of all religious images. [[Iconodule]]s supported by the pope and the Western Church were strongly opposed to this.<ref name="Vidmar103">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 102&ndash;3</ref><ref name="Duffy63">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 63</ref> The dispute was resolved in 787 when the [[Second Council of Nicaea]] ruled in favor of icons.<ref name="Duffy74">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 63, 74</ref> In 800, continuing disagreements with the east culminated when the pope crowned [[Charlemagne]] Holy Roman Emperor in the west. Charlemagne attempted to unify Western Europe through the common bond of Christianity, creating an improved system of education and establishing unified laws. However imperial interest created a problem for the church as succeeding emperors sought to impose increasingly tight control over the popes.<ref name="Vidmar107">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 107&ndash;11</ref><ref name="Duffy78">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 78</ref> Disagreements between the Eastern and Western churches arose again in 858, when [[Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople]], favored by the pope, was deposed for the more extreme [[Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople|Photios]].<ref name="Duffy82">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 82</ref> The pope declared the election of Photios invalid and excommunicated him. The consequent long-running dispute added to the growing alienation between the churches.<ref name="Vidmar103"/><ref name="Duffy81">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 81&ndash;2</ref>

After a dispute over whether Constantinople or Rome held jurisdiction over the church in Sicily, the two Churches mutually excommunicated each other in 1054, resulting in the [[East-West Schism]].<ref name="SandSp91">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 91</ref> The Western (Latin) branch of Christianity has since become known as the Catholic Church, while the Eastern (Greek) branch became known as the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].<ref name="StoChris44">Collins, ''The Story of Christianity'' (1999), p. 103</ref><ref name="Vidmar104">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p.&nbsp;104</ref> The [[Second Council of Lyon]] (1274) and the [[Council of Florence]] (1439) both failed to heal the schism.<ref name="Duffy119">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 119, 131</ref> Some [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern churches]] have subsequently reunited with the Catholic Church.<ref name="Vidmar104"/> In spite of attempts at reunification, the two churches remain in schism, although [[Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965|excommunications were mutually lifted]] in 1965.<ref name="Duffy278">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p.&nbsp;278</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== High Middle Ages===
{{See|High Middle Ages}}
The [[Cluniac reforms|Cluniac reform]] of monasteries that had begun in 910 sparked widespread monastic growth and renewal.<ref name="Duffy88">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp.&nbsp;88&ndash;9</ref> Monasteries introduced new crops, developed technologies such as metallurgy, and fostered the creation and preservation of literature. They could also function as credit establishments promoting economic growth. Monasteries, convents and cathedrals still operated virtually all schools and libraries.<ref name="Woods40">Woods, ''How the Church Built Western Civilization'' (2005), pp.&nbsp;40&ndash;4</ref><ref name="LeGoff80">Le Goff, ''Medieval Civilization'' (1964), pp. 80&ndash;2</ref> After 1100, some cathedral schools split into lower, grammar, schools and higher schools for advanced learning. First in [[University of Bologna|Bologna]], then at [[University of Paris|Paris]] and [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], some of these higher schools developed into [[Medieval university|universities]], the direct ancestors of the modern Western institutions.<ref name="Woods44">Woods, ''How the Church Built Western Civilization'' (2005), pp.&nbsp;44&ndash;8</ref> Notable theologians such as [[Thomas Aquinas]] worked to explain the connection between human experience and faith.<ref name="Bokenkotter158"/> His ''[[Summa Theologica]]'' was a key intellectual achievement in its synthesis of [[Aristotle|Aristotelian]] thought and Christianity.<ref name="Bokenkotter158">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 158&ndash;9</ref>

[[File:CouncilofClermont.jpg|thumb|180 px|[[Pope Urban II]] at the [[Council of Clermont]] (1095), where he preached the [[First Crusade]]; later [[illuminated manuscript|manuscript illumination]] of c. 1490]]

In 1095, Byzantine emperor [[Alexios I Komnenos|Alexius I]] appealed to [[Pope Urban II]] for help against [[Byzantine-Seljuk Wars|Muslim invasions]].<ref name="rileysmith">Riley-Smith, ''The First Crusaders'' (1997), p.&nbsp;8</ref> Urban launched the [[First Crusade]], hoping to bring about reconciliation with Eastern Christianity.<ref name="Vidmar130">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp.&nbsp;130&ndash;1</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter140">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 140</ref> Fueled by reports of Muslim atrocities against Christians,<ref name="Bokenkotter155">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 155</ref> the series of military campaigns that followed were intended to return the [[Holy Land]] to Christian control. The goal was not permanently realized and left a legacy of mutual distrust between Muslims and Christians.<ref name="LeGoff66">Le Goff, ''Medieval Civilization'' (1964), pp.&nbsp;65&ndash;7</ref> Although [[Pope Innocent III]] forbid the attacking of Christian cities, [[Fourth Crusade#Diversion_to_Constantinople|Catholics sacked Constantinople]] during the [[Fourth Crusade]], which left Eastern Christians embittered.<ref name="Tyerman">Tyerman, ''God's War: A New History of the Crusades'' (2006), pp.&nbsp;525&ndash;60</ref> In 2001, [[Pope John Paul II]] apologized to the Orthodox Christians for these actions.<ref>{{cite web | title =Pope sorrow over Constantinople| publisher =BBC News | date = 29 June 2004| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3850789.stm | accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref>

