Portal:Catholic Church

Catholic Church Portal Main page   Pontifex Maximus   The town and the world Introduction The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.378 billion baptized Catholics worldwide It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The Diocese of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small independent city-state and enclave within the Italian capital city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state. The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in 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. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies, and institutes such as mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church. Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions. Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, and orphanages around the world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. (Full article...) Selected article A Seal of the Knights Templar, with their famous image of two knights on a single horse, a symbol of their early poverty. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers), were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders. The organization existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages. It was founded in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096, to ensure the safety of the many Europeans who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem after its conquest. Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church in 1129, the Order became a favored charity across Europe and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights in their distinctive white mantles with red cross were among the best fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, inventing or adapting many financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building many fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land. Read more... Selected image Credit: Raffaello Sanzio The School of Athens or "Scuola di Atene" in Italian is one of the most famous paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1509 and 1510 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Selected biography Reginald fitz Jocelin (sometimes Reginald Italus, Richard the Lombard, or Reginald Lombardus) was a medieval Bishop of Bath and an Archbishop of Canterbury-elect in England. A member of an Anglo-Norman noble family, he was the son of a bishop, and was educated in Italy. He was a household clerk for Thomas Becket, but by 1167 he was serving King Henry II of England. He was also a favorite of King Louis VII of France, who had him appointed abbot of the Abbey of Corbeil. After angering Becket while attempting to help negotiate a settlement between Becket and the king, Becket then called Reginald "that offspring of fornication, that enemy to the peace of the Church, that traitor." When he was elected as a bishop, the election was challenged by the King Henry's eldest son, Henry the Young King, and Reginald was forced to go to Rome to be confirmed by Pope Alexander III . He attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179, and spent much of his time administering his diocese. He was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1191, but died before he could be consecrated. Read more... Did you know... A diagram showing the order of forces at the Battle of Varna ...that the Crusade of Varna was a string of events in 1443–44 between the Kingdom of Hungary, the Serbian Despotate, and the Ottoman Empire that culminated in a devastating Hungarian loss at the Battle of Varna (pictured) on 10 November 1444? ... that in 1960, Archbishop Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara became the first papal representative to visit the British Houses of Parliament in four centuries? ... that Louis J. Gallagher, SJ, who brought to Rome the relics of Andrew Bobola which were rescued from the Bolsheviks by Edmund A. Walsh, later published books about both men? Related portals Feast Day of April 26 Rafael Arnáiz Barón, OCSO (9 April 1911 - 26 April 1938), also named María Rafael in religion, was a Spanish Trappist conventual oblate. He studied architecture in Madrid, but decided to cease his studies in favor of the religious life. This was often interrupted due to his struggle with type I diabetes and his being called for active service. But these never hindered his religious call and he did as best as he could to deal with his diabetes through his constant life of reflection and writing on spiritual subjects in his letters. (Full article...) Attributes: Trappist habit Patronage: Diabetics, World Youth Day See also: Trudpert Selected quote Patrick, Archbishop of Armagh “ I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. ” — Saint Patrick News April "Holy Eucharist" Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Eucharist. 21 March 2024 – Pope Francis laicizes Belgian bishop Roger Vangheluwe due to allegations of abuse. (NOS) 25 February 2024 – Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso Fifteen people are killed and two more injured during an attack on a Catholic Church in the village of Essakane, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. (BBC News) 14 February 2024 – One person is killed and 53 others are injured when a church balcony collapses during an Ash Wednesday Mass in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Philippines. (WION) 28 January 2024 – Turkey–Islamic State conflict A Turkish man is shot dead by two masked gunmen at an Italian Roman Catholic church in Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey. The Islamic State claims responsibility. (AP) Subcategories Catholic Church Catholic Church by city Catholic Church by continent Catholic Church by country Catholic Church-related lists Catholic particular churches sui iuris Latin Church Eastern Catholic Churches Catholic bibles Buildings and structures of the Catholic Church Catholics Catholic charities Catholic culture Catholic dioceses Ecclesiastical polity of the Catholic Church Catholic ecumenical and interfaith relations History of the Catholic Church Catholic hymns Catholic liturgy Catholic missions Catholic orders and societies Catholic Church organisation Catholic organizations Popes Catholic Church in popular culture Roman Catholic saints Catholic spirituality Catholic studies Catholic theology and doctrine Venerated Catholics Catholic Church portals Outlines of the Catholic Church Catholic Church stubs Topics God the Trinity: God the Father · God the Son · God the Holy Spirit The Holy Bible: Old Testament (including the Deuterocanonicals) · New Testament Particular Churches (grouped by liturgical rite): Latin Rite: Latin Church Alexandrian Rite: Coptic Catholic Church · Eritrean Catholic Church · Ethiopic Catholic Church Armenian Rite: Armenian Catholic Church East Syrian Rite: Chaldean Catholic Church · Syro-Malabar Catholic Church West Syrian Rite: Maronite Church · Syriac Catholic Church · Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Byzantine Rite: Albanian Greek Catholic Church · Belarusian Greek Catholic Church · Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church · Greek Byzantine Catholic Church · Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia · Hungarian Greek Catholic Church · Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church · Macedonian Byzantine-Catholic Church · Melkite Greek Catholic Church · Romanian Greek Catholic Church · Russian Greek Catholic Church · Ruthenian Catholic Church · Slovak Greek Catholic Church · Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church History: Jesus of Nazareth · The Apostles · Ecumenical Councils · East–West Schism · The Crusades · Reformation Christian Theology: Four Marks of the Church · Christian Worship · Divine Grace · Salvation · Sermon on the Mount · Ten Commandments Things you can do If you want to help, you can do the following things: Contribute to one or more of the following articles: Articles needing attention: Coptic Catholic Church • Salesians of Don Bosco • Caritas Internationalis • Teresa Janina Kierocińska • St. Joseph's Cathedral, Allahabad • Emiliano Tardif • More... 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