CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with more than 1.25 billion members worldwide. One of the oldest religious institutions in the world, it has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilization. Headed by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, its doctrines are summarized in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church is notable within Western Christianity for its celebration of the seven sacraments
The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. The Church maintains that the doctrine on faith and morals that it declares as definitive is infallible. The Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches and religious institutes such as the Jesuits, mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders, reflect a variety of theological emphases in the Church.
Of the seven sacraments, the principal one is the Holy Eucharist, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Catholic Church practices closed communion, with only baptized members in a state of grace ordinarily permitted to receive it.
The Catholic Church venerates Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven and practices numerous Marian devotions. It has defined four Marian dogmatic teachings: her immaculate conception without original sin, her status as the Mother of God, her perpetual virginity and her bodily assumption into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.
Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel while Catholic social teaching emphasizes support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through corporal works of mercy. The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world.
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~ Name
~ Papacy and Roman Curia
~ Canon Law
~ Diocese, Parishers and Religious Institutes
~ Catholic Doctrine
~ Statistics
~ Nature of God
~ Nature of the Church
~ Judgement after Death
~ Liturgy.
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