Reform efforts sparked by Cluny intensified internal Church efforts to eliminate the corrupting practice of lay investitures where laymen select bishops and is a powerful source of dominance over the Church by secular rulers.<ref name="Bokenkotter155">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 116&ndash;120 </ref> [[Pope Gregory VII]] issued a decree against the practice, which contributed to a century and a half long struggle between popes and secular rulers. The matter was eventually settled with the [[Concordat of Worms]] which decreed that elections of bishops would be conducted under canon law.<ref name="Noble286">Noble, ''Western Civilization'' (2005), p. 286&ndash;287</ref> Later, the Cistercian monk Bernard of Clairvaux's influence led to the founding of eight new monastic orders, including the Military Knights of the Crusades.<ref name="Norman62">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church'' (2007), p.&nbsp;62</ref> In the following century, new [[mendicant orders]] were founded by [[Francis of Assisi]] and [[Dominic de Guzmán]], which brought [[Consecrated life (Catholic Church)|consecrated religious life]] into urban settings.<ref name="LeGoff87">Le Goff, ''Medieval Civilization'' (1964), p. 87</ref>

Twelfth-century France witnessed the emergence of [[Catharism]], and, after a [[papal legate]] was murdered by the Cathars, [[Pope Innocent III]] declared the [[Albigensian Crusade]] against them.<ref name="Duffy112">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p.&nbsp;112</ref> Abuses committed during the crusade caused Innocent III to informally institute the first [[papal inquisition]] to prevent future abuses and to root out the remaining Cathars.<ref name="Vidmar144">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 144&ndash;7</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter132">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 132</ref> Formalized under [[Gregory IX]], this [[Medieval inquisition]] executed an average of three people per year for heresy at its height.<ref name="Bokenkotter132"/><ref name="Norman93"/>

Over time, other [[inquisitions]] were launched by the Church or secular rulers to prosecute heretics, to respond to the threat of [[Muslim]] invasion, or for political purposes.<ref name="christopherblack">Black, ''Early Modern Italy'' (2001), pp.&nbsp;200&ndash;2</ref> In the 14th century, King [[Philip IV of France]] created an inquisition to suppress the [[Knights Templar]].<ref name="Norman93">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), p.&nbsp;93</ref> [[Catholic Monarchs|King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella]] formed an inquisition to deal with distrusted ex-Jewish and ex-Muslim converts.<ref name="Kamen48">Kamen, ''The Spanish Inquisition'' (1997), pp.&nbsp;48&ndash;9</ref> Over a 350-year period, the [[Spanish Inquisition]] executed between 3,000 and 4,000&nbsp;people,<ref name="Vidmar150">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp.&nbsp;150&ndash;2</ref> representing around two percent of those accused.<ref name="kamen203">Kamen, ''The Spanish Inquisition'' (1997), pp.&nbsp;59, 203</ref> Later, the inquisition played a major role in the final expulsion of Islam from the kingdoms of Sicily and Spain.<ref name="McManners187">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p.&nbsp;187</ref> In 1482, [[Pope Sixtus IV]] condemned the excesses of the Spanish Inquisition, but Ferdinand ignored his protests.<ref name="kamen49">Kamen, ''The Spanish Inquisition'' (1997), p.&nbsp;49</ref> Protestant propaganda and popular literature exaggerated the horrors of the inquisitions in an effort to associate the entire Catholic Church with crimes most often committed by secular rulers.<ref name="Norman92">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), p.&nbsp;93</ref><ref name="Armstrong103">Armstrong, ''The European Reformation'' (2002), p. 103</ref><ref name="McManners215">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p.&nbsp;215</ref><ref name="Vidmar146">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p.&nbsp;146</ref> Over all, one percent of those tried by the inquisitions received death penalties, which is less than the secular courts of the period.<ref name="Vidmar150"/><ref name="Armstrong103"/>

Driven by political instability in Rome, in 1309 [[Pope Clement V|Clement V]] became the first of seven popes to reside under French influence in [[Avignon]].<ref name="Duffy122">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p.&nbsp;122</ref> This [[Avignon Papacy]] ended in 1378, when, at the urging of [[Catherine of Siena]] and others, the papacy finally returned to Rome.<ref name="McManners232">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p.&nbsp;232, Chapter 6 Christian Civilization by Colin Morris (University of Southampton)</ref><ref name="Vidmar155">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p.&nbsp;155</ref> With the death of [[Pope Gregory XI]] later that year, the papal election was disputed. Supporters of Italian and French&ndash;backed candidates were unable to come to agreement, resulting in the 38 year long [[Western Schism|Western schism]] with separate popes in Rome and Avignon. Efforts at resolution were complicated when a third, compromise, pope was elected in 1409.<ref name="McManners240">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p.&nbsp;240, Chapter 7 The Late Medieval Church and its Reformation by Patrick Collinson (University of Cambridge)</ref> The matter was finally resolved in 1417 at the [[Council of Constance]] where the cardinals called upon all three claimants to the papal throne to resign, and held a new election naming [[Pope Martin V|Martin V]] pope.<ref name="McManners240"/>

