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Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole.
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2017. As the world’s oldest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the pope. Its central administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, an enclave within the city of Rome in Italy.
Catholic theology is based on the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ’s apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ.
Outline Of The Catholic Church The following outline (Outline Of The Catholic Church) is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Catholic Church: Catholicism – largest denomination of Christianity. Catholicism encompasses the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as...
Latin Liturgical Rites Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church sui iuris of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once dominated. Its language is now known as Ecclesiastical Latin. The most used rite is the Roman Rite. The Latin rites were for...
Catholic Particular Churches And Liturgical Rites This article covers Catholic Particular Churches And Liturgical Rites. A particular church (ecclesia particularis) is an ecclesiastical community of faithful headed by a bishop (or equivalent), as defined by Catholic canon law and ecclesiology. A liturgical rite depends on the particular church the bishop (or equivalent) belongs to. Thus “particular church” refers to...
Traditionalist Catholicism Traditionalist Catholicism is characterized by beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) in particular attachment to the Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass. Traditionalist Catholics were disturbed by the liturgical changes that followed the Second Vatican Council, which some feel stripped the...
Episcopal Polity An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance (“ecclesiastical polity”) in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. (The word “bishop” derives, via the British Latin and Vulgar Latin term *ebiscopus/*biscopus, from the Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος epískopos meaning “overseer”.) It is the structure used by many of the...
Paschal Mystery The Paschal mystery is one of the central concepts of the Catholic faith relating to the history of salvation. According to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Paschal Mystery of Jesus, which comprises his passion, death, resurrection, and glorification, stands at the center of the Christian faith because God’s...
Catholic Religious Orders Catholic Religious Orders are a community of consecrated life with members that profess solemn vows. They are classed as a type of the religious institute. Subcategories of religious orders are canons regular (canons and canonesses regular who recite the Divine Office and serve a church and perhaps a parish); monastics (monks or nuns living and working in a monastery and reciting the...
Predestination In Catholicism Predestination in Catholicism is the Catholic Church‘s teachings on predestination and Catholic saints‘ views on it. The church believes that predestination is not based on anything external to God – for example, the grace of baptism is not merited but given freely to those who receive baptism – since predestination was formulated before the foundation of the...
Criticism Of The Catholic Church This article covers the criticism of the Catholic Church in detail. During its long history, the Catholic Church has been subject to criticism regarding various beliefs and practices. Within the Church, this includes differences of opinion regarding the use of Latin at Mass and the subject...
Catholic Social Teaching Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, concern for social justice, and issues of wealth distribution. Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical letter Rerum novarum,...
Catholic Moral Theology Catholic moral theology is a major category of doctrine in the Catholic Church, equivalent to religious ethics. Moral theology encompasses Catholic social teaching, Catholic medical ethics, sexual ethics, and various doctrines on individual moral virtue and moral theory. It can be distinguished as dealing with “how one is to act”, in contrast to dogmatic theology...
Marriage In The Catholic Church Marriage in the Catholic Church, also known as holy matrimony, is the “covenant by which a man and woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and...
Sex And Gender Roles In The Catholic Church Sex and gender roles in the Roman Catholic Church have been the subject of both intrigue and controversy throughout the Church’s history. The cultural influence of the Catholic Church has been vast, particularly upon Western society. Christian concepts, introduced into evangelized societies worldwide by the Church,...
Catholic Theology Of Sexuality Catholic theology of sexuality, like Catholic theology in general, is drawn from natural law, canonical scripture, divine revelation, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholic Church. Sexual morality evaluates sexual behavior according to standards laid out by Catholic moral theology and often provides general principles by which Catholics can evaluate whether...
Catholic Theology On The Body This article covers Catholic theology on the body. The theology on the body is a broad term for Catholic teachings on the human body. The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, defined in Pope Pius XII’s 1950 apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, is one of the most recent developments in the Catholic theology of...
Catholic-Protestant Relations Catholic-Protestant relations refer to the social, political, and theological relations and dialogue between the Catholics and Protestants. This relationship began in the 16th century with the beginning of the reformation and thereby Protestantism. A number of factors contributed to the Protestant Reformation. Namely, disagreement on the nature of salvation and by extension...
Catholic Ecumenical Councils This article covers Catholic Ecumenical Councils. According to the Catholic Church, a Church Council is ecumenical (“world-wide”), if it is “a solemn congregation of the Catholic bishops of the world at the invitation of the Pope to decide on matters of the Church with him”. In addition to ecumenical Councils, there...
Catholic Church And Ecumenism This article covers the relationship between Catholic Church and Ecumenism. The Catholic Church has engaged in the modern ecumenical movement, especially since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the issuing of the decree Unitatis redintegratio and the declaration Dignitatis humanae. It was at the Council that the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity was created. Those outside...
Catholic Church And Judaism This article covers the relationship between Catholic Church and Judaism. Christianity started as a movement within Judaism in the mid-1st century. Worshipers of the diverging religions initially co-existed, but began branching out under Paul the Apostle. In 380, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, and a...
Catholic Church And Slavery This article covers the relationship between Catholic Church and slavery in detail. The issue of slavery was historically treated with concern by the Catholic Church. Throughout most of human history, slavery has been practiced and accepted by many cultures and religions around the world, including ancient Rome. Certain passages in...