===Late Medieval and Renaissance===
{{Main|Reformation|English Reformation|Counter-Reformation}}
{{See|Roman Catholic Church and colonialism|Catholicism and the wars of religion}}
[[File:Whitby abbey photography.jpg|left|thumb|180 px|[[Whitby Abbey]] England, one of hundreds of European monasteries destroyed during the Reformation.]]
Beginning in the late 15th century, European explorers and missionaries spread Catholicism to the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. [[Pope Alexander VI]] awarded colonial rights to Spain and Portugal.<ref name="Koschorke13">Koschorke, ''A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America'' (2007), pp. 13, 283</ref> Under the ''patronato'' system, however, state authorities controlled all clerical appointments in the new colonies.<ref name="Dussel39">Dussel, Enrique, ''A History of the Church in Latin America'', Wm B Eerdmans Publishing, 1981, pp. 39, 59</ref> When [[Antonio de Montesinos (Dominican friar)|Antonio de Montesinos]], a Dominican friar, criticized the Spanish rulers of Hispaniola for their harsh treatment of American natives,<ref name=Johansen109>Johansen, Bruce, ''The Native Peoples of North America,'' Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 2006, pp. 109, 110</ref><ref name="Koschorke287">Koschorke, ''A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America'' (2007), p. 287</ref> [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|King Ferdinand]] enacted the ''[[Laws of Burgos]]'' and ''Valladolid''. However enforcement was lax, and while some historians blame the Church for not doing enough, others point to the Church as the only voice defending indigenous peoples.<ref name="Dussel45">Dussel, Enrique, ''A History of the Church in Latin America'', Wm B Eerdmans Publishing, 1981, pp. 45, 52, 53</ref> The issue resulted in a crisis of conscience in 16th-century Spain.<ref name=Johansen109>Johansen, Bruce, ''The Native Peoples of North America,'' Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 2006, pp. 109, 110</ref><ref name="Koschorke287"/> The reaction of Catholic theologians, such as [[Bartolome de Las Casas]] and [[Francisco de Vitoria]], led to debate on the nature of human rights<ref name="Koschorke287"/> and the birth of modern international law.<ref name="Woods137">Woods, ''How the Church Built Western Civilization'' (2005), p. 137</ref><ref name="Chadwick327">Chadwick, Owen, ''The Reformation'', Penguin, 1990, p. 327</ref>

In 1521 the Spanish explorer [[Ferdinand Magellan]] made the first Catholic converts in the Philippines.<ref name="Koschorke21">Koschorke, ''A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America'' (2007), p. 21</ref> The following year, the first Franciscan missionaries arrived in Mexico, establishing schools, model farms and hospitals. When some Europeans questioned whether the Indians were truly human and worthy of baptism, [[Pope Paul III]] in the 1537 bull [[Sublimis Deus]] confirmed that "their souls were as immortal as those of Europeans" and they should neither be robbed nor turned into slaves.<ref name=Johansen110>Johansen, Bruce, ''The Native Peoples of North America,'' Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 2006, p. 110</ref><ref name="Koschorke290">Koschorke, ''A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America'' (2007), p. 290</ref> Over the next 150&nbsp;years, missions expanded into southwestern North America.<ref name=jacksonxiv>Jackson, ''From Savages to Subjects: Missions in the History of the American Southwest'' (2000), p. 14</ref> Portuguese missionaries under the Spanish Jesuit [[Francis Xavier]] evangelized in India and [[Japan]].<ref name="Koschorke3">Koschorke, ''A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America'' (2007), pp. 3, 17</ref> By the end of the 16th century thousands of Japanese converted, but this stopped when Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] launched a severe persecution of Christians to isolate the country from foreign influences.<ref name="Koschorke31">Koschorke, ''A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America'' (2007), pp. 31&ndash;2</ref> Despite enforced isolation, a minority Christian population survived into the 19th century.<ref name="Koschorke31"/><ref name="McManners318">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p. 318, Chapter 9 The Expansion of Christianity by [[John McManners]]</ref>

In 1509, the famous scholar [[Erasmus]] wrote ''[[In Praise of Folly]]'', a work which describes unease about corruption in the Church.<ref name="Norman86">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), p. 86</ref> The [[Council of Constance]], the [[Council of Basel]] and the [[Fifth Lateran Council]] attempted to reform internal Church abuses but had failed.<ref name="Bokenkotter202"/> As a result, rich and powerful men like [[House of Borgia|Roderigo Borgia]] ([[Pope Alexander VI]]) were able to become pope.<ref name="Bokenkotter202">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 201&ndash;5</ref><ref name="Duffy149">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 149</ref> In 1517, [[Martin Luther]] included his ''[[The Ninety-Five Theses|Ninety-Five Theses]]'' in a letter to several bishops.<ref name="Vidmar184">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p. 184</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter215">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 215</ref> His theses protested key points of Catholic doctrine as well as the sale of [[indulgence]]s.<ref name="Vidmar184"/><ref name="Bokenkotter215"/> [[Huldrych Zwingli]], [[John Calvin]], and others further criticized Catholic teachings. These challenges developed into the Protestant Reformation.<ref name="Vidmar196">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 196&ndash;200</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter223">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 223&ndash;4</ref>

In Germany, the reformation led to a nine-year war between the Protestant [[Schmalkaldic League]] and the Catholic Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] with the [[Thirty Years' War]] following.<ref name="Vidmar233"/> In France, a series of conflicts termed the [[French Wars of Religion]] were fought between the [[Huguenot]]s and the forces of the [[Catholic League (French)|French Catholic League]]. King [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV's]] [[Edict of Nantes]], which granted civil and religious toleration to Protestants, was hesitantly accepted by [[Pope Clement VIII]].<ref name="Vidmar233">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p. 233</ref><ref name="Duffy177">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 177&ndash;8</ref>

[[File:Stift melk 001 2004.jpg|thumb|right|250 px|[[Melk Abbey]]&mdash;adjoining [[Wachau Valley]], [[Lower Austria]]&mdash;exemplifies the [[Baroque]] style.]]
The [[English Reformation]] under [[Henry VIII]], was more political than theological. When the annulment of his marriage was denied by the pope, Henry had Parliament pass the [[Acts of Supremacy]] which made him, and not the pope, head of a new [[Church of England]].<ref name="Bokenkotter235">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 235&ndash;237</ref> Although he maintained the substance of Catholicism, Henry initiated and supported the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|confiscation and dissolution of church holdings]] throughout England, Wales and Ireland.<ref name="Bokenkotter235"/><ref name = Schama>Schama, ''A History of Britain 1: At the Edge of the World?'' (2003), pp. 309&ndash;11</ref><ref name = "Vidmar220">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Throughout the Ages'' (2003), p. 220</ref> Under Henry's daughter, [[Mary I of England|Mary I]], England was reunited with Rome, but the following monarch, [[Elizabeth I]], restarted a separate church which outlawed Catholic priests<ref name="Noble519">Noble, ''Western Civilization'' (2005), p. 519</ref> and prevented Catholics from educating their children and taking part in political life<ref name="Vidmar225">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 225&ndash;6</ref><ref name=Solt149>Solt, ''Church and State in Early Modern England, 1509-1640'', (1990), p. 149 </ref> until the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 began the process of eliminating many of the anti-Catholic laws.<ref name="Norman132">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), pp. 131&ndash;2</ref>

The Catholic Church responded to doctrinal challenges and abuses highlighted by the Reformation at the [[Council of Trent]] (1545&ndash;1563), which became the driving force of the Counter&ndash;Reformation. Doctrinally, it reaffirmed central Catholic teachings such as [[transubstantiation]], and the requirement for love and hope as well as faith to attain salvation.<ref name="Bokenkotter242">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 242&ndash;4</ref> It also made structural reforms by improving the education of the clergy and laity and consolidating the central jurisdiction of the Roman Curia.<ref name="Norman81">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), p. 81</ref><ref name="Bokenkotter242"/><ref name="Vidmar237">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), p. 237</ref> New religious orders were founded, including the [[Theatines]], [[Barnabites]] and [[Jesuits]], some of which became the great missionary orders.<ref name="Norman91">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), pp. 91&ndash;2</ref> The writings of figures such as [[Teresa of Avila]], [[Francis de Sales]] and [[Philip Neri]] spawned new schools of spirituality within the Church.<ref name="Bokenkotter251">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 251</ref> To popularize Counter-Reformation teachings, the Church encouraged the [[Baroque]] style in art, music and architecture.

===Enlightenment===
{{See also|French Revolution|Jesuit Reductions|Chinese Rites controversy}}

Toward the latter part of the 17th century, [[Pope Innocent XI]] reformed abuses by the Church, including [[simony]], [[nepotism]] and the lavish papal expenditures that had caused him to inherit a papal debt.<ref name="Duffy188">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 188&ndash;91</ref> He promoted missionary activity around the world, tried to unite Europe against the Turkish invasions, and condemned religious persecution of all kinds.<ref name="Duffy188"/> In 1685 King [[Louis XIV]] of France [[Revocation of the Edict of Nantes|revoked the Edict of Nantes]], ending a century&ndash;long experiment in religious toleration. This and other religious conflicts of the Reformation era provoked a backlash against Christianity, which helped spawn the violent [[anti-clericalism]] of the [[French Revolution]]. Direct attacks on the wealth of the Church and associated grievances led to the wholesale nationalisation of church property in France.<ref name="Bokenkotter285">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 283&ndash;5</ref> Large numbers of French priests rebelled against the [[National Assembly (French Revolution)|National Assembly]], leading to the Church being outlawed and replaced by a new religion of the worship of "Reason". When the Church sided against the revolution, [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] invaded Italy and imprisoned [[Pope Pius VI]], who died after six weeks of captivity.<ref name="Bokenkotter285"/> Napoleon later re&ndash;established the Catholic Church in France through the [[Concordat of 1801]].<ref name="Collins176">Collins, ''The Story of Christianity'' (1999), p. 176</ref> The end of the Napoleonic wars brought Catholic revival, renewed enthusiasm, and new respect for the papacy.<ref name="Duffy216">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), pp. 214&ndash;6</ref>

[[File:Ruinas 030.jpg|thumb|230 px|Church from the [[Jesuit Reductions|Indian settlement]] of [[San Ignacio Miní]], [[Argentina]]]]
In the Americas, Franciscan priest [[Junípero Serra]] founded a series of new missions in cooperation with the Spanish government and military.<ref name="Norman111">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), pp. 111&ndash;2</ref> These missions brought grain, cattle and a new way of living to the Indian tribes of California. [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] was founded in 1776 and [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in 1781. However, in bringing Western civilization to the area, the missions have been held responsible for the loss of nearly a third of the native population, primarily through disease.<ref name="King">King, ''Mission to Paradise'' (1975), p. 169</ref>

In South America, Jesuits missionaries protected native peoples from enslavement by establishing semi-independent settlements called [[Jesuit Reductions|reductions]]. [[Pope Gregory XVI]], challenging Spanish and Portuguese sovereignty, appointed his own candidates as bishops in the colonies, condemned slavery and the slave trade in 1839 (papal bull [[In Supremo Apostolatus]]), and approved the ordination of native clergy in spite of government racism.<ref name="Duffy221">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 221</ref>

In China, however, the [[Chinese Rites controversy]] led the [[Kangxi Emperor]] to outlaw Christian missions in 1721.<ref name="McManners328">McManners, ''Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity'' (1990), p. 328, Chapter 9 The Expansion of Christianity by [[John McManners]]</ref> This controversy added fuel to growing criticism of the Jesuits who were seen to symbolize the independent power of the Church, and in 1773, European rulers united to force [[Pope Clement XIV]] to dissolve the order.<ref name="Duffy193">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 193</ref> The Jesuits were eventually restored in the 1814 papal bull [[Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum]].<ref name="Bokenkotter295">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 295</ref>

=== Industrial age ===
{{See also|History of Mexico|Pope Pius XII|Cultural Revolution}}
The latter part of the 19th century saw important church developments. In 1870, the [[First Vatican Council]] affirmed the doctrine of [[papal infallibility]] when exercised in specifically defined pronouncements.<ref name="Leith">Leith, ''Creeds of the Churches'' (1963), p. 143</ref><ref name="Duffy232">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 232</ref> Controversy over this and other issues resulted in a small breakaway movement called the [[Old Catholic Church]].<ref name="Fahlbusch">Fahlbusch, ''The Encyclopedia of Christianity'' (2001), p. 729</ref> Later, the [[Industrial Revolution]] brought growing concern about the deteriorating working and living conditions of urban workers. In 1891, [[Pope Leo XIII]] published the encyclical ''[[Rerum Novarum]]'' which set out [[Catholic social teaching]] in terms that rejected socialism but advocated the regulation of working conditions, the establishment of a living wage and the right of workers to form trade unions.<ref name="Duffy240">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 240</ref> By the close of the 19th century, new technologies and superior weaponry had allowed European powers to gain control of most of the African interior.<ref name="Has398"/> The new rulers introduced a cash economy which required African people to become literate, and so created a great demand for schools. At the time, the only possibility open to Africans for a western education was through Christian missionaries.<ref name="Has398"/> Catholic missionaries followed colonial governments into Africa, and built schools, hospitals, monasteries and churches.<ref name="Has398">Hastings, ''The Church in Africa'' (2004), pp. 397&ndash;410</ref>

In Latin America, a succession of [[anti-clericalism|anti-clerical]] regimes came to power beginning in the 1830s.<ref>Stacy, ''Mexico and the United States'' (2003), p. 139</ref> In Mexico, Church properties were confiscated and basic civil and political rights were denied to religious orders and the clergy. More severe laws called [[Calles Law]] during the rule of [[atheist]] [[Plutarco Elías Calles]] eventually led to the [[Cristero War]].<ref name="Chadwick264">Chadwick, ''A History of Christianity'' (1995), pp. 264&ndash;5</ref> Between 1926 and 1934, over 3,000 priests were exiled or assassinated.<ref name="Scheina">Scheina, ''Latin America's Wars: The Age of the Caudillo'' (2003), p. 33</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =Van Hove | first =Brian | title =Blood Drenched Altars | publisher =EWTN | year =1994 | url =http://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMELIBR/FR94204.TXT Blood-Drenched Altars |accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> In an effort to prove that "God would not defend the Church", Calles ordered Church desecrations where services were mocked, nuns were raped and captured priests were shot.<ref name="Chadwick264"/> Calles was eventually deposed<ref name="Chadwick264"/> and despite the persecution, the Church in Mexico continued to grow.<ref>{{cite web | title = International Religious Freedom Report 2001| publisher = US Department of State| year =2001 | url =http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/9001.pdf | accessdate=2008-03-13}}</ref> In 1954, under the regime of General [[Juan Perón]], Argentina saw extensive destruction of churches, denunciations of clergy and confiscation of Catholic schools as Perón attempted to extend state control over national institutions.<ref name="Norman167">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), pp. 167&ndash;8</ref> Cuba, under [[Fidel Castro]], deported priests and discriminated against Catholics.<ref name="Chadwick266"/> The subsequent flight of 300,000 people from the island further diminished the Church's presence.<ref name="Chadwick266">Chadwick, ''A History of Christianity'' (1995), p. 266</ref> In 1936, violent anti-clerical persecution took place in Spain. Priests and nuns were made into symbols of conservatism and were subsequently murdered in during the [[Spanish Civil War]] by republicans and anarchists.<ref name="Chadwick240">Chadwick, ''A History of Christianity'' (1995), pp. 240</ref> Confiscation of Church properties and restrictions on people's religious freedoms have generally accompanied secularist and Marxist-leaning governmental reforms.<ref name="Norman172">Norman, ''The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History'' (2007), pp. 167&ndash;72</ref>

[[:Image:Das Schwarze Korps Eugenio Pacelli Judenfreund Feind des Nationalsozialismus.jpg|thumb|left|180 px|Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) attacked by Nazi papers as a friend of [[Jew]]s and western [[communists]].]]
In the 1937 encyclical ''[[Mit brennender Sorge]]'', drafted by the future [[Pope Pius XII]],<ref name="Pham45">Pham, ''Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession'' (2005), p. 45</ref> [[Pope Pius XI]] warned Catholics that [[antisemitism]] is incompatible with Christianity.<ref name="Vidmar327">Vidmar, ''The Catholic Church Through the Ages'' (2005), pp. 327&ndash;33</ref> Read from the pulpits of all German Catholic churches, it criticized Hitler and was the first official denunciation of [[Nazism]] made by any major organization.<ref name="Bokenkotter389">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 389&ndash;92</ref> Nazi began persecution of the Church in Germany through repression and "staged prosecutions of monks for homosexuality, with the maximum of publicity."<ref name="Chadwick254"/> When Dutch bishops protested against the deportation of Jews, the Nazi's responded with even more severe measures.<ref name="Bokenkotter389"/> In Poland, the Nazis murdered over 2500 monks and priests while even more were sent to concentration camps.<ref name="Chadwick254">Chadwick, ''A History of Christianity'' (1995), pp. 254&ndash;5</ref> Stalin staged an even more severe persecution at almost the same time.<ref name="Chadwick254"/>

After [[World War II]] historians such as [[David Kertzer]] accused the Church of encouraging centuries of anti&ndash;semitism, and Pope Pius XII of not doing enough to stop Nazi atrocities.<ref>{{cite news | last =Eakin | first =Emily | title =New Accusations Of a Vatican Role In Anti-Semitism; Battle Lines Were Drawn After Beatification of Pope Pius IX | work =The New York Times | date =1 September 2001 | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E3DF1130F932A3575AC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> Prominent members of the Jewish community such as [[Albert Einstein]] contradicted the criticisms and spoke highly of Pius's efforts to protect Jews, while others noted that "hundreds of thousands" of Jews were saved by the Church.<ref name="Bokenkotter481">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 480&ndash;1</ref> Even so, in 2000 [[Pope John Paul II]] on behalf of all people, apologized to the Jew people in a prayer he inserted into the [[Western Wall]].<ref>{{cite web | last =Randall | first = Gene| title = Pope Ends Pilgrimage to the Holy Land| publisher =CNN | date =26 March 2000 | url =http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0003/26/bn.02.html | accessdate=2008-06-09}}</ref> The aftermath of World War II saw atheistic [[Communism|communist]] governments in Eastern Europe severely restrict religious freedoms. The Church's resistance and the leadership of [[Pope John Paul II]] have been credited with hastening the downfall of communist governments across Europe in 1991,<ref name="communist">{{cite news | title =Pope Stared Down Communism in Homeland &ndash; and Won | work =CBC News | date = April 2005 | year = 2005| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/pope/communism_homeland.html| accessdate=2008-01-31}}</ref> even though some priests collaborated with the regime.<ref>{{cite web | last =Smith | first =Craig | title =In Poland, New Wave of Charges Against Clerics | work =The New York Times | date =10 January 2007 | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/world/europe/10poland.html | accessdate=2008-05-23}}</ref>

Because Christians were considered to be tools of Western imperialism, the Communist rise to power in China of 1949 led to the expulsion of all foreign missionaries "often after cruel and farcical 'public trials'".<ref name="Bokenkotter357">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 356&ndash;7</ref> In an effort to further detach Chinese Catholics, the new government created the [[Patriotic Church]] independent of the Roman Catholic Church.<ref name="Bokenkotter357"/> Rome subsequently rejected its bishops.<ref name="Chadwick259">Chadwick, ''A History of Christianity'' (1995), pp. 259&ndash;60</ref> The following decade saw the emergence of the [[Cultural Revolution]] which encouraged gangs of teenagers to eliminate all places of worship and turn their occupants into labourers. While Chinese churches temporarily disappeared, their eventual return found them still controlled by the Communist party's Patriotic Church with many Catholic pastors and priests continuing to be sent to prison for refusing to break allegiance with Rome.<ref name="Chadwick259"/>

===Second Vatican Council===
{{See also|Second Vatican Council|Liberation theology|Pro-life|Catholic sex abuse cases}}
The Catholic Church engaged in a comprehensive process of reform following the [[Second Vatican Council]] (1962&ndash;65).<ref name="Duffy272">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 270&ndash;6</ref> Intended as a continuation of Vatican I, the council made pronouncements on religious freedom, the nature of the church and the mission of the laity,<ref name="Duffy272"/> and permitting the [[Latin liturgical rites]] to use vernacular languages as well as [[Latin]] during mass and other sacraments.<ref name ="Paulvi">{{cite web | last = Paul VI| first =Pope | title =Sacrosanctum Concilium | publisher = Vatican| date = 4 December 1963 | url =http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html | accessdate=2008-02-09}}</ref> [[Ecumenism|Christian unity]] became a greater priority.<ref name="Duffy274">Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners'' (1997), p. 274</ref> In addition to finding more common ground with Protestant Churches, the Catholic Church has again discussed the possibility of unity with the Eastern Orthodox Church.<ref>{{cite web | title =Roman Catholic-Eastern Orthodox Dialogue | publisher =Public Broadcasting Service | date =14 July 2000 | url =http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week346/feature.html | accessdate=2008-02-16}}</ref>

Changes to old rites and ceremonies following Vatican II produced a variety of responses. While "most Catholics&nbsp;...&nbsp;accepted the changes more or less gracefully", some stopped going to church and others tried to preserve the old liturgy with the help of sympathetic priests.<ref name="Bokenkotter410">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 410</ref> The latter formed the basis of today's [[Traditionalist Catholic]] groups, which believe that the reforms of Vatican II have gone too far. [[Liberal Christianity|Liberal]] Catholics form another dissenting group who feel that the Vatican II reforms did not go far enough. The liberal views of theologians such as [[Hans Küng]] and [[Charles Curran]], led to Church withdrawal of their authorization to teach as Catholics.<ref>Bauckham, Richard, in ''New Dictionary of Theology'', Ed. Ferguson, (1988), p. 373</ref>

In the 1960s, growing social awareness and politicization in the Latin American Church gave birth to [[liberation theology]]. [[Gustavo Gutiérrez]] was a primary theorist and, in 1979, the bishops' conference in Mexico officially declared the Latin American Church's "preferential option for the poor".<ref name="Bokenkotter454">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 454&ndash;7</ref>  Archbishop [[Óscar Romero]], a supporter of the movement, became the region's most famous contemporary martyr when he was murdered during mass by forces allied with the government.<ref name="Bokenkotter463">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), p. 463</ref> Both [[Pope John Paul II]] and [[Pope Benedict XVI]] (as Cardinal Ratzinger) denounced the movement.<ref name="brazil">{{cite news | last = Rohter| first =Larry | title =As Pope Heads to Brazil, a Rival Theology Persists | work =The New York Times | date =7 May 2007 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/world/americas/07theology.html | accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> The Brazilian theologian [[Leonardo Boff]] was twice ordered to cease publishing and teaching.<ref name="Bokenkotter454"/> While Pope John Paul II was criticized for his severity in dealing with proponents of the movement, he maintained that the Church, in its efforts to champion the poor, should not do so by resorting to violence or partisan politics.<ref>{{cite web | title = Liberation Theology| publisher = BBC | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/liberationtheology.shtml | accessdate =2008-09-12 }}</ref> The movement is still alive in Latin America today, though the Church now faces the challenge of Pentecostal revival in much of the region.<ref name="brazil"/>


The [[sexual revolution]] of the 1960s precipitated [[Pope Paul VI]]'s 1968 encyclical ''[[Humanae Vitae]]'', which rejected the use of [[contraception]] and [[sterilization]] claiming these directly opposed God's will,<ref name="humanae"/> and approved of [[Natural Family Planning]].<ref name="humanae">{{cite web | last = Paul VI| first =Pope | title =Humanae Vitae | publisher =Vatican | year =1968 | url=http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html | accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref> [[Abortion]] was condemned by the Church as early as the first century and confirmed in Pope John Paul II's [[Evangelium Vitae]].<ref name="Bokenkotter493">Bokenkotter, ''A Concise History of the Catholic Church'' (2004), pp. 27, 154, 493&ndash;4</ref> This encyclical condemned the "[[culture of death]]" which the pope often used to describe societal embrace of [[euthanasia]], contraception, genocide, suicide, capital punishment and abortion.<ref name="Bokenkotter493"/><ref>{{cite web | title = The Death Penalty Pro and Con: The Pope's Statement| publisher = PBS | url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/angel/procon/popestate.html| accessdate=2008-06-12}}</ref> The Church's rejection of the use of [[condom]]s has provoked criticism, especially with respect to countries where [[AIDS]] and [[HIV]] have attained epidemic proportions. The Church maintains that behavioral changes instead of condom use are more effective at controlling the disease than solely promoting condoms.<ref>{{cite web | last =Dugger | first =Carol | title =Why is Kenya's AIDS rate plummeting?
 | work =International Herald Tribune | date =18 May 2006 | url = http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/18/news/aids.php| accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =Wilson | first =Brenda | title =Study: Verbal Warnings Helped Curb AIDS in Uganda | publisher =National Public Radio | date =4 May 2004 | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1869907| accessdate=2008-08-15}}</ref>

Efforts to lead the Church to consider the [[ordination of women]] led Pope John Paul II to issue the 1988 encyclical ''Mulieris Dignitatem'' that declared that women had a different, yet equally important role in the Church.<ref>{{cite web | last =John Paul II | first =Pope | title =Mulieris Dignitatem | publisher =Vatican | year =1988 | url =http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_15081988_mulieris-dignitatem_en.html | accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> In 1994 the encyclical ''Ordinatio Sacerdotalis'' further explained that the Church follows the example of Jesus, who chose only men for the specific priestly duty.<ref>{{cite web | last =John Paul II | first =Pope | title =Ordinatio Sacerdotalis| publisher = Vatican| date =22 May 1994 | url = http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html| accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref>

Major lawsuits emerged in 2001 claiming that [[Catholic sex abuse cases|priests had sexually abused minors]].<ref name="Bruni336">Bruni, ''A Gospel of Shame'' (2002), p. 336</ref> In the US, where the vast majority of sex abuse cases occurred, the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] commissioned a study that found that four percent of all priests who served in the US from 1950 to 2002 faced some sort of sexual accusation.<ref name="sexabuse">{{cite web | last =Owen | first =Richard | title =Pope calls for continuous prayer to rid priesthood of paedophilia | work =Times Online UK edition | publisher =Times Newspapers Ltd | date =7 January 2008 | url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3142511.ece | accessdate=2008-03-31}}</ref><ref name="JohnJay">{{cite web | author = Terry, Karen et al| title = John Jay Report| publisher =John Jay College of Criminal Justice | year = 2004| url =http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2004_02_27_JohnJay/index.html | accessdate=2008-02-09}}</ref> The Church was widely criticized when it emerged that some bishops had known about abuse allegations and reassigned accused priests after first sending them to psychiatric counseling because the prevailing psychology of the times suggested that people could be cured of such behavior through counseling.<ref name="Bruni336"/><ref name="JohnJay"/><ref name="adrift">Steinfels, ''A People Adrift'' (2003). pp. 40&ndash;6</ref><ref name="FrawleyOdea">Frawley-ODea, ''Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church '' (2007), p. 4</ref> Pope John Paul II responded by declaring that "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young".<ref name="Walsh">Walsh, ''John Paul II: A Light for the World'' (2003), p. 62</ref>

The US Church instituted reforms to prevent future abuse including requiring background checks for Church employees;<ref>{{cite web | title =Scandals in the Church: The Bishops' Decisions; The Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People | work= The New York Times | date =15 June 2002 | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906EFDA133CF936A25755C0A9649C8B63 | accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref> and, because the vast majority of victims were teenage boys, the worldwide Church also prohibited the ordination of men with "deep–seated homosexual tendencies".<ref name="vatdocord"/><ref name="sexabusereport">{{cite web | last = Filteau | first =Jerry | title =Report says clergy sexual abuse brought 'smoke of Satan' into church | publisher =Catholic News Service | year =2004 | url =http://www.catholicnews.com/data/abuse/abuse08.htm | accessdate=2008-03-10}}</ref>  Some commentators, such as journalist Jon Dougherty, have argued that media coverage of the issue has been excessive, given that the same problems plague other institutions such as the US public school system with much greater frequency.<ref>{{cite web | last =Dougherty | first =Jon | title =Sex Abuse by Teachers Said Worse Than Catholic Church | work =Newsmax | date =5 April 2004 | url =http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/4/5/01552.shtml | accessdate=2008-06-11}}</ref><ref name="USgov">{{cite web | last =Shakeshaft | first =Charol | title =Educator Sexual Misconduct | publisher = US Department of Education| year =2004 | url = http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/misconductreview/report.pdf | accessdate=2008-04-12}}</ref>

===Catholicism today===
[[File:Wydrome2000.jpg|thumb|250 px|[[World Youth Day]] is a popular Catholic faith themed international youth event initiated by Pope John Paul II.]]
The Roman Catholic Church continues to occupy a unique place in society. As in ages past, the pope remains an international leader who regularly receives [[heads of state]] from around the world. As the representative of the [[Holy See]], he also holds a seat at, and occasionally addresses, the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Pope urges global unity on crises | publisher =BBC News | date =19 April 2008 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7354023.stm | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref> The 2005 election of [[Pope Benedict XVI]] saw a continuation of the policies of his predecessors. His first encyclical [[Deus Caritas Est]] (God is Love) discussed the various forms of [[love]] re-emphasizing marriage and the centrality of [[charity]] to the Church's mission.<ref name="DeusCE"/> On his 2008 visit to the United States he was received with particular dignity and his Masses were televised live on the major national news networks. When asked why the Pope received such attention the US President said "Because he is a really important figure&nbsp;...".<ref>{{cite web | last =Loven | first =Jennifer | title =Bush readies big welcome for pope | work = USA Today| date =14 April 2008 | url =http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-04-13-1862454372_x.htm | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref>

Following the controversy over his [[Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy|Regensburg address]], a May 2008 summit between the pope and a delegation of Muslims came to agreement that religion is essentially non-violent and that violence can be justified neither by reason nor by faith.<ref>{{cite web | title = Pope in dialogue with Iranian officials| publisher =Irishtimes | date =30 April 2008 | url =http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0430/breaking66.htm | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref> In contrast with periods of religious and scientific intolerance in the past, today's Church seeks dialogue with other faiths and Christian denominations. It also sponsors the [[Pontifical Academy of Sciences]], a body whose international membership includes [[nobel laureates]] such as [[Stephen Hawking]] and [[Charles Hard Townes]] among many others, and which provides the pope with valuable insights into scientific matters.<ref>{{cite web | last =Mason | first =Michael | authorlink =Michael Mason | title =How to Teach Science to the Pope | publisher = Discover Magazine | date =2008-08-18 | url =http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/18-how-to-teach-science-to-the-pope/?searchterm=michael%20mason,%20pontifical%20academy%20of%20science | accessdate =2008-09-24| quote= }}</ref>

==References==

===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|2}}

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*{{cite book |last=Pham|first=John Peter|title=Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=0195178343}}
*{{cite book |title=The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology|last=Richardson |first=Alan | authorlink=Alan Richardson|year=1983 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=PN7UMUTBBPAC&dq=nicene+creed+protestant&pg=PA132| isbn=0664227481}}
*{{cite book |title=The First Crusaders |last=Riley-Smith |first=Jonathan |authorlink=Jonathan Riley-Smith |year=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780511003080}}
*{{cite book |last1=Samora|first1=Julian|last2=Simon|first2=Patricia Vandel|last3=Candelaria|first3=Cordelia|last4=Pulido|first4=Alberto L|title=A History of the Mexican-American People|publisher=University of Notre Dame Press|year=1993|isbn=9780268010973}}
*{{cite book |title=Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes |last=Schaff |first=Philip | authorlink=Philip Schaff| year=1910 |publisher=Harper|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds1.iv.iii.html}}
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*{{cite book |title=The Essential Catholic Catechism |last=Schreck |first= Alan|year=1999 |publisher=Servant Publications|isbn=0569551286}}
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*{{cite book |last= Stoll |first= David |authorlink=David Stoll |title= Is Latin America turning Protestant?: The Politics of Evangelical Growth |location= Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |year= 1990 |isbn= 978-0520064997}}
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*{{cite book |title=A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America |first=Peter |last=Steinfels| authorlink=Peter Steinfels| year=2003|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-68-483663-7}}
*{{cite book |title=[[Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt]] |last=Temporini |first=Hildegard |coauthors= Wolfgang Haase |year=1982 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=3110087006}}
*{{cite book | last = Traufler| first = Louis| coauthors = Michael, Virgil |title=The Mass: The Sacrifice of Christ | year=1927| publisher = The Liturgical Press}}
*{{cite book |title= God's War: A New History of the Crusades |last=Tyerman |first=Christopher |year=2006 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=0674023870}}
*{{cite book |title=Co&ndash;Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord |last=USCCB |authorlink=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops |year=2005 |publisher= USCCB Publishing|isbn=1574557246}}
*{{cite book |title=Program for Priestly Formation |last=USCCB |authorlink=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops |year=2006 |publisher= USCCB Publishing|isbn=1-57455-517-0}}
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*{{cite book |title= John Paul II: A Light for the World, Essays and Reflections on the Papacy of |last=Walsh |first=Mary Ann |coauthors=Thavis, John |year=2003 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=pWkVkkWcNIUC&dq=john+paul+ii+no+place+in+priesthood+for+those+who+would+abuse+children&pg=PA62 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=1580511422}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Wilken |first=Robert |editor=Susan Tyler Hitchcock and [[John Esposito]] |encyclopedia=Geography of Religion |title=Christianity |year=2004 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]  |isbn=0792273176}}
*{{cite book |title=How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization |last=Woods Jr |first=Thomas | authorlink=Thomas Woods|year=2005 |publisher=Regnery Publishing, Inc|isbn=0-89526-038-7}}

==External links==
{{Portal box|Catholicism|Pope}}
* [http://www.vatican.va/ Vatican: the Holy See] – The official website of the Vatican.
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/ Catholic Hierarchy] – Information on Catholic bishops and dioceses.
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/cardinals.htm The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church] – Information on the Cardinals of the Catholic Church.
* {{cite web|url= http://www.earthhealing.info/catholicstats.pdf |title=Global Catholic Statistics: 1905 and Today }}&nbsp;{{small|(26.3&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}} by Albert J. Fritsch, SJ, PhD.
* [http://www.masstimes.org/ MassTimes] – A comprehensive database of every Catholic Church and Mass in the entire world.
* [http://www.thecatholicguide.com The Catholic Guide] – A comprehensive source on the Roman Catholic Church.
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{{History of Catholic theology|collapsed}}